"Remember what I told you about how I won debates?"
Posted on 08/05/2015 9:27:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
There are a number of customs and gestures that Americans use without thinking twice. But when traveling abroad, they will not only out you as a tourist, but could get you in hot water in other countries.
Inspired by this Quora thread, we've rounded up some of the most common American customs that are seen as offensive elsewhere.
1. Tipping
A contentious issue even here, both over- and under-tipping can quickly make you the least popular person at the table. But in Japan and South Korea tipping is seen as an insult. In those countries, workers feel they are getting paid to do their job, and take pride in doing it well; they don't need an added incentive.
2. Sitting in the back of a cab
While it's customary for Americans to hop into the back of a cab, in Australia, New Zealand, parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, it's considered rude not to ride shotgun. Whereas cabbies in the US will sigh and reluctantly move their newspapers and lunches from the front seat, in other countries it's a matter of egality.
3. Throwing a thumbs up
In a lot of countries, especially in the Middle East, Latin America, Western Africa, Russia and Greece, a thumbs up basically has the same meaning as holding up a middle finger does for Americans.
4. Laughing with your mouth open
In Japan, laughter that exposes your pearly whites is considered horse-like and impolite — sort of like noisy, open-mouthed eating is considered rude to Americans.
5. Calling the USA "America"
In South America, claiming you're from America, rather than the United States, is seen as being politically incorrect, as it implies that only the US should be considered America, and that South America is unworthy of the title.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
"Remember what I told you about how I won debates?"
Asking them “Who’s got a flag on the moon?”
In Korea, not only was tipping considered an insult, so was paying the asking price (at least in the 80s). You were expected to barter, and people REALLY enjoy doing it over there, both sides working hard to get the best deal— it is an intense form of social interaction for them. So if you just pay what they ask it is considered extremely rude— like walking away from a conversation when a stranger cheerfully tries to break the ice.
#27. Telephone calls from the American Whitehouse.
In America we’re told it’s offensive to have cultural norms. At least if you’re American.
Barter or haggle? Barter is direct trade without money—one commodity for another.
#26 F@CK YOU! Ya third World scum. Please, feel free to be polite and STAY AT HOME and stop invading our culturally rude country!
““Not beheading those who slander the prophet of Islam” is a biggie, too...”
Works for me!
Yet when Arabs come here they refuse to eat some of our traditional festive Bar-B-Que specialties: Baby Backs, Pork bellies or Smoked shoulder roasts for example.
Don’t like our customs? Get the hell out of here!
Lighten up for crying out loud. Yeah, cultures are different. You go to another country, you do your best to exhibit good manners. This is just a list of what goes on in other countries. Guess you two yahoos don’t give a damn what the locals think. So you’d come into my house and start burping and farting?
Worse, they DEMAND that you don't cook it at all, because it offends them.
This is why given the choice of any vacation, I’d most likely choose to drive across the US (which I’ve already done twice). Other places might be more beautiful, but people just suck. Gimme Americans all day long.
Re. #3: My Army unit in Germany went to the island of Crete, Greece to fire missiles once a year. Upon arrival, we were always given the spiel from the Army liaison officer about customs among the locals. The one I remember best was about the “thumbs up” and showing the open palm to a person, as in a wave. Keeping our hands to ourselves was something we all should have learned in kindergarten but it seems even that might be a problem if we put them in our pockets.
The other warning we got from the LO was about the local Communist party that liked to have the occasional demonstration downtown. We were usually restricted from going to town on those evenings but were warned to watch out for such moments to make sure we didn’t get targeted.
I must admit, I’ve now been to France twice, and even in Paris, people there were very nice....Now the fact that I tried at least to speak to them in my butchered French may have helped, but at least for me personally, I didn’t see the stereotypical behavior expected of the French.
Same with the Middle East. This catch is once you start haggling, you and the seller are expected to come to an agreeable price and you purchase the item you are haggling over.
South America is unworthy of the title. Bingo! United States of America minus Obama= America ... USA USA USA!
20. Clothes on in the sauna/steam room. I wear a swimsuit. and I wish other women would too.
Let’s give some common practices from non-natives that are offensive in America.
1. Staring. Very offensive and most foreigners do it. It’s a challenge and rude to me and most Americans.
2. Rushing and bumping into people, shoving ahead on lines.
Those are my two, I can think of many others, but I’ll leave the rest for the thread.
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