Cultural Nuances of the World
June 25th, 2007, 7 Comments »
Quite by accident, I stumbled upon (not, I should clarify, StumbledUpon) this old-school page which appears to be a first-year sociology project. It’s a big list of cultural practices for sundry countries around the world. They’re a bit dubious, and thus a bit entertaining. Here’s Canada:
- It is polite to maintain good eye contact. Men rise when women enter the room. It is considered bad manners to eat while on the street.
- No excessive gesturing.
- People stand about a half-meter apart when conversing.
- Women greet with a slight nod.
- Men greet with a firm handshake.
This reminds me of something. There’s a subtle form of sexism at work when men greet women for the first time and don’t shake their hands, particularly when they’re shaking men’s hands. I watch it happen quite often at network events and parties, and always try to be consistent in my handshaking.
But, anyway, let’s try somewhere more exotic. Say, Lebanon:
- To signal that someone is a homosexual, lick the little finger and brush it across the eyebrow.
- People of the same gender stand closer together.
- Raising a closed fist into the air is making a rude gesture.
- To nod your head means yes. To signal no, point your head sharply upward and raise your eyebrows.
- Greetings made be exchanged with the nod of a head; men will also tip their hats at women.
Wow, that ‘you’re gay’ gesture is quite involved. And Westerners must be baffled by the ‘no’ gesture.
