Here's an article about cultural expectations, gestures to avoid, and other tips so that you don't offend others in different countries/cultures. I knew some of these, but there were a few new ones for me. I wonder how many of us will pay attention?
Unfortunately, I don't know how to make it a real link- just copy and paste the web address into your browser.
http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=Eight+Ways+to+Not+Offend+People&fc_idx=1
Helpful article, but kind of frustrating, too. The writer talks about the world getting "smaller" so doesn't that mean that most people in other countries should probably know that we ("ugly" or not) Americans are not trying to offend them because we eat with a certain hand or cross our legs and show the soles of our shoes? When a foreigner follows his/her custom over here, it's an interesting thing to us, but when we follow one of our customs over there its us being ignorant. Or is that just the American perception? Maybe people in other countries do get this, but "we" have so much angst about offending people we just assume that we do? I always try to be sensitive to others' customs, but I also don't intend to, like the writer's friend, go to a bar and make any sort of gestures in any country. :)
This kind of reminds me of this Far Side Cartoon:
http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/farside-alien.jpg
Chris- Loved the cartoon! I agree we have become so "adapatable" here , that everyone expects us to instantly adapt wherever we are.
Great cartoon!
