A Korean friend once told me, "Americans' eyes are like lasers piercing through me." To show respect, attentiveness, and interest, North Americans look directly into the other person's eye. But in many cultures it is disrespectful to avert your eyes when someone is speaking to you. Connection and interest are communicated in other ways.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
week 7: Question 1
Just about any gesture you can imagine means something different in another culture and simply "being yourself" can cause serious misunderstandings. While visiting Vietnam I noticed people pointing and beckoning friends and workers by holding their hand up and flexing their middle finger - a well-know obscene gesture in Western cultures.
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Hey there,
ReplyDeleteI can really understand these instances especially about the American eyes like lasers piercing through people. In Asian cultures, students shouldn’t ever make direct eye contact to their teachers and to listen carefully and not say anything unless spoken to. But in American culture it’s expected to you to speak your mind and keep eye contact. If you did what the Asian culture do in America then you would be thought at being disrespectful somewhat deliberately being “bad” or mischievous. So I guess we all have to learn a language and culture thoroughly before making any non-verbal communication.
Good post!