Re: to be rude or not (was: YAGF is a seriously screwed package)
On Friday 10 July 2015 11:37:42 Bonno Bloksma wrote:
> Also remember what we consider to be polite is in some cultures to be
> considered as rude and vice versa.
Yes, I am very conscious of that. It is largely that to which I was
objecting. Being rude to women is considered desirable and normal in many
cultures. Including some sectors of ours here in the UK. That does not in
my view make it acceptable.
> In our cross culture classes we teach
> people about those to prevent "miscommunication". Example 1: Oriental
> cultures do not like to say no, so they always say yes, but in a special
> way that means no ;-) Example 2: In some African cultures it is RUDE to
> look at some while talking to them, they will look away, which WE consider
> rude.
I was brought up in Africa. I find it nearly impossible to look people in the
eye. But I do try to do it when in a culture which requires it.
> And of course not everyone is as fluent in English (or Amarican, or
> Ausiespeak, or...) as a lot of us. And even though I have lived in the USA
> for about one year and talk, speak, write, read English a lot I still make
> mistakes that can give what I meant to write a whole new meaning. As I have
> discovered sometimes. ;-)
None of this excuses being rude to half the members of an international list.
He *meant* "sirs". He was, consciously or unconsciously, deliberately
excluding women.
Lisi
Reply to: