Quote:
Originally Posted by jorgelito
Ooh, good point. Culture is a big factor in how we perceive and execute good manners and politeness.
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I would go so far as to say culture is EVERYTHING, in terms of how we perceive/execute those things. Manners are arbitrary; they are passed down to us by our parents, as a part of our culture. That's why you were nervous in the Middle East, whereas someone like ktspktsp might not even be aware of what you're nervous about, because he just *knows* how to do things there. It's why I'm nervous in Iceland, because this is essentially not the culture I was raised in... I came into it as an outsider, and I had to learn the ropes as an adult (which is what stressed me, since people are far less forgiving of adults being unmannered than they are of children).
It's good that "common sense" took over for you in the Middle East, but imagine if you had married into that family?... small conflicts can definitely erupt into more stressful events. I can't rely on common sense alone when dealing with a lifelong relationship with my in-laws (and neither can ktspktsp)!
