Comments on: Another problem with the FBI. And no one is held accountable.

By: bowser

bowser — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:29:36 +0000

That is an interesting document. Read the entire thing. Had an interesting thing happen at the hospice. An aide and I did a great job changing a younger Iranian male’s clothes, diaper and bedding, rapidly and with a minimum of fuss for the patient.

I gave a “thumbs up” to the aide, and he to me. The patients father laughed and said that in Iran that meant the same thing as a raised middle finger does in the US.

I went out and told the nurses at the nurses’ station. The paitents elderly mother sitting nearby laughed, and said “very nasty”.

That’s something I’d never heard of.

By: ER

ER — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:40:11 +0000

Americans are known throughout the world as being determined to crush your carpals and yank your arm out of its socket when they shake hands with you. I don’t know about all other cultures, but among Latins, one quick and gentle shake and a quick release are all that is really needed to satisfy good manners. A prolonged grip is creepy. Americans are taught since children that a strong, manly grip comes off as masculine and genuine, and that anything else is wimpy and effeminate. But Latins feel it is an attempt to intimidate, always unsuccessful, but still off-putting. Those who are familiar with Americans get used to it and are not offended, but for those meeting one for the first time, it borders on impertinence and over-familiarity.

Culture is filled with little gotchas like this. For example, Latins prefer a distance of about two feet when speaking to another man, even a stranger, while Americans prefer two to three times as far. When seated at a cafe, two Latins will share a small table by sitting next to each other. Americans always sit across from each other. On the other hand, a Latin man will always sit across from a lady, even a close friend or relative, as a sign of respect. It’s not a question of good or bad, its just custom. But since Americans live in a culturally homogeneous country, unlike Europeans who are used to cultural differences, they feel very uncomfortable when people break “rules” that they are not even aware exist.

By: TB

TB — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:31:36 +0000

Some of these issues later in the article are important, but the “shake hands” thing just sounds like a ham-handed “cultural awareness” presentation.

Here’s an extensive document from the military on Arab culture.

So where is the line between “stereotyping” and “cultural awareness?” Note the caveats on the second page of the document I linked.