Things I wish I knew

[Woodsey]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah. I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

For sure there are plenty of idiot brits abroad too, not going to argue there.

So we agree then. By and large, allowing for cultural differences, people are pretty much the same the world over. Good and bad in all.

No, some nationalities are far better than others and some are worse. If you travel more you will see it, anyway cba arguing I was just agreeing with Cos' observations nothing more.

Far better at what?

CBA arguing? So you just want to have the last word and leave it at that?

No please feel free to have the last word, I have said my opinion and you disagree with me, no problem.

[redarmi]

Whilst Cos point about the hygiene aspect is a fair one I think people underestimate cultural differences and the ignorance others have about some things that we, in developed western countries, consider to be good manners.  Queueing is the obvious one but there are a bunch of other things that seem rude but really they are just cultural differences.  For example here in Jamaica so many things people say seem hugely abrupt and rude to me.  Everytime someone tells me something they will you "you hear" after it and it used to get my back up no end as it is something I would say to a child if I was scolding them but here it is just a turn of phrase to end a sentence.   They also basically never say thank you and please.  Conversely, they have this very formal thing where everyone expects you to say "good morning" when you walk in and if you are distracted and doing something else and don't say "Good Morning" they will get quite offended.  It is pointless worrying about these things in my experience and at the end of the day if everywhere was like England it would be pointless travelling and you might as well learn to take the good with the bad.

[RED-DOG]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah. I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

For sure there are plenty of idiot brits abroad too, not going to argue there.

So we agree then. By and large, allowing for cultural differences, people are pretty much the same the world over. Good and bad in all.

No, some nationalities are far better than others and some are worse. If you travel more you will see it, anyway cba arguing I was just agreeing with Cos' observations nothing more.

Far better at what?

CBA arguing? So you just want to have the last word and leave it at that?

No please feel free to have the last word, I have said my opinion and you disagree with me, no problem.

OK thanks.

I think that negative labelling by ethnicity is, by definition, racist. 

[KD]

1. Why doesn't snow melt as soon as the temp goes above freezing? Last week after the snow at the weekend, it nearly all thawed away within 24 hours, yet one little patch, not in the shade, steadfastly remained for nearly a week despite temps reaching 7 or 8 degrees. Why?

2. Why do you weigh exactly the same after having a crap as before?

3. Why doesn't the water in the Hoover Dam evaporate when temps are like 40 degrees plus?

4. Why do so many people follow religions when there zero evidence that there is a God. Are people really that gullible?

5. Why do so many people support the big clubs, Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal etc. Isn't the fun of supporting a football team expericiencing the ups and downs of a local team, with success being even more sweet when you very expericence it? And you actually go to games, rather than watch on tv, living 200 miles away from your teams home ground?

1.snow doesnt melt at temps up to .
2. i dont, i done a huge poo and lost a stone.nice curry though
3.it does, but minutely.
4. they need something to believe in. theres no proof there isnt a God, just as there is that there is.
5. glory-hunters, they like the big wins. personally i support whatever team is closest to me. i grew up supporting swindon, watching them go from the 4th to the premier, and back again. then it was luton, then watford. now its torquay united, even when they were in the conference i supported them, now they're in the 2nd. i also support liverpool and barcelona for the glory.

[bobAlike]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah, I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

What's size got to do with it?

[MANTIS01]

When I moved to Hong Kong I was amazed at how busy it was. I found the jostling and pushing on the streets very rude. So being an English gentleman I was giving it all the "Excuse me sir" and "After you madam" for the few days. This approach made day to day life very difficult and I quickly became as rude as the next guy. You gotta adapt to survive on the streets kids.

[GreekStein]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah. I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

For sure there are plenty of idiot brits abroad too, not going to argue there.

So we agree then. By and large, allowing for cultural differences, people are pretty much the same the world over. Good and bad in all.

No, some nationalities are far better than others and some are worse. If you travel more you will see it, anyway cba arguing I was just agreeing with Cos' observations nothing more.

Far better at what?

CBA arguing? So you just want to have the last word and leave it at that?

No please feel free to have the last word, I have said my opinion and you disagree with me, no problem.

OK thanks.

I think that negative labelling by ethnicity is, by definition, racist.  

I was talking to a few guys from Hong Kong, who were clearly well educated and fairly westernised. They said that the Chinese goverment knows that it's people are rude and perceived that way by the rest of the world and are starting to implement measures in schools etc to change this.

You ask any Thai person in Phuket what Nationality their least favourite tourists are and they will answer Russians first, because of their rudeness and lack of smiles,positive body language etc and then Brits and Aussies because of how disrespectful a lot of them are to other cultures but mainly because of how they handle themselves when drinking.

Greeks are generally selfish and lazy.

Almost all cultures/races/nationalities have behavioural things that set them apart from others. Just because you can't measure things like rudeness it doesn't mean to say certain people don't have those tendencies.

I can't count how many times Tikay has made negative remarks about young kidz in poker. The reason it doesn't bother me is because in general he's right. I don't see this as any different.

If we can't make negative remarks (I agree they have to be made sensitively) then why should we make positive ones too? Should I not commend people from Myanmar/Burma for being amongst the most friendly and hard working I've ever met?

Sometimes things are just too PC.

[Woodsey]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah. I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

For sure there are plenty of idiot brits abroad too, not going to argue there.

So we agree then. By and large, allowing for cultural differences, people are pretty much the same the world over. Good and bad in all.

No, some nationalities are far better than others and some are worse. If you travel more you will see it, anyway cba arguing I was just agreeing with Cos' observations nothing more.

Far better at what?

CBA arguing? So you just want to have the last word and leave it at that?

No please feel free to have the last word, I have said my opinion and you disagree with me, no problem.

OK thanks.

I think that negative labelling by ethnicity is, by definition, racist.  

If we can't make negative remarks (I agree they have to be made sensitively) then why should we make positive ones too? Should I not commend people from Myanmar/Burma for being amongst the most friendly and hard working I've ever met?

Sometimes things are just too PC.

Spot on, comfortably number 1 from the places I've been.

[RED-DOG]

Why Chinese people (sorry Ho) are so rude. In Macau atm and literally noone ever puts their hand over their mouth when they burp or cough . It's fucking tilting me.

Chinese have got a terrible rep for being rude, not the ones from Hong Kong but mainland China.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1251239/why-are-chinese-tourists-so-rude?page=all

Russians are pretty bad too. It's only in the last few years since these guys started traveling more that they have started to pop up on the radar.

Yep. 1.3 billion people, all rude. It must be true, someone wrote it in a blog.

No that is only one article, I did not form my opinion from that, I just used it as an example nothing more. They have a reputation for it same as Russians, the more you travel the more you see it.

Ah. I see.

What about the Brit's reputation for being larger louts abroad? Does that mean we're just as bad as everyone else?

For sure there are plenty of idiot brits abroad too, not going to argue there.

So we agree then. By and large, allowing for cultural differences, people are pretty much the same the world over. Good and bad in all.

No, some nationalities are far better than others and some are worse. If you travel more you will see it, anyway cba arguing I was just agreeing with Cos' observations nothing more.

Far better at what?

CBA arguing? So you just want to have the last word and leave it at that?

No please feel free to have the last word, I have said my opinion and you disagree with me, no problem.

OK thanks.

I think that negative labelling by ethnicity is, by definition, racist.  

I was talking to a few guys from Hong Kong, who were clearly well educated and fairly westernised. They said that the Chinese goverment knows that it's people are rude and perceived that way by the rest of the world and are starting to implement measures in schools etc to change this.

You ask any Thai person in Phuket what Nationality their least favourite tourists are and they will answer Russians first, because of their rudeness and lack of smiles,positive body language etc and then Brits and Aussies because of how disrespectful a lot of them are to other cultures but mainly because of how they handle themselves when drinking.

Greeks are generally selfish and lazy.

Almost all cultures/races/nationalities have behavioural things that set them apart from others. Just because you can't measure things like rudeness it doesn't mean to say certain people don't have those tendencies.

I can't count how many times Tikay has made negative remarks about young kidz in poker. The reason it doesn't bother me is because in general he's right. I don't see this as any different.

If we can't make negative remarks (I agree they have to be made sensitively) then why should we make positive ones too? Should I not commend people from Myanmar/Burma for being amongst the most friendly and hard working I've ever met?

Sometimes things are just too PC.

By and large I agree with the views the way they have been expressed in this post because it takes into account cultural differences and because of your understanding of the need to express them sensitively.

What I don't agree with are bald sweeping statements that condemn an entire ethnic group.

As an example, The Sun newspaper features a negative Gypsy story almost every week. I'm sure the selected 'facts' that they report are true, but the way that they present them make life very uncomfortable for the rest of us.

They always use terms like The gypsies steal caravan   or  Gypsy gang target elderly couple

If it was people from the settled community they wouldn't report like that, they would name the people responsible, with us they suggest that being Gypsies has something to do with the fact that they committed the crime.

When there is story about crimes commuted by Gypsies in the paper people often say to me "I see your lot have been at it again."
 I always reply with "I see your lot have been at it again too."
When they ask me what I mean I say, "You know, Your Jimmy Saville interfering with all those children and that"


Reporting by ethnicity makes life very hard for innocent people.

 

[Mohican]

I think the following concoction highlights how the tabloid press works.
A Harley rider is riding by the zoo in Washington, DC when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents.

The biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch.

Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back, letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event.

The reporter, addressing the Harley rider, says, “Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I've seen a man do in my whole life.”

The Harley rider replies, “Why, it was nothing, really. The lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right.”

The reporter says, “Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page.

So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?”

The biker replies, “I'm a U.S. Marine and a Republican.”

The journalist leaves.

The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:

“U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH!���

...and THAT pretty much sums up the media's approach to the news these days.

[rfgqqabc]

I'm not sure that is the same thing as people saying Swedish birds are hot, British people are posh and love tea, Americans are fat and Russians are rude. People love generalisations and they tend to be somewhat humorous.

I don't think the gypsy sweeping statement is quite the same thing or context, and I agree it is obviously wrong. Nationalities are too broad of a topic for such things to cause offence perhaps. All I know is The Simpsons had a hilarious episode involving Bart travelling to France on a foreign exchange trip where he was forced to make wine and it played up to many French stereotypes, and hilarity ensued.

[redarmi]

By and large I agree with the views the way they have been expressed in this post because it takes into account cultural differences and because of your understanding of the need to express them sensitively.

What I don't agree with are bald sweeping statements that condemn an entire ethnic group.

As an example, The Sun newspaper features a negative Gypsy story almost every week. I'm sure the selected 'facts' that they report are true, but the way that they present them make life very uncomfortable for the rest of us.

They always use terms like The gypsies steal caravan   or  Gypsy gang target elderly couple

If it was people from the settled community they wouldn't report like that, they would name the people responsible, with us they suggest that being Gypsies has something to do with the fact that they committed the crime.

When there is story about crimes commuted by Gypsies in the paper people often say to me "I see your lot have been at it again."
 I always reply with "I see your lot have been at it again too."
When they ask me what I mean I say, "You know, Your Jimmy Saville interfering with all those children and that"


Reporting by ethnicity makes life very hard for innocent people.

 

I don't know about this Tom.  I agree from the perspective that generalising about an entire population is bad but when we identify with a community then we have to take the good and bad.  Since I have moved from the UK I identify very strongly with being English or British and I was very proud last year of our hosting of the Olympics and am generally very proud of our history and culture but on the flip side when I hear of Brits behaving badly abroad I feel a sense of shame and responsibility and if I was present I would try and do something about their behaviour.  Similarly my wife is Jamaican and they have a problem with men fathering children and then not taking responsibility for them that reflects and impacts badly on that community and just because she had a child with someone that doesn't behave in that way doesn't mean that she should just wash her hands of the problem and blame others for perceiving her in that way.  I guess what I am saying is that we can't just blame other people for their perceptions if we have the power to impact positively on our own communities to change them.

[lucky_scrote]

Ahhh yes generalisation. Pretty funny. Someone posted this link up on my FB yesterday and it's intriguing. The "Why is Britain so violent" suggestion kinda got me because as far as I'm concerned I feel like I live in a very safe society!

http://noahveltman.com/suggest/

[RED-DOG]

By and large I agree with the views the way they have been expressed in this post because it takes into account cultural differences and because of your understanding of the need to express them sensitively.

What I don't agree with are bald sweeping statements that condemn an entire ethnic group.

As an example, The Sun newspaper features a negative Gypsy story almost every week. I'm sure the selected 'facts' that they report are true, but the way that they present them make life very uncomfortable for the rest of us.

They always use terms like The gypsies steal caravan   or  Gypsy gang target elderly couple

If it was people from the settled community they wouldn't report like that, they would name the people responsible, with us they suggest that being Gypsies has something to do with the fact that they committed the crime.

When there is story about crimes commuted by Gypsies in the paper people often say to me "I see your lot have been at it again."
 I always reply with "I see your lot have been at it again too."
When they ask me what I mean I say, "You know, Your Jimmy Saville interfering with all those children and that"


Reporting by ethnicity makes life very hard for innocent people.

 

I don't know about this Tom.  I agree from the perspective that generalising about an entire population is bad but when we identify with a community then we have to take the good and bad.  Since I have moved from the UK I identify very strongly with being English or British and I was very proud last year of our hosting of the Olympics and am generally very proud of our history and culture but on the flip side when I hear of Brits behaving badly abroad I feel a sense of shame and responsibility and if I was present I would try and do something about their behaviour.  Similarly my wife is Jamaican and they have a problem with men fathering children and then not taking responsibility for them that reflects and impacts badly on that community and just because she had a child with someone that doesn't behave in that way doesn't mean that she should just wash her hands of the problem and blame others for perceiving her in that way.  I guess what I am saying is that we can't just blame other people for their perceptions if we have the power to impact positively on our own communities to change them.

I take your point, but there is a good balance of both the good and bad aspects when reporting about the English or the British.

Not so with Gypsies.

It doesn't matter how much you influence any community, you can't change them all, and if only the negative stuff is reported, the rest of the population will see them all in a negative light.

[Tal]

I'm not sure that is the same thing as people saying Swedish birds are hot, British people are posh and love tea, Americans are fat and Russians are rude. People love generalisations and they tend to be somewhat humorous.

I don't think the gypsy sweeping statement is quite the same thing or context, and I agree it is obviously wrong. Nationalities are too broad of a topic for such things to cause offence perhaps. All I know is The Simpsons had a hilarious episode involving Bart travelling to France on a foreign exchange trip where he was forced to make wine and it played up to many French stereotypes, and hilarity ensued.

Antifreeze tho