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lotsa
Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 68
Location: Oman
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 Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting point. Cultural relativism vs Ethnocentrism... take your pick = the answer!  What is seen to be rude in one culture could arguably not be seen as being rude in the other! Often behaviour can be determined by culture... this is a huge wide topic of which is one of my majors from the dim distant past... always interesting though! |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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Dear lotsa,
In my experience, rudeness and civility don't differ all that much in so many cultures. Besides, if you're in another culture for a while, you can gain the notion of what the culture considers to be "rude" or "civil" fairly quickly.
Regards,
John |
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Nashledanou
Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Posts: 64
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| Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:43 am Post subject: |
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| lotsa wrote: |
| It is well known that the Israeli Immigration Service is one of the best of its type in the world, it is all linked into their intelligence service. Their techniques in assessing individuals is incredible, and I have discovered this myself in the past. They have never wanted to stamp my passport in the past, and I had never asked for it to be. It's not a matter of them being rude, it's their country and they deal with foreigners as they see fit, just as any other country in the world does. It isn't about politics at all, it is about border security. |
They are indubitably well-prepared to cope with rogue visitors. When I got there, they asked me all sorts of questions at least twice, to see if I would fall into contradiction. They asked me point blank if I had another passport - which I did - and after a moment's hesitation, I showed it to them so they could vet it. They asked me why I had brought a laptop (to build WMD, Sherlock), where I was planning to go (to meet my Arab brothers, of course), with whom (my friend Yasser A., who else)... and when I left, they asked me almost exactly the same questions. But at that point, I was almost going to miss the plane; so, come the second time they asked me the same question, I said something along the lines of: "alright, if you want me to write that down for you and sign it, I'll do it; just let me catch that plane". They peevishly asked me why I had not shown up at the airport before, and I retorted: usually two hours before takeoff is enough; why are you holding me here with your questions (thinking: if I had wanted to sneak out, I could have done it easily in Sinai)? And they said, why, counter-terrorist measures, of course, "sir". It occurred to me that they had already gone through my baggage, ascertained that there were no bombs inside, so I thought: is it not that you guys just relish being S-holes for the hell of it? |
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Duffy
Joined: 29 Oct 2005
Posts: 449
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 5:43 am Post subject: |
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| When was the last time you heard an ME citizen say "Please" or "Thank you"?? |
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isabel
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 510
Location: God's green earth
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 9:18 am Post subject: |
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Have you taught it to your students?
It does exist in Arabic- and it is used.
Arabic society is polite. It is just sometimes not nice. It is bad to confuse the two- the politeness and social forms, and the tribal ethnocentrism and hierarchy that often lurks underneath. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Duffy... long time no see!! 
I was always so shocked at how rude/demanding the students would be in English whereas you knew that they wouldn't do it in Arabic. I always challenged them on it and found that most were very embarrassed. It is rather like teaching your own kids to not just say "give me" or "I want." By the end of the semester my students had learned to use "please" and "thank you" with me anyway... I wonder if it transferred to their other teachers. 
It is a respect issue too, of course. Many of the rural kids were used to being rude to their expat teachers. They did have to be taught that it didn't fly with me.
VS |
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lotsa
Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 68
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Fri May 22, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Duffy wrote: |
| When was the last time you heard an ME citizen say "Please" or "Thank you"?? |
Heaps of times from ME citizen's, actually more than what I hear from those from Nth America, that's for sure!! |
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Duffy
Joined: 29 Oct 2005
Posts: 449
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 3:14 am Post subject: |
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Maybe it is because I am in a more provincial area. "Lalah" always seems very different to Muscat.
I know this has gone way off topic, but don't you just hate it when they snap their fingers at you to get your attention?? We know they do it innocently and usually the we get them out of that habit before the end of Foundation.But sometimes they forget. Now that can be annoying.
Duffy |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 4:28 am Post subject: |
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Yes that is another one that seemed to come more from the rural kids. (and come to think of it... one sometimes sees it from rude Westerners trying to get the attention of the waiter in a restaurant)
It didn't take me long to realize that we were teaching much more than just English in those first semesters.
VS |
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lotsa
Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 68
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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I've been involved in tutoring postgrad students who have attend uni outside of Oman and they have commented on the snapping fingers thing too - they do what I do, ignore it!  |
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