Scandinavia and the World
Scandinavia and the World
Manners are important satwcomic.com

Manners are important


I actually don't know if this is the case all over China or just some parts, but I've seen it mentioned in a lot of places.

China Russia
15th March 2016
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9 years ago #9465849        
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Finnish people stare you silently until you hand the ketchup. If you hand the mustard instead, they'll stab you and keep staring you until you hand the ketchup.

In some parts of Finland they might stab you before staring. Just in case, to avoid misunderstanding.


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9 years ago #9468454        
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*Britain and Canada Screaming*


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txag70

27
9 years ago #9465717        
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We need a bonus panel of England having a total meltdown XD


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chaos

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9 years ago #9465682        
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The worst nightmare of the English!


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Huttj

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9 years ago #9466017        
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My favorite culture-clash comes from a professor I had at college.

He was touring Japan (I think he was doing research on Hot Springs) and was a guest at someone's home. He ate the food, and the hostess promptly brought out more, which he ate, and more was brought out without asking.

In parts of the USA, not finishing your food implies that something was wrong with it, so it's polite to clear your plate.

In parts of Japan, clearing your plate implies you weren't provided with enough food.

So he and the hostess were in a politeness confrontation, with differing standards.


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8 years ago #9501459        
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I can actually explain this to all you confused Westerners.

China is very much the mind set of anything 'Public' is literally grab what you can get, it's free.
So when you 'ask nicely' for something that 'everyone owns' they just look at you weird like 'why don't you hurry up and take it already?'.
It's like asking 'excuse me, do you mind if I use this spot on the sidewalk?'.
Rather than ask, just take the spot. It's Public. It's meant for Everyone to use and abuse for Free.

In the same way, there is no 'dancing around the issue' or 'politeness' as it were. Tact is none-existent. If you dance around issues, you're seen as a coward that can't speak freely.
This unfortunately gets China viewed as Rude by others, when its as simple as a complete different form of Common Sense.

Afterall, when everyone speaks their mind and opinion strongly, in public spaces where everyone shouts to 'take the airspace', you get what's called chaos to other countries, but a normal day in China.

Plus there's the whole 'We're Friends, stop being polite, its rude'. Thing as well implied in this.
Politeness is to avoid pissing people off. Friends are meant to be able to avoid 'dancing around issues' like that. When you're not polite, when you're frank, terse, straight forward, it shows you trust the other person. You can't talk heart to heart, mind to mind, if you're constantly adding subtle additions to the things you actually want to say. Just out with it man. TALK DAMMIT. etc.

lockend

27
9 years ago #9467601        
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As a Canadian I am sure I would be the rudest person ever because we can't turn it off. We're sorry but we can't...sorry...

9 years ago #9465770        
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Reminds me of Wednesday from the Addams Family movie:

Wednesday: May I have the salt?

Morticia: What do we say?

Wednesday: [sternly] Now.

9 years ago #9465719        
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I think it is more that it implies a lack of closeness. Like, to a stranger you could say "would you be so kind as to pass the ketchup please" but speaking like that to your friends would seem weird and stand-offish.


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Azmi

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9 years ago #9466035        
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After reading these comics three times over the last couple days, I have two questions: is there a Sister Åland and can I help with the embodiment of stereotypical Saudi Arabia?


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