Anyway, before I even start talking about my new reads, just wanted to share my last installment of discoveries from Eric Weiner’s "The Geography of Bliss".
Oftentimes, when we meet foreigners (or even individuals), we tend to make generalizations about them. As shared in the book, people from Qatar, for instance, are generally known for being rude or gruff. When ordering a cafe latte at Starbucks, they seem to bark at baristas.
But as the book explained, their being desert people has something to do with it. One of the author’s interviewees explained that life for the Qataris was tough before they became rich. If you hiked in the desert for miles and you finally found someone with water in the desert, you wouldn’t say “excuse me, could you please give me some water?” but instead, you demand “Give me water, damn it, I’m dying of thirst!”.
Oftentimes, when we meet foreigners (or even individuals), we tend to make generalizations about them. As shared in the book, people from Qatar, for instance, are generally known for being rude or gruff. When ordering a cafe latte at Starbucks, they seem to bark at baristas.
But as the book explained, their being desert people has something to do with it. One of the author’s interviewees explained that life for the Qataris was tough before they became rich. If you hiked in the desert for miles and you finally found someone with water in the desert, you wouldn’t say “excuse me, could you please give me some water?” but instead, you demand “Give me water, damn it, I’m dying of thirst!”.
English people, on the other hand, are generally known for being deadma or unresponsive. One of the interviewees of the author explained that when you’re in a long queue in Great Britain and you initiate small talk by saying “Terrible queue, huh?”, people would just look at you. It’s because they don’t want to bother anyone. In fact, when someone dies, they don’t even call relatives to offer sympathies because they are afraid that they might disturb them. For them, it’s about muddling through, getting by life and holding their peace.
Thus, the next time we meet someone, let’s not easily draw out conclusions and generalizations about one's idiosyncracies. We can’t expect every one to be like us. There’s always a reason for someone’s behavior and sometimes, it’s not just because one is insensitive or is lacking in social skills, but it’s deeply rooted in one's culture and it just can’t be easily modified.
