Do an Internet search on international faux pas. Read about behaviors that are r

Question

Do an Internet search on international faux pas. Read about behaviors that are rude or inconsiderate in other cultures that you might not find offensive at all.

Write an essay of 250-500 words on what you found. Are these behaviors considered inappropriate in only one other culture or in many? How much trouble could you find yourself in if you did or said these things in your cultural setting? Which culture that you learned about would be the most difficult for you to live in because of their faux pas? What are faux pas in your culture that a person from outside your culture might do?

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Explanation / Answer

Faux Pass:

The actual meaning of the word “faux pas” is an awkward or a false step that is against the social norms and regulations of a particular culture. The phrase faux pas is as French word which means “misstep”.

While researching on faux pas, there are many behaviors which I found inappropriate because of the fact that in our culture those gestures and behaviors were not considered as false or wrong. Firstly, in most of the Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Laos, it is considered as a very wrong gesture if someone pats another person on top of the head. The actual reason is not very clearly known why it is considered as a faux pas but the top of the head is known to be very sacred in their culture. Thus, the people of those countries never allow anyone to touch the top of the head. But in our Indian culture, it is not such a severe mistake. If someone touches our head, then it is not considered as an act of sin.

Another behavior that surprised me was in Bulgaria and other Romanian countries, yes is considered as no and no is considered as a yes. In more simple terms, if a person nods his/her up-down, it is taken as no and if he/she nods the head sidewise then it is taken as a yes. This behavior, which is considered in the Romanian countries confuses me as in our culture nodding the head up/down is known as yes. According to me, this will be the most difficult culture for me to live with. Because of the fact that, I have known the same gestures with a different meaning from my childhood, it will be really difficult for me to understand what the people of that culture are actually trying to say and what are their likes and dislikes.

In our Indian culture, giving gifts with left hand is considered as wrong or an act of disrespect. Thus, anyone from other countries outside our culture may perform this faux pas.

Reference list:

David Pegg. (2012). 25 cultural faux pass you don’t want to commit while travelling

Retrieved from: http://list25.com/25-cultural-faux-pas-you-dont-want-to-commit-while-traveling/3/

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