7 Innocent Gestures That Can Get You Killed Overseas. If you've ever had your penis cut off and/or been executed while on holiday, you'll probably know that it's easy to offend people from other cultures. Unless you learn the ways of the place you're visiting, even the most well-meaning tourist can regularly find his oesophagus stuffed with burning goat.
But surely just plain common sense and good manners will save you, right? Wrong. Extend Your Hand, Palm Outward in Greece What you think you are saying: "Phew! That was a heck of a moussaka. I'd eat another portion, but I'm completely stuffed. " What you are actually saying: "Phew! What the hell? SHIT, is what we're saying here. If you really want to piss a Greek person off, you can go for the double moutza, which features both hands splayed above your head. Give the Thumbs-Up In The Middle East What you think you are saying: "Ayyyyy! What you are actually saying: "Ayyyyy! What the hell? The thumbs-up sign has been confusing people for thousands of years. What the hell? What the hell? How Come Other Folks All Look Alike? About 20 years ago I was having dinner at a restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia with a group of psychologists from various countries.
Only two of us were men, and we were both white Americans. The other man was several inches taller than I, significantly heavier, and had lighter colored hair--though we both wore glasses and had short beards. Despite the (to me) obvious contrast in our appearance, the waiter kept getting our orders mixed up; and it became evident that he couldn't tell the difference between us. The waiter's difficulty represents a fairly general perceptual phenomenon. Visual perception begins developing in infancy. One of the byproducts of organizing marriage , neighborhoods, and other social categories along color lines is the development of a kind of perceptual provinciality within each group. Psychologists have shown that there are many problems with eyewitness testimony. Why is this so? Friend me on. Countries of the World - CountryReports.org - StumbleUpon. Country Studies - StumbleUpon. 40 Extraordinary Things Happening Right Now - StumbleUpon.