Why Do Thais Sometimes Feel Offended With Foreigners?

When it comes to interacting with people, France and the United States differ greatly. The people of France tend not to smile or have an expression when meeting new people. In the United States, we tend to smile and greet people as we have known them for a very long time. Edward MacNeal talks about growing up in a bicultural environment and noticing the differences between French and American interactions. He states in his journal French-American Misunderstandings, “…the French don’t smile at people they don’t know. They think it’s hypocritical” (2003). This nature is why many Americans view French people to be rude or snobbish. MacNeal also says that the American assumption is that we are all friends and the French assumption is that we are all strangers. This very assumption could hinder interaction between people of the two nations. So with that being said, when doing business with

I’m Vietnamese, but I cannot speak the language. Both of my grandparents are immigrants who came to Vietnam after the war. My dad was born in Vietnam and my mother was born in Louisiana. All of them speaks fluent Vietnamese, but only my mother speaks English. Growing up, it became harder and harder for me to communicate with my family in a sense that they did not know what I was saying and vice versa. Granted, I went to a Vietnamese school when I was younger but later dropped out once my family became busy with life.

The cultures prefer as few rules as possible. Typically, people in these cultures don’t easily express their emotions.

People from different backgrounds may use communication methods differently these may include the language they speak or the dialect they use. They may use different gestures, touch and mannerisms’. Also the volume, speed and pitch of a person’s voice would affect communication. Somebody who comes from a society that speaks quickly with a regional dialect would have difficulty being understood somewhere where they speak more slowly. In different culture gestures can mean different things. The gesture of holding two fingers up can either mean peace if the palm is facing out or if the palm is facing in can be offensive. An aggressive gesture of waving a closed fist in western countries means one is trying to pick a fight or is showing annoyance. In Asian countries this will definitely get you into fist fight.

• Cultural differences – when the same thing means different things in two cultures, communication can be difficult. For example, it is seen as polite and respectful to make eye contact when speaking to someone in Western culture but in other cultures, for example in East Asia, it can be seen as rude and defiant.

People could live in the same country but still have a language barrier, this could be because they may be from a different region. For example: Britain i.e. Bristol, Essex or Glasgow. People from a different region may use the same word but can have a different meaning known as “slang”. When talking to someone, we must use the correct intonation (gestures and body language) so that others know that we are friendly towards them and show that we’re listening.

Cultural differences are present wherever you travel to, you will come across cultural differences, and these can vary quite a bit, such as the language people use e.g. English people say "Chips" compared to Americans who say "Fries”. A businessman may find himself in the middle of cultural differences quite often and thus, will have to devise methods as to how to make sure no one is offended or that he is fully understood. Certain methods he would use to overcome such issues are greeting people on a last name basis. Also refraining on using most signed gestures, as they can vary in meaning quite greatly, for example, the English gesture to say

Cultures provide people several ways of thinking and opinions. When it comes communicating the potential for misunderstandings increase dramatically because translations between languages. Most cultures have their own constricted rules about what is proper communication which affect verbal and nonverbal communication. Sometimes by simply not looking at a person eye to eye has a significant impact on how a different cultural per son will receive it. There a several rules to communication which differ from culture to culture and can be sometime wrongly

Idioms are not the only barrier between cultures social customs can also be a barrier in Australia it is very common for people to shake hands when meeting in other cultures touch by strangers is unwelcomed to avoid this research cultural customs and if unsure ask the person how they would like to be

Protecting others Sometimes we don’t want to express feelings so we don’t hurt or upset someone. The tendency to restrain emotional expression to protect others is particularly strong in many Asian cultures because they view hurting others as shameful. Traditional Asian cultures also view conflict as damaging to social relationships, so they discourage emotional expressions that might lead to conflict.

I do believe there are differentials in interviewing gender, culture and religious beliefs. In many cultures it can be known to make eye contact with someone as disrespect. Body language can also have different meanings within different cultures. For each of these this is where we listen before we take actions, we can verbal and nonverbal offend someone. No two cultures are the same and no two people are the

In some cultures touching and hugging is a big part of their lives. How you touch someone says a lot about you. The way you touch someone says a lot if you touch them loving and comforting it shows you are kind. If you touch them too hard and hurt them, people are going to be afraid to touch you when they see you. In the United States we always shake hands with people when see them or meet someone a new person. That says you are friendly but not always in a good way. We shake hands with a lot of people and sometimes we don’t really want to see that person any more.

Indians are the group of people who receive a lot of stereotypes in Thailand. Ranging from public places like shopping centers, parties house, hall way, to university campus, we can notice that many Thai people try to avoid staying close to or interact with Indians. One of the stereotype Thai people have toward Indians include viewing Indians as a snake charmer, which give images of ancient and exotic group of people. There is a famous joke in Thai circles that, "If a snake and an Indian come after to attack you, you should hit the Indian first, then snake." This reflects that some Thais view Indian as more tricky and dangerous than a snake. Another reason why Thai people like to think of Indian people negatively is due to the not so good reputation of their county, India. Many still view India as a country full of poverty and chaos. Some Thai even get into thinking that Indians are from another world with different culture, and mind set, thus, are not acceptable and tend to isolate them from Thai sociality. In my own experience, there was a day when I was trying to get a cab to home, it was a long line of people waiting for a cab, and there were two passengers standing at the head of the line, one was Thai and another is an Indian person. One of the cab arrive already riding Indians passengers, but when the Thai women saw the cab was previously sat by other Indians, the Thai person refuse to sit that cab. The second passage on the line, who is an Indian woman she was

Many of the latter are very minute details that an individual may act without realizing how rude they may seem. Which is why it is very important to research the customs of a different culture before interacting with each other.

Being an ideal global citizen must include the passion for accepting others beside yourself. If people would inquire the customs of others we would have a better understanding of one another. With that, it could avoid children growing up to typical stereotypes, or blaming others for dilemmas in the world. In general, it’s really a commonality we share with foreign countries, its just done slightly different.