Asian Cities Are NOT Rude!
When I first read this, I thought it was preposterous. On second reading, well, yes, if the basis of courtesy is holding doors open for someone else and or saying “Thank you”, well, yes, maybe.
But are Asians really rude? Thai’s (yes, even those in Bangkok) are some of the most polite people I’ve ever met, for example, but in the list, Bangkok ranks low at number 25, landing a place among the least courteous.
I think the gauge used were simply inappropriate. Courtesy is a cultural issue, and it’d be biased to use one set of standards to measure politeness in countries which obviously show courtesy in different ways.
For example, you may not hear hello’s and thank you’s in shops, or Asians may not hold out doors, but they readily smile, some even bow, or at least nod to acknowledge other people’s presence. When doing business, they do not flip business cards across the desk, and in public places, they know when to keep their voices low. Those, to me, are as good indicators of courtesy as the ones used by Readers’ Digest.
I think the indicators used were simple wrong. I’ve just been to Berlin (ranked high on number 4, among the most corteous) last week, and you know what? I’d rather have a smile instead of a rote murmur of thanks anyway.
[Hat tip: Simon World]
7 Comments
I agree with you. People forget that they should NOT use their own cultural yardstick to judge others’.
The “tests” used by Reader’s Digest were agreed upon internationally as tests of courtesy. While I agree that cultural differences play a role in why Asian cities scored low, globalization and economics are incentives for metropolitan Asian cities to become more aware of universal standards of courtesy.
Angie, thanks. I didn’t know that there were “universal standards of courtesy”. Seem to me that they were too western, though. Would be interesting to see the original report of the study.
Were the universal standards of courtesy agreed upon by Asian cities as well. Like Ruth said, it’s just so western in approach. Manila (no 21) being the most polite among Asian cities has western influence.
I find this report highly surprising. Aren’t Asians known for their politeness and their courteousness?
[...] In a previous entry, I mentioned that in Asia, people do not hand out their business cards as casually as some Western counterparts do. Here’s an entry from the RoadGladiator, a blog for business travellers that offers tips for receiving and handing out calling cards in some Asian countries: [...]
This is my first time to browse a english blog.After readed this article,just wanna say “谢谢” to you.I’ll come here frequently:)