We can all pretty much agree that we don’t like to be rubbed off the wrong way and that particular “faux pas” from people can elicit a sour taste in our mouths that might alter the impression we have of a person. “How rude…” we’ll say… “Why wouldn’t they…” we go. In my 10+ years of traveling and dealing with different groups of people from all walks of life, I’ve gathered that we tend to judge people for three things:
1️⃣ How we express our self-regard when relating to others;
2️⃣ how we go about getting what we want from others/giving to others;
3️⃣ whether we smile too much or too little in unfamiliar spaces
In this more intimate podcast episode, I share personal anecdotes that helped me understand different cultural dimensions throughout my life. To illustrate the above-mentioned points, I tried to pick examples that took place in three different kinds of spaces namely work, home, and coffee shop. The topic of cross-cultural studies is a very complex topic that can’t perfectly fit in a 20-minute episode, so it’s highly possible that there are things I’ve failed to mention that you’ll just have to forgive me for.
Moreover, despite my diverse background, there will inevitably be some Eurocentric and Anglo-American blind spots that I can’t shake off. I’ve done my best to write this episode in a way that respects ethno-relativist modes of thinking rather than ethnocentric ones which means to appreciate differences without trivializing them or magnifying them out of proportion as well as appreciating the commonalities without neglecting differences. Of course, this might sound idealistic, but better to work toward something positive than not, right?
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