141–150 of 502 posts
Plenty of contribution already,so I'll just add a personal anecdote. Some years ago I happened to have some beers with a Latvian Russian,who lived here, in London. He tells us that he doesn't get the Brits. He just doesn't understand the reasoning in some situations. I ask to elaborate. He says: last year, I had a pretty serious trauma and ended up in a hospital. It's so bad, pain, lots of tests,etc. And I'm pretty f…
It’s funny, I never noticed this. I grew up in Germany and had lived in the US for a year a while back. A few years after I met an American friend here who had been on a euro trip. She went to Prague (not exactly Russia, but culturally close enough I guess) and she said something like: "why are all people there so damn depressed?" I myself had great times in that same city, I never got that feeling. But I realized th…
Czech people are often brisk in attitude, Berliners on the other hand - that's something else entirely, I wouldn't describe people as unfriendly but everyone acts coldly and mechanically. Could it be that the fractured state of the city made everyone to be like that?
I wonder if any Russians can weigh in if this still feels accurate. I'm familiar with Polish Culture, which is less fun, frivolous, and happy than American culture, but a smile is certainly not an attack, just reserved for genuine occasions. Service people are in no way expected to smile unless there is some honest reason to.
Its down to latitude. The latitude of Warsaw is 52.2° N, which is about the same latitude as northern Canada (Edmonton). Moscow is 55.7, which is the same as southern Alaska. Days are shorter, darker, and colder. It has an impact on your mood. Plus, the average income for a Pole is $18,000/year, whereas for the average White American worker its $40,000/year. Cost of living is often lower in America than in Poland (ex…
Is it?
I predict that smile incidence will vary in correlation to the ethnic homogeneity of a polity.
This is such a great article imo that really captures fundamental societal and cultural differences. I would say that Sweden has a similar 'grave' approach to life and that smiling is reserved for funny situations. Much as I love the US 'etiquette smile' when passing people in the street and meeting, social pressure to conform can mask stress, anxiety and solemnity. The English used to feel pretty uncomfortable about…
Plenty of contribution already,so I'll just add a personal anecdote. Some years ago I happened to have some beers with a Latvian Russian,who lived here, in London. He tells us that he doesn't get the Brits. He just doesn't understand the reasoning in some situations. I ask to elaborate. He says: last year, I had a pretty serious trauma and ended up in a hospital. It's so bad, pain, lots of tests,etc. And I'm pretty f…
Even though my favourite professors at Waterloo in Canada were Russian, it wasn't until I learned some basic Russian that I finally got over the typical view of them drilled into people by Hollywood.
Your run of the mill Russian is honest about their feelings. Not honest about the facts, no, they can cheat on an insurance filing just fine. But that coldness that so many of them seem to have is often just an outer shell. Once one of them trusts you and gets to know you they're so warm and intense about their love for you. So excited to show you something dear to them. Even devoted enough to learn a new language just to speak to you, even if they're a senior[0]. It doesn't mean the relationship always survives, because that intensity is still there when they're angry, but the highs are so high.
I do not regret learning basic Russian.
[0] This happened to me. Twice.
I've seen this topic a few times. As an American, the only time I've had a jarring experience with fake smiles is when I visited the Japan section of Disney's Epcot. It was a really bizarre experience watching the cashiers be overly cheerful. I've never been to Japan so I don't know if it's normal behavior or more of a performance for tourists.
It's not every business though, to be sure.
I've seen this topic a few times. As an American, the only time I've had a jarring experience with fake smiles is when I visited the Japan section of Disney's Epcot. It was a really bizarre experience watching the cashiers be overly cheerful. I've never been to Japan so I don't know if it's normal behavior or more of a performance for tourists.
I've seen this topic a few times. As an American, the only time I've had a jarring experience with fake smiles is when I visited the Japan section of Disney's Epcot. It was a really bizarre experience watching the cashiers be overly cheerful. I've never been to Japan so I don't know if it's normal behavior or more of a performance for tourists.
When everything is "awesome" and "amazing" and worthy of a grin, then nothing is.
Despite being born and raised in the midwest US, I get along better with slavic people than most from the west coast.