When a Kiss Is Not Just a Kiss
Poor Richard Gere. The silver-maned, ultra-PC actor has been getting slammed in India for kissing a local actress several times at a Mumbai charity event -- kind of reminiscent of that creepy Adrien Brody-Halle Berry moment at the Academy Awards a few years back.
Richard Gere plants one of several kisses on Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. (Tanushree Punwani - Reuters)
In both cases, the women were subsequently very gracious about being manhandled. The difference is that Gere didn't realize he was violating an Indian taboo with his public display of affection. Indian newspapers carried the story on their front pages, TV news replayed the scenes, citizens filed legal complaints and Gere was even burned in effigy by demonstrators.
Moral: Read up on the cultural taboos, do's and don'ts of the countries you visit. The consequences of not doing so can be disastrous. For example, did you know that the seemingly innocuous hand gesture for "A-OK" is considered a vile insult in Brazil? Or that it's bad form to pat someone on the head in Thailand, or to show the soles of your shoes in Muslim countries?
Have you ever found out the hard way that you'd violated a cultural taboo in your travels? Share it here. Might help the rest of us out.
By K.C. Summers |
April 20, 2007; 9:34 AM ET
| Category:
Cultural Taboos
,
K.C. Summers
Previous: Escaping Holiday Inns (and Other Chains) |
Next: Wired in Flight
View or post comments
Posted by: colorado kool-aid | April 20, 2007 12:07 PM
While I agree with your broader point, I can tell you that while that was at one point true about Brazil, they now see so many American movies that they also know the meaning the OK sign carries in America. You probably aren't going to draw a lot of attention to yourself anymore if you use it.
And that actually brings me to a response to colorado above. Everyone knows about American culture and customs. They're inescapable. Travel anywhere and you will find American music, American movies, American tv, American products... They've learned about our culture, trust me.
Posted by: Julia | April 20, 2007 12:23 PM
So if we turn the tables...um, an Indian actor comes here, is on stage with Scarlet Johanson, and refrains from mauling her. What a cad he is not keeping up with American traditions!
Posted by: re the kool aid | April 20, 2007 9:33 PM
To Julia:
That's not necessarily true; ask any waiter who's gotten a 5% tip from foreigners. They still have a lot to learn.
Posted by: Anonymous | April 21, 2007 10:47 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
. . . and yet another example of how WE are supposed to adhere to everyone else's customs, but NO ONE is supposed to have any kind of interest or sympathy towards our own. Why is it that the rule of being understanding and knowledgeable about people's customs does not extend to our own and other people?