Question about US culture.

[Machjo]

Unfortunately, there is no world culture forum, so I'm putting this in the Canadian culture forum for lack of a better place.

Today I came across the following statement from a Chinese EFL newspaper for middle school students:

"Chinese like putting their hands into their pockets when talking to Americans. Americans will think they are hiding guns or something like that in their hands."

No I have a few issues with this statement:

1. Honestly, I haven't noticed that many Chinese who put thie rhands in their pockets out of habbit, and those who do do it whenever, not specifically when speaking to Americans.

2. I have a hard time believing that the gun situation in the US is so bad that it's become a Pavlovian reflex across US culture to immediately assume that a person with his hands in his pockets must have a gun on him! Now I know the US is indeed overrun with firearms, but I cannot for the likfe of me immagine it's THAT bad. Please tell me the article is wrong.

 

[tracy]

I'm Canadian, but live in the US and can't imagine that's true. I often have my hands in my pockets and no one has ever given me the impression they thought I had a gun. Sounds like a bit of cultural propaganda to me.

 

[Machjo]

Thanks. I'll admit I thought it was hilarious when I first read the article. They have all kinds of stereotyped ideas. But then again, so do we.

 

[dekhqonbacha]

Once I read a topic about the greeting in every culture, and the conclution was that even though every culture has different form of greeting, but they all have one thing in common: the hand is used while greeting.

And autor says that, it's perhaps the heritation from the past. When people were in war all the time, the approaching person must had been considered armed. That's why it became a habit to show the hand. Some people raise their hand, other's hand shake, and some others put their hand on their chest. The habit became tradition.

That's why it is still possible to consider someone armed if s/he doesn't use hands as everyone else, but not by everyone. But it is regarded as disrespect by almost everyone.

 

[Toro]

RE: Question about US cul

Machjo

Its true, its an exaggeration.

Why, I only know of a few people getting shot while putting their hands in their pockets...

 

[Colpy]

I carry a handgun a lot of the time......and I haven't shot anyone for having their hands in their pockets.......yet.

 

[dekhqonbacha]

Re: RE: Question about US culture.

I carry a handgun a lot of the time......and I haven't shot anyone for having their hands in their pockets.......yet.

:lol:

 

[Riyko]

I guess in California or a place with alot of gun crimes yes it can be true, but a place that doesn't have alot of gun crime it's not true. I live in Utah and no one ever walks with their hands in their pockets so it's probably alot different for me.

 

[I think not]

People don't put guns in their pockets, so I don't understand where this myth came from.

 

[Machjo]

People don't put guns in their pockets, so I don't understand where this myth came from.

Well, I do have a gun behind my pockets, but it's not so approapriate to pull it out in public. And besides, I couldn't shoot it under such circumstances anyway.

 

[Colpy]

People don't put guns in their pockets, so I don't understand where this myth came from.

Well, I do have a gun behind my pockets, but it's not so approapriate to pull it out in public. And besides, I couldn't shoot it under such circumstances anyway.

Does that mean you walk around with your hands inside your pockets all the time? 8O

 

[Jersay]

I had a security guard ask me if i had a gun in my pocket. And this was in Canada. However, I think it has to do with where you are and what you look like and how the person who is talking to you approaches it.

 

[Dexter Sinister]

I think the world has a somewhat skewed idea of what life is like in the United States. Admittedly, I haven't seen a lot of it, just Montana, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Hawaii, and Alaska, so my experience is somewhat limited. The only place I noticed people armed routinely was in Alaska, which is also the only place I've ever seen a "Back to School Sale" sign in a gun shop. That was a bit of a jolt. That was in Skagway, and there were similar signs in the liquor stores. Rampant capitalism: any excuse to promote the business; I actually found it mildly amusing. Nobody was packing handguns in their pockets either, they were in holsters under their arms.

And just for the record, the only unpleasant people I've ever encountered while travelling in the United States were tourists from other places: Germans, Japanese, and, alas, Canadians, who really should know better. My experience is that Americans at home are among the friendliest, most welcoming, and genuinely curious people around. I've never been anywhere in the United States where I felt unwelcome, threatened, disliked, or anything else even slightly negative. My experience has been completely opposite, uniformly positive, and in one particular case in which we had major mechanical trouble with the car, three Americans went way out of their way at significant inconvenience to themselves to help us out. For generosity, hospitality, and all 'round friendly helpfulness, I find no fault in Americans. Their government, now, that's a different matter...

I never saw any hint that anyone in Hawaii was armed, and in Montana and the Dakotas all I noticed was that quite a few half tons had gun racks in the rear window, with guns in them, something you won't see in Canada any more. I certainly used to see a lot of that during hunting season on the prairies here before the urban anti-gun lobby in southern Ontario pretty much criminalized it for all of us. But that's a long and poisonous rant that doesn't belong in this thread.

 

[Jersay]

Being in San Francisco for a month. I didn't see one weapon in a house or anyone carrying a weapon. I believe there are alot of guns in America but not one in every household it is a myth.

 

[Machjo]

Does that mean you walk around with your hands inside your pockets all the time? 8O

Nope; I keep my hands out of my pockets at all times. I wouldn't want people to think I'm holding my gun in my hand in open public.

 

[Machjo]

I had a security guard ask me if i had a gun in my pocket. And this was in Canada. However, I think it has to do with where you are and what you look like and how the person who is talking to you approaches it.

Were you thinking about a beautiful woman when this happenned? If so, that might explain it.

 

[Toro]

I once had a girl ask me if I had a gun in my pocket... :wink:


EDIT: Oh I see that Machjo got to my joke first! :lol:

 

[Jersay]

I had a security guard ask me if i had a gun in my pocket. And this was in Canada. However, I think it has to do with where you are and what you look like and how the person who is talking to you approaches it.

Were you thinking about a beautiful woman when this happenned? If so, that might explain it.

Well of course.

 

[Machjo]

Ya see, a man should not, I repeat should NOT, be thinking about beautiful girls when appraching a security checkpoint! It leads to false alarms and thus unnecesary hassles such as body checks, etc. Now of course if the security guard is a kitten anyway, then it might be desirable to need to be padded down.

 

[Jersay]

Re: RE: Question about US culture.

Ya see, a man should not, I repeat should NOT, be thinking about beautiful girls when appraching a security checkpoint! It leads to false alarms and thus unnecesary hassles such as body checks, etc. Now of course if the security guard is a kitten anyway, then it might be desirable to need to be padded down.

Well the security guard was some old guy about 50. Not a beautiful female security guard. What a shame.