[At-Large] (not really about) Travel Funding

[Alan Greenberg]

I find it noteworthy that if an American or European travels to Japan 
and wants to either do business there, or simply be socially 
acceptable, they VERY QUICKLY absorb the need for some basic change 
to accommodate local standards and expectations. Even if only in such 
a simple way a saying thank you in Japanese (even bad Japanese), 
learning the importance of business cards and how to exchange them, 
bowing, the exchange of small token gifts. And when they return home, 
they still practice these when interacting with Japanese people even 
on their own turf.

And there are equivalent examples between most any two dissimilar 
cultures going in both directions.

It is not the inability to learn about other cultures. It is often 
the mind-set that such learning is not required!

Alan

At 27/09/2009 09:17 AM, Joe Baptista wrote:
>I got your point. And agree with it. But your insights will not alter the
>cultural differences discussed here. North Americans and Europeans are not
>going to change their ways because of a few cultural insights or complaints.
>
>Much simpler for those cultures to develop a thick skinned approach to
>debate. What I see here from those "other" cultures in supporting these
>arguments amounts to a lack of confidence in public debate. That is just one
>interpretation out of many - right or wrong.