Before I start, be forewarned that some of the following images may be deemed offending.
It starts about a man who was refused entry onto a crowded bus. Undeterred, he ran to the front of the bus and stopped it effectively, then going on to show the bus driver his pinky. Like this:
Prick
Some of you may recognize this sign, it's otherwise known as the 'Prick'. Intended for males, the meaning behind it is as literal as can be.
Continuing with the story, the driver then responded to the man with a gesture like the one below.
Because this is a PG-13 blog, I shan't state the name of this gesture. An excerpt regarding it is as follows;
"This is a two handed gesture and involves first making a hollow fist from one hand and the slapping the open palm of the other over the hole several times. Not only is this very graphic - it makes a satisfyingly insulting and remarkably accurate sound too." [Source]
At this point of the story-telling, my friends started dropping comments like,
"How can the driver be so rude?!" (Afterall he is a public servant, customer service is the way to go!)
"Are you serious?"
And some others just went "OMG OMG OMG". Seriously.
After the driver's unfriendly response (he still firmly refused to open the door), the man then flashed him another sign. His right hand in the sign of a 'Prick', he stuck his last finger into his left hand, which was formed into a loosely-clenched fist. Lo and behold! The driver proceeded to open the door and let the man up. And that was the end of it, an unexpected happy ending.
A surprise to us all, everyone who was listening responded with a confused "Huh?" And there we were, all thinking how blatant the Europeans were in insulting each other.
My friend then decided to share with us what really went on instead. It turns out that when the man first flashed his pinky, what he meant was "Could you please let one more person up?"
The driver's response actually indicated a "I'm sorry, but my bus is packed to the brim."
The man then replied with his last gesture, "I know it's packed, but it is possible to squeeze more person on board!" And that was why the door was opened to him.
At that point, understanding dawned on us all. I guess this shows how people in different cultures take to things differently. Most of us had a negative view on whatever that happening between the two, believing that both were throwing rude gestures back and forth. This is so as the culture that we grew up in has programmed us to think that such hand signs can only have rude connotations. We have been brought up to think that way by our parents, and them by our grandparents. Us kids would receive a stern lecture or a whack on the head by our parents if we were to display such signs. It is because cultural norms have already dictated what we can, or cannot do. And in the case of Singaporeans, flipping the bird and all similar signs are deeply frowned upon.
Aside from that, I believe that Singapore has a low context culture whereas Europe has high context cultures instead. The main reason being that low context cultures focus more on appearances and visual cues etc rather than the core message itself. High context cultures on the other hand, places its emphasis on the message itself rather than the way it is transmitted. In this instance, people who grew up in Asian countries would view the signs as vulgar, offending, and probably wouldn't derive any other meanings. However, when this happened somewhere else, a European country, people delved into the deeper meanings and messages that the hand signs contained instead. It shows how important packaging plays as a part in low context cultures, for we would never, ever, think to use such signs to convey similar messages.
I daresay that we would never be able to pull off the same stunt here in Singapore, bus drivers would probably be stunned. Those who react fast enough may just proceed to run us over. Culture shock I say!
Now then, what other vast differences have you come across in different cultures? So much so that the same actions would mean another thing in a different place? On another random note, do you think that there's a connection between geographical boundaries and high/low cultural contexts?
3 comments:
I like that example. It just goes to show how different cultures have different interpretations on gestures. I remembered one of my classes back in poly where we learn about different body languages and gestures. You know how some people like to show a "V for Victory" sign when they take photos? Surprisingly, when you flip the sign around so that it's still a "V" sign, but with the back of your hand facing the camera, it actually means a obscene word that rhymes with the word "suck".
The funny thing is, a lot of people don't know that, so some famous people even do that mistakenly on their photographs! If I'm not wrong, Margaret Thatcher once took a famous photo like that, and got ridiculed.
I think gestures and body languages are equally prominent and important in a low context culture and a high context one. In both instances, they speak volumes and can be more telling than what one might say and mean verbally.
I know what Kyun is refering to regarding the "V" sign! It is often ultilized in camwhore photoshoots!
Cultural differences are a very common problem.. and sometimes a cause for amusement. Imagine if someone flashed the pinky finger at a SBS bus driver, he will indeed, PAI ZHUANG SI !!
Other common gestures would be kissing on the cheek or a peck on the lips. In some western and Euporean countries, it means a friendly hello ! In CERTAIN other countries, such as countries where woman are FORCED to cover their faces, it is a vulgar action.
-JODI CHEUNG
Jodi expressed my thoughts..It is indeed surprising that with global boundaries blurred due to technology, cultural differences still stay strong.. A hug or a simple peck on the cheeks may be just a friendly gesture for most caucasians but most asians look at it as intrusive behaviour..I have another good example that just occured 2 weeks ago..I was in thailand with my friend from holland and we were at this shop without a fitting room..she wanted to try on a pair of jeans and she just stripped to her underwear and tried the jeans on..The thai people there were staring at her like she was crazy..But to her, it didnt mean much..It is as good as wearing a bikini on the beach..That really shows the differences between the low and high context cultures..
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