Westerners do everything upside down.
Their writing goes from left to right, instead of from top to bottom.
They put their personal names before their family names.
And strangest of all, in writing address, they begin with the house number, then the street, then the city, then the province or state, as if they purposely try to be contrary. You have to be begin from the bottom, if you want to know to which city a letter is going.
All in all, Westerners are the strangest imaginable sort of people.
Paraphrased from the Chinese author, Lin Yutang
Many people do things this way, so why not us? First, please note. The focus audience for this page is young Asian students who want to broaden their knowledge, rather than Western businesspeople seeking advice on protocol.
Books on travel and International Business are popular because they highlight the differences in protocols and cultural mannerisms that one will face when traveling to other lands. Often, when traveling for the first time in a foreign land, certain differences jump to the foreground and leave a strong impression upon us. When we inquire, often the local answer is: “You must understand, this is YaYa Land, we do things different here.” Accepting this, it may come as a surprise that a Peripatetic Raconteur, after extensive travel, has formulated the following set of conclusions.
- While there are differences, they are few. Many of these differences are little more than idiosyncrasies.
- These differences are becoming fewer and fewer as cultures meld.
- Most differences reflect an ogoing evolutionary process in which various countries are at various levels on the staircase of change.
- Many people have very limited insights on the changes occurring in their own country.
- Often, people conjure up artificial cultural differences to justify their own laziness, sloppiness or shortcomings.
Having stated this, when going abroad or dealing with foreigners, it is wise to realize:
- We all have intrinsic presumptions that need to be checked, and better yet, eliminated. (This is very, very difficult.)
- We need to maintain an open mind
- The world and circumstances are continually evolving and changing.
- Foreigners have a different frame of reference and different priorities.
- Foreigners can have more knowledge and expertise in various areas.
- Language and terminology are very tricky things. Sometimes a small word can cause a big problem.
As we said above, the customs in another country that appear unique or different from one’s own are noticed first. While these features can be interesting, it is often best not to focus on them and jump to any quick conclusions. Rather, first focus on the similarities between your culture and the foreign culture. Second, in searching for understanding it is best to explore the evolutionary process those people have traversed and the circumstances that have brought them to their current situation. Third, realize both cultures are continuing to evolve, probably in the same direction.
In our attempts to understand other countries by exploring their evolutionary process, it is wise to understand how they embraced certain important inventions that caused worldwide paradigm shifts.
In the 19th & 20th centuries, several key inventions
in the transportation and communications areas reshaped the social interactions
of people. Before these inventions occurred societies had interacted pretty
much the same way for thousands of years. These inventions spurred change.
Those societies that actively embraced, utilized and pursued the potential
of these inventions changed and advanced quickly. Those societies that
were slow to accept them have fallen behind economically.
Significant transportation inventions:
The train; the automobile; the plane. Before this time, for inland transportation,
the human race had to depend on their feet or animal (mainly horse and
oxen) drawn carriages to move from place to place. Consequently, most
people did not travel far from their home villages. The seaside societies,
with their sailing ships to move them to and allow them to learn from
other places enjoyed the most progress.
Significant communications inventions: The telephone; the telegraph; the radio; movies; television and the Internet. These inventions brought people together by allowing more people to communicate with each other and view the lifestyles of others.
Impoverished countries and countries that impose
authoritarian controls over the output information of these inventions
remain behind the international economic development curve. This reality
continues to be true.
