How to Insult the US President
Insult is a Cross-Cultural Communication Challenge
Bush, however, shrugged off the incident, suggesting that “everyone wants some notoriety”.
Insult is a cultural phenomenon, usually understood in its own context, but often baffling to outsiders. Another example would be a Japanese business executive who folded up a colleague’s business card and put it in his pocket. This non-verbal communication is an extreme insult in Japan, where business cards carry great personal symbolism, but not readily comprehensible to non-Japanese.
Insult is Cross-Cultural Communication
So those who wish to cause grave insult to an international visitor need to study the culture of the one to be insulted. In the case of George Bush, it could be that saying something like: “Texas? A minor little place” might be more insulting than throwing shoes, which he appears not to appreciate in its full meaning of utter repudiation and contempt.
Gestures can also be interpreted in many ways, body language that is innocent in one culture can carry deeper, darker meanings in another. In the Philippines, famed for its gracious polite people, beckoning with the fingers, palm upwards, can get you punched out for implying that the person so summoned is no more than a dog.
Conversely, an American visitor in Botswana terrified a small child with a hand gesture, palm down, that in her culture meant “Hi, there!” but in his meant “Come here, I want to talk to you.” The courageous child squared his shoulders and walked away from his mother’s side towards the strange-looking visitor, who was later chagrined to learn how scary her innocently-meant body language had been.
An American who wishes to insult a visitor from most any Asian city could be very frustrated. Just picture the scene: as the visitor walks past, the American loudly clears his throat and spits on the ground at the other’s very heels. The Asian may well be unaware that any form of communication has taken place at all, hearing only a simple, familiar sound.
Learning Etiquette in a Foreign Culture
Not insulting someone can also require hard work and emotional sensitivity. In Nepal, a visitor is expected to eat all the food offered by the host. Hosts show their respect by heaping the plate full of more than anybody could want, and guests show their respect by eating it all, regardless of allergies, stomach troubles, or other invitations for more meals on the same day. Insult is easy to achieve, just push the plate away, and everybody is unhappy.
Most of the time, travelers don’t wish to cause insult, by their gestures or by their words, but in this multicultural world, pitfalls abound. Taking time to study about a culture to be visited, or the culture of an expected visitor, can pay off in learning the simple rules of etiquette and non-verbal communication that make everyone feel more comfortable.
US President George W. Bush
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