Revealing the bottom of your shoes, tipping and giving the thumbs up: Western behaviour perceived as rude by other cultures

• e-mail

Giving someone the thumbs up and making eye contact during a conversation are both common and friendly ways to communicate in the West.

And while most in the West know that a person ending a conversation with ‘I’ll call you’ is often an empty promise, for non-Westerners these social interactions are perceived as baffling at best, rude at worst.

The global community has taken to an online forum to share these innocuous, everyday behaviours that are frowned upon by other cultures.

In Iran, giving someone a thumbs is extremely offensive and is the equivalent of giving someone the middle finger in the UK

The comments were made on Reddit after a user posted the question: ‘What is something that is perceived in Western culture as totally acceptable to say or do but is frowned upon in other cultures?’ 

Making empty promises

One easy way to confuse and fall foul of many people’s expectation of politeness is to make promises you have no intention of keeping.

Whether it’s ‘I’ll call you’ or ‘we should do this again sometime,’ cultures outside of the West can perceive this polite conversation closer to be just the opposite.

Redditor just_a_mean_person explained: ‘A girl I know got married and went to Lebanon for a year or two and when they had some people over she said something like "we should do this again sometime" which is just a polite thing you say in the US. The guests were like: "Yeah when?" 

'And then later her husband said: "They are going to expect you to invite them to something within the next couple of weeks or they will think you are insulted by them or don't like them."’ 

Showing the bottom of your shoe or the sole of your feet

When travelling around the Arab world, it’s best to keep your feet on the ground if you hope not to offend people, according to Redditors.

Veggiesama said: ‘Sitting in such a way that reveals the bottom of your shoe or foot is offensive in Arab culture. Feet are unclean, so you don't wear shoes into a mosque.

‘That really puts it into context when that guy threw his shoes at George W Bush. Then again, throwing stuff at people you dislike is a pretty universal message.’ 

Sitting in such a way that reveals the bottom of your shoe or foot is offensive in Arab culture

Maintaining eye contact 

Averting your eyes or keeping your sunglasses on while engaging in a conversation is considered rude or suspicious in the West but the intimacy of too much eye contact can be deemed challenging or threatening in other cultures.

Explaining this social faux pas, The Lurker said: ‘I know a guy from a small village in Nigeria. He said that one thing that Americans do that is really awkward is the amount of eye contact that we use.

‘He said that a lot of eye contact [in Nigeria] is for someone who is in power over the other... so when he came over here for school he immediately felt out of place and had to learn quickly that the amount of eye contact that Westerners use is more for showing general respect and the giving of attention.’

Hand signs

Hand signals are an etiquette minefield, as many cultures use the same hand signals to mean entirely different things.

The okay hand gesture is one of the most confusing as UtahOsmosis revealed: ‘In the US it means Okay! In Japan it means Money. In Brazil it means “Go f*** yourself".’

In Iran, giving someone a thumbs up is extremely offensive and is the equivalent of giving someone the middle finger in the UK, reveals Redditor SamuraSpaceSquid. 

Eating on the streets

Celebrities across the States are regularly snapped clutching a coffee cup or snacking while pounding the streets. While this behaviour was previously frowned upon in the UK, few think twice about its etiquette implications nowadays.

But in Japan you will be sure to cause offence if you dine on the go. IwantanOnymity shared: ’In Japan it's considered rude to eat while walking, so there isn't really a street food culture here like in many other parts of Asia.

'It's also rude to talk loudly or talk on your cellphone while on the metro/subway.’ 

Tipping culture

An etiquette minefield from destination to destination and an important one for travellers to be aware of. While in some countries you can expect to be chased out of the premises if you don’t tip, in others you’ll be offending your host if you do.

Redditor drterran said: 'Apparently, this is a huge no-no in Japanese culture and people will try to return your money if you leave anything behind.’