Cultural Differences #1: Greeting and Smiling

[kotugirl]

Well done Thanks!

[comlexcomplicationya]

ahahahhaa xD

[jerzystachowiak]

It's hard to keep smiling in a place with 8 months of dark gloomy cold weather per year.

[mchutnik]

An interesting US perspective towards the Czech - but also towards the Poles whose culture works very similar in the aspects of greeting and smiling ;-) Would it also be a slight sign of individualist and collectivist approach? Interested in your opinions! :-)

[irina7710]

]about "another" point - people are not depressing, it is call very good manners and deep soul, they do not smile like idiots without reason to each other and do not ask "how are you" and "have a nice day", people enjoy being quiet it is why I like to go to Praque sometimes to have mental rest from weird and annoying South Californian (some, not everybody). And do not tell me bla bla about you like both culture - fake! I know for sure what do you like better :/

[PragueVlogg]

@irina7710 Irina, you are so right. All of your comments are so right. CZ IS better than USA. You have really shown me that.

[irina7710]

@PragueVlogg nobody better, it is about what we like and what we don't :)

[ShaylaShaw]

@irina7710 She is simply stating the differences in greeting, and when it's appropriate to smile. Why do you take it as an attack? If I were to visit the CZ, I now know that I should not smile at people while I am riding the tram, and when to say hello and goodbye. This is very useful information to those of us who would like to visit CZ, and not look like an idiot because of doing something wrong. People buy books to learn stuff like this, when they travel.

[ShaylaShaw]

@irina7710 Not only that, but she was clearing up a misconception that many foreigners have. If the person who visits CZ, comes from a country where there is more personal interaction between strangers, some of the travelers will think that the people are not happy (regardless of what country they are from). She is explaining that this is NOT the case, and that it is because of greet customs. So, I now know that people on the street are not being mean to me, when they do not smile back.

[LastRqss]

I don't think its particularly not quite on U.S transit buses cause I fall asleep all the time on them. i love it. I think its not strict to be quite because maybe its not as a huge a part of ppl's day to day lives. i think most people use cars to get around. in california anyway. I dunno, i think thats just how its gonna be for awhile. lol

[Pauli7780]

Just like the french!!! Im here 3 years now and it is the same thing....but I do miss the natural smile! I think this bonjour and au revoir are so fake must of the time is really yak!! and yea the public transportation is like entering in to a funeral lol....

[aizik1992]

the american fake smile is just annoying

[Yetti0]

Its called manners, something Californians don't have. They do in Tx and the South. Manners are no longer taught in most of USA.

[jormamolo]

tommi ootko tääl

[CandelarioGaIvan]

Interesting, in Texas it is common to say hello as you pass someone in the street.

[mythmath]

its same in Australia as well.... people greet each other to strangers... for example.... 'good day/howz it going' as greeting and 'take it easy/ have a good one'... as goodbye

public smiling is common as well.... :)

[9036khan]

degrading herself

[Tihbialdunav]

This is European much-enjoyed melancholy, not depression or rudeness. People enjoy being quiet and engulfed in their own thoughts, instead of talking nonsense just for the sake of saying sth that makes no difference anyway. Only in US strangers( as far as I know) engage in chit-chat.

[sweetsheepo]

Thank you for making your videos. I'm going to be an exchange student to the Czech next year and these help me feel prepared.

[Mariepz]

Hey PragueVlogg!! Thanks for posting this video. You made an intersting explanation of cultural differences, I'm from Colombia and people here uses to smile to strangers instead of saying hello, and this is polite.

I like the sound of your bird, it was funny... I watched your video because it was a homework from my english teacher and now I will watch more of your videos.

PD: sorry for my english!

[brooklyn66]

Hi PragueVlogg, I have to say I agree with your observation on how we Czechs don't smile at each other in public. At least, it used to be like that. Now, I believe we can take some good examples from your - American-culture and incorporate it in our (not just hamburgers:-)). I've been living for past 7 years in New York, and here' s one observation. Unlike in the Czech republic -Americans use their "how are you" as a form of greeting, often not even waiting for a response. :-)

[Elunaj]

I agree. I think that is it only a shield. Here many people is loving fun and the good humour. In a city, in the street etc. I see a dead pan. But every the pub is great deal of smiles and a good temper.

Well, you should try it... in czech is the pub a culture place :) here people are singing and in some cases are dancing too. Jubilee, a party, meetings and a ball. All is at a pub:)

[lysablue]

in france smile at strangers seems "fake"

[osdeus777]

just like in america, everytime a white women see a black man, they give that fake smirk. So those of you who are reading this Stop that shit!!!

[malac333]

hey girl,

very interesting your explanations. I made it between french and american (as a thesis). For your concerns in France, in transports, people are as serious as czech...but I think more or less intuitively is the czech has to be one of the coldest culture worldwide...bye! (and very sweet the scream of your lovely bird, entertaining you know!...)

[lilylee55]

Oh i love your video. this is cool. I really like the fact that there are lots of different cultures. That makes the world more fun!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

[PragueVlogg]

Thank you for your nice comment and for subscribing! You rock!

[aliooon]

I am Czech and living in Prague and I must say you are correct - in Prague Czech people look really sad or in hurry or just bored, I do not know how to describe their faces. Everyday when I am going by tram to my school, I see this unhappy faces and I realised that I look almost the same.

But I think every Czech guy is really friendly, nice and kind, just do not be shame or scared by his "conservative" face.

I am sorry for my English, hope, you can understand.

[Czechsarge]

I have not seen all your videos yet, but I think you forgot to distinguish between Prague and the Czech republic.

But you did good job in your videos, it is nice to see my own nation from different viewpoint :-))

[PragueVlogg]

Thank you for your comment. Yes, it is my mistake to generalize Prague to the whole of Czech Republic. I try to say my views while being as correct and non-offensive as possible. Watch more of the series and you will find sometimes I like a something about Czech culture, and sometimes I prefer the ways of my own culture. But differences are interesting. :)

[fscxxx]

You may want to consider the political nightmare of the Czechs over the last 80 years to understand why they do not smile: for over 50 years, half the population were informers for the Communist secret service. I'm sure you've read Milan Kundera on this by now. It's tru of all peoples who were enslaved under Soviet Communism.

[PragueVlogg]

Yes, I do consider this as a one of the main factors in the lack of smiling. Thank you for the additional information.

[CleverDjembe]

This is an interesting video series on cultural diff. Generally people are stone-faced in Finland from the biggest capital city Helsinki to the smaller cities, but old people are more likely to strike up a convo with you anywhere, probably because they have very few friends to talk to at that age. I'd love for this place to be talkative like California :)

Smiling is always a reflection of my inner state, so if I feel good I have a constant smile on my face,and I always make eye contact with ppl

[MisplacedHope]

Im so confused at this point in my life you think smiling would be a guilt free expression of ones self yet im canadian and even in my realationship there is guilt when i smile because my partners insecurities are increased and i have to give explanation to the smile rather then feel the happiness of it.

[gieemce]

greeting in U.S is not cool. Handshake and propr greeting is a sign of respect to certain person. In u.s. greeting and asking this "very" lovely 'how are you' is not best kind of greeting i didnt find it very genuine

[andreiammg]

I really liked it! You know what, I'm an EFL teacher in Brazil, and I'm using your vlogs in my classes to show my students about these differences. I'm also studying Linguistics (Masters Course). And I've decided to ask you to make a vlog about talking on teh phone. I'm preparing a special class on that subject and it would wonderful if I could use another vlog from you. Thank you a million! And keep on that job, it's amazing...

Andréia - Sã Paulo, Brazil.

[PragueVlogg]

Hi Andreia. Thank you for taking interest in my vlogs. I'm afraid I would not know what to say about cultural differences with talking on the phone except for that it is considered rude to talk on your cell phone in many public places here. Is that what you mean?

[andreiammg]

Not really. It's that everytime I have to call people in the UK, I don't know, we have to say 'please' tons of times, and it simply doesn't happen with the Americans. You, Americans, are too informal compared to the British. I just wanted to know if you've noticed any of these differences, there, in Prague. That's all.

Thanks for the attention!!!

[KGBcorporation]

great, simply great, i love ur speechs i find them cool and interesting

[PragueVlogg]

Thank you, KGB. :)

[tosilverglass]

I cited and linked this video in a blog entry that I had as an assignment in my sociolinguistics class in university (it was about politeness and compliment work, with an article about compliments in Polish and English, so a video about Czech cultural and politeness issues was perfect). I'm also from Czech myself, originally, and I definitely agree with your observations, as others have. Thanks! (I'd link you to the blog but it's a private one for the class that you have to log in to)

[PragueVlogg]

I'm very happy that you offered a link to this video. You will see that in other episodes of this series the videos can be partly for entertainment, but this first one was pretty serious. They are meant to be fun and informative.

[Hawari24]

I remember one story, when I was disgusted by one of "those" American series for youngsters where everything goes well and with friends. I told my Finnish x-girlfriend about the impression. (All of us probably know about the nordic stereotype of " being stone-faced ") "I thing that Americans would be able to embrace even a terrorist and Finnish would look suspiciously even at Jesus." Her response? " Of course, somebody who is walking on water surface IS suspicious!"

[PragueVlogg]

VERY funny story, there, hawari. That's a great addition to a light-hearted discussion on cultural differences. I always have to be careful not to be too offensive, while still being light enough to laugh at our differences.

[JermaineFaith]

Aww... Smiling is natural to me. It's so instinctive and very hard to fight against. I smile even when I don't mean to.

Interesting video!! ^_^

[PragueVlogg]

By the way, on my old videos I require approval before the comments are posted because I get a lot of porn spam on them.

Anyway, don't stop smiling! Even if you are in a culture that doesn't understand it! :)

[phaedress]

Very interesting. As you say, Czechs make a very definite distinction between public and private and between people the are and are not interacting with.

(You say hello in a shop because you may need to inteact with the shopkeeper.)

It's not that odd, really. What it is (from an American point of view) is archaic. The Czechs behave in the majority the way the uper classes behaved in the past in the US.

[hahohehiha]

message to phaedress and PargueVlogg. It's not only the czech's who act like this. But all the other European nations. You should both, add this.:)

And, to be honest, i would find it terribly weird and wacky if, in subway the person who sits next to me to tell me a joke, just like that... no reason.

byee:)

[PragueVlogg]

That's the beauty of cultural differences!!! I would feel very comfortable if someone on the metro told me a joke, and I feel strange in the metro here because it is so silent that you could hear a pin drop! :) I do appreciate the differences...enough to make videos about it!

[deannausernametaken]

I'm from California, too, and my hosts had a fit at my natural smile in Pakistan. Strangers loved it, and smiled back, but my hosts were driven crazy. But I decided that there is only one way for men to learn that smiling is just a form of aknowledging a person - by seeing it done.

[PragueVlogg]

Yes, spread the smiles! Keep up the good work!

[simplydaft]

I very much enjoy this interesting series. I work in a major hotel with people from many countries and cultures. Some, mainly from the South American continent, are naturally friendly, happy people who like to smile and say "hello" and "good morning" and "goodbye" to everyone. Others, Bosnians and some central and east Euorpeans, for example, are by nature dour and lacrymose. I observe, generally, the sunnier the climate of origin, the more inclined people are to smile and say "hello."

[PragueVlogg]

Hi simplydaft.  I didn't know that about South Americans, so thanks for the extra information!

I'm glad you like the series. :)

[sprichbeeke]

Nice series!

[SFJane]

That is kinda sad you know. After ten years in California, I am finally use to, and comfortable with, smiling, a quick friendly greeting here.

Keep smiling though, your project the california sun and vibe with it. People may think you are eccentric, but they may also look and say, "Damn, I wish I had a reason to smile like that. What is she eating? "

[PragueVlogg]

Some Czechs have told me that all the smiling the Americans do in public seems "fake" to them. I can understand their view, but to me the public smiling is genuine and preferable.

I'm not eating saugage, dumplings, and beer...I'll tell you that much!

[honzik79]

D2Newmanix: propably you didnt met the RIGHT czech people :-)

[PragueVlogg]

Of course, there are many wonderful Czech people to meet; I'm sure you are one of them!

[honzik79]

me? if you thing.. :-D ..thank you..

[mysteryglo]

Very interesting. Love the series..

[D2Newmanix]

Wow. I have visited CZ quite a few times and I must say, what you say is soooo true. I, by nature am a very friendly person. but everytime I visit Czech I only wind up making friends with foreigners.

[PragueVlogg]

Thank you for your comment...I like hearing other views and yours actually validates my experience as well. :)

[musosf]

What an excellent idea for a video series! This kind of thing fascinates me. It's probably the number one reason why I like to travel. It's so eye-opening to realize that many of the cultural norms you take for granted are only the way one country (actually one region) does things. Thanks for an interesting peek into Czech culture.

[PragueVlogg]

Thanks! I'm so happy that you enjoyed watching. The series gets more entertaining as it continues, so I hope you get a laugh from those as well!

[deboraschannel]

you should come to brasil.. i bet you would like it.. we are very friendly and smiley.. like in cali.. =)

[PragueVlogg]

hmmmm, sounds nice. i would love to go there.

[PragueVlogg]

Oh, thanks for the extra info about Milan. :) I hope you like it there.

[LeSaMilano]

That hello and goodbye (among strangers) thing in lobbies and doctor's offices is practiced here in Milan, too. And same thing about the street...people here don't greet strangers on the street and don't welcome a friendly smile like we do in California. (where I'm from too)

dogs and babies ok! (after you break the ice here and they 'know' you, they don't stop smiling!)

[timido66]

Traveler1967 sent a shout out to look at your videos. Very interesting. I just subscribed. Thanks for the cool info.

[PragueVlogg]

Thanks for subscribing and commenting!

[PragueVlogg]

People do say Hello and Goodbye here, but it's smile-less, and it's only in certain places like an elevator, or lobby, or shoe store, but never on a bus. Strange. But I'm getting the hang of it. People smile here at strangers under 2 conditions: 1) if you have a dog, and 2) if you have a baby.

I think it's good to treat strangers like friends. :)

[Jinxie228]

Boy not smiling at each other in public would be hard. I'm from the midwest/southern part of the U.S. and I grew up greeting with proper hellos and goodbyes even to strangers. When I met my hubby, he said do you have to say hello to everyone, you act like they are all your friends. LOL

[sheepinarowboat]

Very interesting. Hadn't really thought about cultural differences in that way. thanks for the post.

[enquvist]

I loved your bird throwing in his 2 cents worth near the end of the video!! Nice vid, I never think about the cultural differences in greetings - was very interesting.

[PragueVlogg]

Thanks for your comment. I have another video that tells the story of how the bird flew into my life. It's called "A Miracle flew into my life," of you are interested. :)

[trees75094]

Interesting observations. Hope you'll share more. I'm in Texas (via Indiana and California) and find the USA has cultural differences from area to area.

[PragueVlogg]

I absolutely agree and have thought about making a video about that. This is why when people ask me where I am from, I usually say California instead of America because America is so large and holds many different cultures.

And thanks for subscribing!

[PragueVlogg]

Yes, I am often teasing my Russian male friends by telling them not to be so "seriozna!"

It has taken me some time to learn not be personally offended by all the serious faces I meet.

[Traveler1967]

I love your videos! This was very interesting to me. I am a very smiley person, so that would be hard for me to get used to as well. Hello...Goodbye. ;-)

[PragueVlogg]

Thanks I love your videos as well.

Although I have gotten used to the lack of smiling here, I think that I will never fully adapt to it; in my heart I will always prefer a smiley society.  And now I like to combine the smiles with the proper greetings.

[usenetposts]

I do find Czechs smile more than Poles do, though, and Poles more than Russians.

The problem with the Slavonic smile, though, is that it does not always involve the mouth.

[kenbank]

Hello. If you don't mind, would you please elaborate on the properties and attributes of the Slavonic smile. Your description of it's not always involving the mouth has piqued my interest. Could this be related to the elusive Russian fun? Perhaps the good Prof. H. would be inclined to weigh in on it. Good bye.

[PragueVlogg]

I second Ken's inquiry.