Does common-sense courtesy differ between cultures?

[septimus]

@PsyXe

But what I think is important is that members of “slower” cultures have just as much courtesy as those of “faster” cultures. It’s just that the system is different.

In other words, yes, what is “common sense” in courtesy is different between cultures. For example:

Switzerland / USA
Rude: Standing in someone’s way

South Africa / Thailand
Rude: Getting upset or lecturing people for being in the way

Yes, excellent point! I alluded to this in OP. The Thai customs may be less efficient but they are also often less stressful.

However some posters overlook that a more absolute common-sense sometimes applies. If one ethnic group, as a poster mentioned, insists on boarding a crowded car before passengers disembark, can be agree their common-sense/courtesy is sub-optimal?

I made the mistake of starting with a rather trivial example. My post in the earlier thread should be a better example of discourteous parking. (Indeed I posted it there because all the American parking erros in that thread were trivial compared with those we see here.)

@septimus

I once parked about noon at my car dealer’s and, since the errand didn’t involve my car, parked in the dirt next to the street as a courtesy rather than using up their limited customer parking. Shortly later I wanted to leave but it was impossible: someone had pulled in behind; there’d have been no room to manouevre even if the other neighboring cars had been entreated to move. Parking was scarce on the street, but there were problem-free places had the driver been willing to walk a few extra yards.

This happens all the time in rural Thailand, and is little problem: One tracks down the driver, asks them politely to move; they’re happy to move their car (with a smile); one could argue it’s a happy easy-going life and this gives opportunity to meet strangers.

In the one case I’m posting about, however, the driver had gone with someone else to a different city, taking his car-key with him! The car-dealer manager called him, and the driver came back (I don’t know if they had to curtail their errand for me). In their defense, they must have thought I was an employee based on where I parked, but even an employee might have had a sudden emergency requiring his car.

In giving examples one needs to compromise between too few (“Oh those are just anecdotes, Septimus, you can find a few bad drivers anywhere.”) and filibusters! I have lots of stories about driving in rural Thailand which are amazing and amusing. That might be fodder for a fun thread, but I won’t start it; I seem to do a poor job of setting up the crucial thread title and OP.

@Cat_Whisperer

One thing I’ve wondered about; when you move to a completely different country, do you not, at some point, notice that people do things differently there and adapt to the ways of your new country?

Yes. To counter-paraphrase Alex Trebek, you’ll need to state your question in the form of a comment if you expect more than a one-word answer!

One thing that is true is that outsiders often see some aspects more clearly. An interesting thread might be to review things about America that foreigners see more clearly than Americans.