# uh, what? No, really. What just happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797 "2010-04-12T01:44:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/21 "2010-04-12T17:23:30Z")
**Vinyl Turnip** FTW! > [@Triskadecamus](#): > > I still am mystified by the family/friends since it is pretty much not likely that they thought I could understand them, and we were not in a place where it is likely that the Old White Guy speaks our language. Sounds like you understood them just fine: they were saying something along the lines of “Get out of here and leave her alone!”, and you did. It also sounds like the misunderstanding originated with Irrational Woman (although I’ll cut her some slack for that because she was already upset and pissed off) who totally misinterpreted your approach and then proceeded to pass along her misinterpretation to the other guys. I doubt that what she actually said to them was “Hey, I don’t understand what that guy’s trying to say to me, could somebody ask him to explain?” rather than “Hey, that creep keeps trying to talk to me and won’t leave me alone, go tell him to fuck off!” Telling somebody to fuck off knows no language barrier. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/22 "2010-04-12T17:26:27Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > I’ll tell you what makes me sad about this. Even though the OP was very careful to make no overt statements about the ethnicity of this group of people, I am somehow assuming that they are middle easterners of some type. Which I think really shows that the cultural poison is seeping in. Because all I need to hear is that there is a group of people acting in a way that seems loud, confrontational and seeming to create cultural conflict out of good intentions and I immediately assume that there is some middle east connection. It really makes me quite sad. If it makes you feel any better, I personally was semiconsciously picturing either Filipino or Russian Jewish immigrants in this situation, although I have NO idea why, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/23 "2010-04-12T17:35:33Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > If it makes you feel any better, I personally was semiconsciously picturing either Filipino or Russian Jewish immigrants in this situation, although I have NO idea why, to be honest. That was probably my fault, as my little dialogue used a really cheesy and affected faux-Russian/Eastern European accent. Dopers with the sound module installed even heard a balalaika being plucked in the background. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/24 "2010-04-12T17:39:42Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Walking the southern Swiss alps, I was surprised by how all the women I came across on the trails would greet me with a “mit anderern”, ensuring that I knew for certain that they were under someone else’s protection. > Whatever happened to you came from somewhere else. So that’s what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps. The Big Lebowski makes so much more sense now. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/25 "2010-04-12T17:41:44Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > If it makes you feel any better, I personally was semiconsciously picturing either Filipino or Russian Jewish immigrants in this situation, although I have NO idea why, to be honest. Oh my god. Me too! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/26 "2010-04-12T17:46:41Z")
Some people are missing a big point telling Triskadecamus to leave people on a cell phone alone. The lady was asked if she was OK before the cell phone was visible. Regardless it’s pretty sad that asking a question gets you treated like that. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/27 "2010-04-12T17:48:23Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > That was probably my fault, as my little dialogue used a really cheesy and affected faux-Russian/Eastern European accent. Dopers with the sound module installed even heard a balalaika being plucked in the background. I hear a balalaika being plucked everywhere I go. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/28 "2010-04-12T17:53:31Z")
> [@tschild](#): > > I am sure _that_ is a cross-cultural misunderstanding of some calibre. _Miteinander_ or _Miteinand_’ in the context of a greeting is the Swiss German/Alemannic equivalent of the US Southern _y’all_, e.g. > > - stereotypical Swiss greeting: _Gruezi miteinand’_ i.e. Hello y’all > - when greeting a group one can say e.g. _Guten Morgen miteinander_ (the last word indicating that the greeting is not adressed to a particular person) Great, now that you’ve told him there’ll probably be a rash of bloody body parts stuffed into crevices next time **Squink** gets to the Alps. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/29 "2010-04-12T18:04:08Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Some people are missing a big point telling Triskadecamus to leave people on a cell phone alone. The lady was asked if she was OK before the cell phone was visible. Regardless it’s pretty sad that asking a question gets you treated like that. That’s not how the situation looks to me. He saw she was on the phone and _then_ he approached her _again_. That’s what sent her running to her co-ethnics. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/30 "2010-04-12T18:49:51Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I hear a balalaika being plucked everywhere I go. I just get a bazouki. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/31 "2010-04-12T18:51:07Z")
Bet yours doesn’t play _The Safety Dance._ ---
**Author:** ![qbadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/fbc32d/32.png) [@qbadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qbadger)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/32 "2010-04-12T18:52:02Z")
I would recommend you to 221b Baker Street, London. One of the fellows who live there is apparently very good at making sense of this sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/33 "2010-04-12T18:53:17Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > That’s not how the situation looks to me. He saw she was on the phone and _then_ he approached her _again_. That’s what sent her running to her co-ethnics. Triskadecamus > [@](#): > > So, I walked over. I spoke to her, but she did not seem to notice me. So, I moved in front of her, and spoke again. At that point I noticed she was talking on a phone. 1. So, I walked over. I spoke to her, but she did not seem to notice me. 2. So, I moved in front of her, and spoke again. 3. At that point I noticed she was talking on a phone. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/34 "2010-04-12T19:12:20Z")
That wasn’t the end of it, HD. After he noticed she was talking on a phone – > [@](#): > > Now, the fact is the phone alleviated a big part of my Samaritan impulse, and I was satisfied to simply ask, “Do you need any help?” He was positively pestering her by that point. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/35 "2010-04-12T19:16:47Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Bet yours doesn’t play _The Safety Dance._ “Walk the Dinosaur,” to my chagrin. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/36 "2010-04-12T19:17:42Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > That wasn’t the end of it, HD. After he noticed she was talking on a phone – > > He was positively pestering her by that point. I missed that. ---
**Author:** ![Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@Eugene\_of\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eugene_of_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/37 "2010-04-12T19:40:03Z")
Odd situation. Sounds like they had all gotten into a little of the “brown” PCP to me. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/38 "2010-04-12T19:54:41Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > If it makes you feel any better, I personally was semiconsciously picturing either Filipino or Russian Jewish immigrants in this situation, although I have NO idea why, to be honest. So apparently I’m the only one who pictured an Asian woman (Filipino, I believe, though she might have been Hmong)… ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/39 "2010-04-12T19:57:52Z")
> [@Triskadecamus](#): > > I was walking down the street today. I heard a distressing human voice, although I could not understand exactly what the voice was saying. I stopped, and listened, and looked around. About ten or fifteen yards away was a woman, facing away from me, and yelling, in a highly distressed, tearful, and ragged edged voice. I realized she was speaking in a language unknown to me, but I still felt the impulse to come to her aid, if possible. So, I walked over. I spoke to her, but she did not seem to notice me. So, I moved in front of her, and spoke again. At that point I noticed she was talking on a phone. [Proxemics.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxemics) How far away were you when she noticed you? Reactions are also dependent on cultural background as well. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/40 "2010-04-12T21:58:39Z")
For some reason I’m reminded of the Simpson’s episode, where Lisa tries to take a bus to the museum all alone, but gets lost because she didn’t realize that the holiday schedule drove a different route. Trying to find her way back to Evergreen Terrace, she wandered through Springfield’s version of Little Moscow, and she asked a man to help her find her way home. He _sounded_ like he was chewing her a new asshole, but the subtitles showed him being very kind and helpful. So maybe what **Tris** encountered was effusive thanks and plaudits. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797.md?page=3)