# 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:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/61 "2010-04-13T16:36:11Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#): > > I can’t agree with the second point. It could be other things, like an asshole who wants to beat the shit out of her for being loud and annoying to him. Body language, facial expressions, posture, etc. make that clearer than one might think. Someone with immediate malicious intent looks absolutely nothing like someone with good intentions. Language differences wouldn’t matter a whit. Doesn’t mean non-verbal clues can’t be misinterpreted, or that the woman was a sound enough state of mind to ascertain non-verbal where **Trisk** was coming from. At the end of it all, no harm, no foul. Would’ve helped a ton for at least one of the sound-off folks in the parking lot to address **Trisk** in English, but that hardly matters now. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/62 "2010-04-13T16:49:40Z")
IMO the OP handled it less than perfectly. OTOH it took a enrage emotional woman to overreact (along with her friends) to turn a minor incident into something much worse. And I agree with Bordelond that the woman should have been able to pick up on the non verbal body language. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/63 "2010-04-14T21:05:43Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > 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. That was my first thought, too–that episode. Which is why I assumed Russian immigrants. Count me in as confused about **ascenray** ’s reaction. I honestly don’t see why you think the OP has some nefarious intent. Especially since all he did was ask if she was okay. It’s a sad world when simply inquiring about how someone is is a bad thing. Anyway, not all people are necessarily able to ask for help when they’re so upset. I was recently robbed and my first reaction was screaming and crying and a stranger did ask me if I needed help (OK, granted all was in English), which was nice–much nicer than the strangers who stared at me blankly. Yes, I could have asked for help but I was definitely kind of reeling and hysterical to the point where it’s nice when someone just reaches out–sort of has a calming effect. I think this kind of, “WTF is the matter with you?” reaction is why so often people don’t ask, though. I’m glad we have caring people like that, and I do want to offer the OP virtual hugs for that kind of response. ---
**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 14, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/64 "2010-04-14T21:17:28Z")
Okay, perhaps I am being a little hyperbolic. I don’t actually think Trisk did anything wrong. There was just something about his OP that felt a little “save the damsel in distress”-y and it always rubs me the wrong when folks go out of their way to offer help to a woman in situations that they possibly would not consider helping a man. But, yeah, once you see that someone’s on the phone, that’s a clear signal to back off without finishing your thought, unless you have some other business with that person or want to request that he or she take the conversation to a less inappropriate place. Yes, I’m of Indian origin, but it’s unlikely that this has anything to do with Indian culture. Indians are notorious for getting into each other’s business in public places. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797/65 "2010-04-14T21:22:23Z")
> [@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) This is hilarious :D. I’m imagining the exchange, translated into english: > [@](#): > > German Lady: Howdy Ya’ll! > > Squink: O… kay… > > German Lady: ?!?! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-what-no-really-what-just-happened/535797.md?page=3)