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Cassidy Elliott
11/13/08
Kindness around the world
Kindness can be linked with cultural acceptance. Where in one culture it may be a gesture of kindness to have physical contact in another it could be considered rude. These factors are rooted deep within the society and cultural customs of that nation.
A kind 'hello' can turn into a disaster because the native customs were not followed. You would not go into Korea and grab someone’s hand in a firm handshake. Just as you would not walk down the streets of New York and bow to your friend.
Each country has its own rules of greetings. European countries tend to have the most physical contact when it comes to greetings. In France a kiss to each cheek is common, but tends to be used for social interactions. In Belgium it is not uncommon to have customary kissing during work interactions.
Many Asian country's greetings depend on social rank, mostly determined by age. A younger individual will bow when greeting one of older age. If the greeting is started by the older of the set, then a handshake is offered, but body contact is limited. Grasping the right arm with your left hand is the most physical contact received. Even eye contact plays a role, looking directly into the eyes of one's seniors or those of higher standing is deemed offensive.
In contrast, eye contact and firm handshakes would be considered respectful in America where pulling someone close and patting their back, sometimes roughly, is a show of a friendly greeting.
Kindness can also be linked in the gestures with give to other people. Physical kindness can impact other just as much if not more than verbal kindness. Simple gestures that many Americans do daily would be rude in other countries. Having your hand shoulder level with fingers spread out in Nigeria is rude. It is not uncommon though to see girls in the US extending their hands at that level to show their nails.
Thumbs up to shows good work in the US would cause trouble in Spain or Greece where it is considered an obscene movement. A kind pat on the head for an American student is normal and rewarding. In Asia the head is spiritual so patting it would not only be offensive in gesture but religiously.
The peace sign the wrong way in England, when the palm of your hand is facing your body is vulgar. Different from the universal way Americans look at it, no matter what way it is shown it means peace.
With what is considered a kind gesture and what is not comes along public displays of affection. A loving, kind, kiss of your partner in public can been seen as romantic in one instance can be frowned upon by all others in another.
Displays of affection are common in America and Europe. Sometimes to the point where many find it vulgar. In general though it’s common to see couples kissing and touching. Public displays of affection still have many stigmas attachments in Africa and the Orient.
These places tend to hold it as a more private situation. If you were to watch any Indian films there is still no kissing seen. This is a form of kindness in their traditions, to keep private matters private.
Gift giving can be a great way to show kindness. Before giving a gift research should be done before or else a act of kindness could turn into a misunderstanding.
In Argentina Flowers that are either red or white roses givin to the hostess is recommended. You always want to make sure that the gift you give is wrapped and has a card to go along.
If you wanted to give a gift in Brazil you wait until after the first meeting. Instead go and offer to eat lunch. When you do give a gift keep in mind that an expensive gift could be embarrassing or seen as a bribe. You want to avoid everything in purple or black. They associate these colors with death. You also want to avoid anything that could be viewed as cutting your bond such as knives or scissors.
In China try to forgo the gift giving and find another way to show kindness. It is against the law to give a gift in anyway but private and as a friend. Even then they will refuse three times so be persistent it is only to show that they are not greedy. Never give a gift in front of a group of people as this can conflict with the law and could be looked at as bribery.
Unlike China, Israel tends to go over board when giving gifts. One of the biggest things is to pay attention is if the gift is going to be useable by their religious standards. Food gifts being kosher for the Jewish religion. When receiving a gift they use their right hand, not with the left. Both hands at times can be accepted.
Saudi Arabia has very strict rules for gift giving. Unless you are close enough to that person it can be offensive to receive a gift of one that may be lower in the social hierarchy. If a gift is to be given out money is not to be skimped on. It’s not uncommon for the reviver to exam your gift looking for details to show the quality of your gift.
In Mexico they have a more relaxed gift policy along the lines of the United States. All kind gestures will be wanted even giving the children small gifts are welcomed. If buying flowers however watch out for yellow, red, and white flowers as they all represent unfavorable circumstances.
In the Netherlands you only start to give gift until you have formed a friendship. The gift should be modest, and stay away from wine. If it is known that there are children in the house brining a small gift for them is smiled upon
In Russia gift giving is quit frequent. Flowers are popular but there are rules. Such as you need to make sure you have an odd number of flowers. They are for women; the only male profession that receive flowers are teachers, doctors, and celebrities. Pink, blue, and orange are safe colors as they have no meaning to them. Yellow and white flowers should be avoided, along with red unless it is to show love.
No matter where you go however you are bound to run into kindness. No matter what form it comes in or how you receive kindness it is all over the world. Kindness is a world wide effort that many people have started to realize. This is can be found in all the organizations that have started to from around the world to enhance kindness.
It all started with one organization. The Small Kindness Movement, it all started in Japan. It was a group of people getting together to spread kindness. It not only reached throughout Japan but extended well beyond its reaches to other nations.
It started in 1996 in Tokyo. They invited others with the same goal and had a conference. The next year they held another meeting and finally formed the World Kindness Movement. It started with seven countries and to this day has grown to seventeen.
Singapore has formed its own kindness movement based on the meeting in Tokyo. It wants to improve kindness and courtesy in its own country. Singapore’s kindness movement wants to generate more kind behavior and bring kindness into the daily lives of its countries people. Singapore has its own mission statement. “To inspire graciousness through spontaneous acts of kindness, making life more pleasant for everyone.”.
Australia is another country out of many that has taken steps to promote kindness to the next level. The organization has been active since 1994. Australia’s largest accomplishment is their 16 days of kindness that happens every year. It starts on November sixth to November twenty first. The days each have their own topics. They can range from Good neighbor day, to give kind acts towards your town, to stop and smell the flowers day, showing people to take time out of their day to be kind. Their 16 days of kindness is to help aim for everyday kindness not just for a few days out of a year.
Other members of this Kindness movement include Brazil with Brazil Kindness Movement. Canada has its KindActs Canada. Hearts @ Dubai Kindness Movement is pushing for kindness throughout Dubai. India has two programs, Anada Club and Kindness Unlimited. Italy has its Italian Kindness Movement. Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are also all a part of the kindness movement around the world and they also support their own local kindness movements.
Kindness always comes back to the individual person. No matter where you are in the world if you show kindness to others kindness will be shown to you.
Works Cited
"World Gift Giving Customs." International Gift Protocol 1998-2008 10 Nov 2008 http://www.1worldglobalgifts.com/giftgivingetiquetteandcustoms.htm.
"KINDNESS SCOTLAND." Kindness Scotland. 12 Nov 2008 http://www.kindnesscotland.co.uk/home.html.
"Kindness Australia - at a glance." 2008. 2 Nov 2008 http://kindness.com.au/cms/content/view/12/35/
"Origins and History." World Kindness Movement. 2005. WKM. 12 Nov 2008http://www.worldkindness.org.sg/origins.htm
Mccallister, Ben. "Kissing and Affection: Around the World." 2008. 3 Nov 2008 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1128936/kissing_and_affection_around_the_world.html?page=2&cat=41.
Wu, Charlene. "Cultural Gestures." 9 Nov 2008 http://soc302.tripod.com/soc_302rocks/id6.html
"Handshakes from around the world." 9 Nov 2008http://coopcommunity.sfu.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=514&mode=thread
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