- Published: September 23, 2022
- Updated: September 23, 2022
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
- Downloads: 14
Journal What are some examples of unacceptable behavior in your culture? In American culture? Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable situation because someone from your culture or from mainstream American culture behaved in a unacceptable way? In the Arab culture, it is utterly unaccepted to publicly display feelings of intimacy between men and women. In fact, as revealed in Echo Depiction (2010), linking one’s arms with another person or holding hands in public are “ are highly embarrassing to Arab observers, especially in Saudi Arabia. Even behavior such as holding hands is still disapproved of in less traditional countries; however, recently more and more people (the younger generation) are opening up in public“ (Echo Depiction, par. 6). In contrast, in the American culture, confidentiality and privacy are given importance. Therefore, it is unacceptable to ask details about age, income, salary, or even personal details such as weight, among others. It is definitely uncomfortable for one to see or to experience people from other cultures behaving in ways perceived as unacceptable in one. For the particular example of public display of affection, people from Western culture deem it normal and acceptable to shake hands, embracing each other, hugging, as a sign of greeting or bidding goodbyes. The behavior, regarded as unacceptable in Arab culture, and even in some Asian culture, should be revealed and known in the Western culture so that people would understand how to properly behave in day to day interactions without offending other people from diverse cultural orientations. As indicated in Echo Depiction, “ Arabs quickly gain a negative impression if one (even a westerner) behaves too open with a person of the opposite sex. Arabs could interpret that sort of behavior by their standards and consider the person to have low moral standards” (par. 5). Therefore, it would be beneficial to learn of the acceptable and unacceptable behavior of various cultures to avoid untoward incidents to happen. Work Cited Echo Depiction. Interaction between Men and Women. 03 April 2010. Web. 14 February 2011.