Thais are some of the least rude people in the world - Int'l travel site

[webfact]

Danes are more polite than Norwegians
BY GREGERS MØLLER

BANGKOK: -- On a scale from 1 to 30 – who are the most rude people in the world? Skyscanner, an international travel site, ranks French, Rusian and British as the top three most rude tourists in the world. Not surprisingly, you find Filipinos, Thais and Indonesias near the bottom of a top 30 list as some of the least rude people.

The Scandinavians are in between, but ranked with the Norwegians as the most rude, the Swedes as the sligthly more well behaved and and the Danes as the most well mannered of the three. True? Wel…

Norwegian researcher Reidun Aambø at Volda University College explains in a comment to the poll published by Aftenposten, that the perception of rudeness happens when cultures mix.

“Every culture has the courtesy it needs. It is when we get a mix of cultures that we can interpret each other as rude. Politeness can’t be defined objectively because it’s not about right or wrong, but about expectations.”

“All humans look for the same signals for the courtesy and friendliness that they are familiar with from their own culture because these are the codes we know,” she explains.

She also cited that certain cultures can view others as rude in their own country, using a lack of “sorry”, or “excuse me” by people when they bump into each other.

Readers are welcome to post comments with examples of differences in rudeness or politeness between the Scandinavians and the Asians

Source: http://scandasia.com/danes-are-more-polite-than-norwegians/

-- ScandAsia 2013-08-06

[Calach]

And also some of the most frank and straightforward people.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Calach

[Bluespunk]

'Readers are welcome to post comments with examples of differences in rudeness or politeness between the Scandinavians and the Asians'

oh my, talk about opening Pandora's box

[kurnell]

I was called Anaconda once. I think that was polite.

[gl555]

I would have thought the PRC Chinese would have top the list also.

[DocN]

There you have it: they are angels! ...well...as long as you don't under-sa-tand the language, of course!

[h90]

I would have thought the PRC Chinese would have top the list also.

a breakfast buffet with PRC Chinese........the worst nightmare....

[Payboy]

You can't be truly rude until you really understand good manners.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Payboy

[hanno]

After 30 years in hotel industry, the worst guests for me are, in no particular order: Israelis, Russians, Chinese, Koreans, Indians.

The best: Australians, Japanese, Thai, Americans (obnoxious at times but not rude), Kiwis.

[tonneke breda]

I was called Anaconda once. I think that was polite.

Snake, snake fitfit??

think they searched your undies before making that statement.

[JeremyBowskill]

Define polite? describing somebody as fat or ugly to their face whilst picking your nose, would that be polite?

[tonneke breda]

think title should be : Some Thais are the rudest people in the last world

[kurnell]

I was called Anaconda once. I think that was polite.

Snake, snake fitfit??

think they searched your undies before making that statement.

I didn't have any undies

[balo]

Norwegians more rude than Swedes ?

Where did they do the survey? In Pattaya ?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[theblether]

Skyscanner is an Edinburgh based website, we Glasgwegian's think people from Edinburgh are rude. I bet you can think of example's of people in your own country that have a reputation for being rude.

Some people take delight in being rude, like Yorkshiremen. They will tell you straight how it is, even if they haven't got a clue what they are talking about. Then they'll beam with pride when they tell you that Yorkshiremen are straight talkers.

Payboy makes a valid point, you can only be truly rude if you know what manners are.

Part of international travel, to gain exposure to more culture's, to learn how to get along with people. Too many people only export ignorance and bigotry.

It's embarrassing to behold.

[Riley'sLife]

Thais are not the "least rude", they are simply trained from birth to be deferential - (as ordained by the "powers that be" in the amazing and premier land of face-saving Kleptocracy).

Further, it is this social restraint and training that is responsible for the pent-up emotions that result in the frequent explosive reaction by many Thai males which clearly demonstrates just how erroneous and superficial this survey is.

[moonseeker]

After 30 years in hotel industry, the worst guests for me are, in no particular order: Israelis, Russians, Chinese, Koreans, Indians.

The best: Australians, Japanese, Thai, Americans (obnoxious at times but not rude), Kiwis.

Agreed, also after 35 yrs. in the industry. Would however add the Germans, who expect everything for free and already at check-in tell you how to run your business. O.c. not all of them, but many....MS>

[NongKhaiKid]

Define polite? describing somebody as fat or ugly to their face whilst picking your nose, would that be polite?

Cover your mouth while using a toothpick but openly stick a finger up the nose to the knuckle.

Take shoes off before going inside but put feet up on furniture, on restaurant seats and on trains, buses and aircraft and this includes sitting cross legged with both feet up.

I really don't know how findings like this are arrived at as we all have our own values.

[Felt 35]

Scandinavians, yes frank and straightforward and that will of course be taken by many cultures as rude, included many Asian cultures. But rude alias impolite, nope.

Edited August 6, 2013 by Felt 35

[NongKhaiKid]

After 30 years in hotel industry, the worst guests for me are, in no particular order: Israelis, Russians, Chinese, Koreans, Indians.

The best: Australians, Japanese, Thai, Americans (obnoxious at times but not rude), Kiwis.

This is a very interesting post as we get a professional insiders view.

[NongKhaiKid]

Skyscanner is an Edinburgh based website, we Glasgwegian's think people from Edinburgh are rude. I bet you can think of example's of people in your own country that have a reputation for being rude.

Some people take delight in being rude, like Yorkshiremen. They will tell you straight how it is, even if they haven't got a clue what they are talking about. Then they'll beam with pride when they tell you that Yorkshiremen are straight talkers.

Payboy makes a valid point, you can only be truly rude if you know what manners are.

Part of international travel, to gain exposure to more culture's, to learn how to get along with people. Too many people only export ignorance and bigotry.

It's embarrassing to behold.

Ladies from the west end of Edinburgh, all furs coats and nae knickers so here we have bias albeit in fun.

Payboy is absolutely spot on and I have to agree completely.

Part of the problem about international travel, well tourism maybe, is that people head off for a couple of weeks and behave, talk as they might at home and treat the locals as inferiors while being verbally shafted by someone who has an ear to ear grin while talking in a different language.

Try Kipling's " The Man Who Tried to Hurry The East ". Mr. Kipling also makes exceeding good cakes

[culicine]

Anyone who thinks Thais are the most polite obviously haven't driven on the roads with them; or have them hogging the aisle in the supermarket, or having them push in front of you when you are in a queue....or the numerous 'scams with a smile'

[zydeco]

I would have ranked the rudest as 1) Russians 2) British 3) Germans 4) Indians. I never see enough of the French to get a gauge as to their behavior--I do know that they, along with the Russians, have a problem with 7-11s in Pattaya. (Middle Eastern nationalities belong to a ranking system entirely their own and uncomparable with the rest of the world.)

Most well behaved? 1) Canadians 2) Americans 3) Dutch 4) Japanese--at least in Hawaii, where they just sort of buy things and melt into the background.

[fakename]

Thai's are the most polite people in the world. Even when having a disagreement with them, they will smile. Of course they smile to get out of the tight situation, then go to their car and get a gun, come back and shoot you!

[chrisinth]

I was called Anaconda once. I think that was polite.

I think I was once asked to fly a kite. I thought that was polite as well.................

[kimamey]

Define polite? describing somebody as fat or ugly to their face whilst picking your nose, would that be polite?

Cover your mouth while using a toothpick but openly stick a finger up the nose to the knuckle.

Take shoes off before going inside but put feet up on furniture, on restaurant seats and on trains, buses and aircraft and this includes sitting cross legged with both feet up.

I really don't know how findings like this are arrived at as we all have our own values.

Very true. From my perspective polite in some ways and in others not.

Not sure about the sitting cross legged. I've seen this a lot amongst younger people in the UK at least.

There's also the habit of eating with the mouth open so the complete mastication process can be observed from some distance away.

I know that Brits have a reputation for politeness amongst Asians which makes giving a good impression fairly easy as all you need to do is play to that strength.

Edited August 6, 2013 by kimamey

[chooka]

I as doing a 90 day report last week and when my number was called an American jumped in front of me and said, Do you mind if I go 1st I am in a hurry, thanks buddy. Didn't even give me the option to answer with a Yes I do mind because I have things to do also. To me that was pinnacle of rudeness. Then my wife and I go to the airport plaza for lunch and who is sitting in the dining area, the rude obnoxious yank. I guess he was hungrier than us.

Every country has it's share of rude people and when they are in a place like Thailand they stand out more and represent their country. I find the Thai's to be very polite and I am yet to find a rude one.

Edited August 6, 2013 by chooka

[worgeordie]

Just get a Thai angry, then see how rude they can be, well more dangerous

than rude,too much pent up anger they are not suppose to show,but press

the right button,all hell breaks loose.

regards Worgeordie

[bigbamboo]

Rudeness or simply bad behavior?

For example years ago I remember watching in amusement from my hotel balcony as a group of obviously well drilled German holidaymakers appeared at dawn to place beach towels on virtually every poolside lounger, a well known national trait at the time.....only for a group of British tourists to appear a few minutes later from their night out on the razz and having spotted them and proceed to sling the whole lot into the water.

So who was rude and who was badly behaved?

[pisico]

Cover your mouth while using a toothpick but openly stick a finger up the nose to the knuckle.

Define polite? describing somebody as fat or ugly to their face whilst picking your nose, would that be polite?

Take shoes off before going inside but put feet up on furniture, on restaurant seats and on trains, buses and aircraft and this includes sitting cross legged with both feet up.

I really don't know how findings like this are arrived at as we all have our own values.

-------------------------------------------------------

The people doing the survey never had to take a bus in Bangkok: people getting on never allow for people to get off. Never had to stay in a queue and see, at times, Thais playing dumb and crashing the line and getting in front of everybody. They never had to be in a super market and be hit by hand baskets and karts being pushed by Thais going forward but looking intently to the side. Yes, after they crash into you and your ankle is in pain, the issue a perfunctory "solly" and continue their merry way, alone in the world. Sneezing in a crowd without covering the nose is another manifestation of their Thainess. Is that rudeness or is it culture? In my opinion it is both. A specific norm of behavior that can, at times, become rude and injurious.

Edited August 6, 2013 by pisico