the indian head wobble

[broadlyacceptedanddescribedasIndianHeadBobblemode]

as suggested above, I shall retreat from this now, bemused. Thanks for the informative answers folks

[\broadlyacceptedanddescribedasIndianHeadBobblemode]

There are some stereotypical Singletrack winkers on this thread.

[broadlyacceptedanddescribedasIndianHeadBobblemode]

as suggested above, I shall retreat from this now, bemused. Thanks for the informative answers folks

[\broadlyacceptedanddescribedasIndianHeadBobblemode]

I Win!!

it’s a bit like the English “I’m not racist…”

we say it all the time but don’t mean it.

I like stereotyping – makes it much simpler to dish out general abuse and insult to large groups or even whole countrys 🙂

If you couldt stereotype it would be a personal insult.

If you worked from home Pook you wouldn’t have this problemo

Stereotyping is not necessarily a bad thing anyway. As long as it is correctly applied.

You cannot make a rule about lots of people without it being wrong at some point unless it is a tautology.
All indians are Indians

Have some fun trying to come up with a universally accurate one.
Will the hive mind manage it ?

But be quick as this thread will soon be closed because of its racial stereotyping

There are some stereotypical Singletrack winkers on this thread.

I find this observation offensive.

JY, there is no point in seeking a universally applicable stereotype. That is an oxymoron.

But that is not my point. The point is simple, stereotypes (weaknesses accepted) are not necessarily bad nor unhelpful. In this case, it is important to understand that the movement of the head that is “often encountered in India” is not to be considered the same as someone agreeing. It’s the same as hai in Japanese. Again, I don’t even think its stereotyping.

It really should be possible to discuss national characteristics without the words stereotyping and racist immediately coming to mind.

It really should be possible to discuss national characteristics without the words stereotyping and racist immediately coming to mind.

Perhaps so, if they really are national characteristics, and not overgeneralisations from a limited sample

Racial stereotyping is allowed on STW as the mods don’t consider it to be racist.

Nice one, a relatively interesting thread turned into an utter bore-fest inside two pages

“Yes” also rarely means yes. It just means they’ve heard what you said and will go away and think about it some more.

we have a lot of foreign visitors at our work, of varying nationalities the the “yes” thing seems to span a few. This can be intensely annoying when you are trying to sort out a technical problem. To get around this I may well ask an either/or question but this can also elicit a “yes”, ho hum.

Are we allowed to associate the ‘Gallic Shrug’ with the French anymore?

It really should be possible to discuss national characteristics without the words stereotyping and racist immediately coming to mind.

Only if you stay so vague you say nothing- what national characteristic applies to all Indians? Please do tell?
All any nationality tbh
Are all american overweight creationists?
All germans methodical?
they just dont work in reality

I am not sure it is always racist tbh but it is always inaccurate.

I agree we all do it in an attempt to put order in the world so we know how to react when we see say a tattooed skin headed gentleman with a pit bull. However to suggest there is a trait or something universal about them all is fraught with dangers and innaccuracies unless it is a tautology

i think they can be weak and unhelpful but not always..it just depends on whether you can let reality alter the stereotype

what about the singletrack smug knowallness,is that a stereotype,jeez.

well out in the real world, I have a great time with my colleagues and friends from all over the world and we stereotype each other all the time and its fun.
from my typically english sorry, to the loud Americans, to the miserable french, the sex obsessed Ukrainians, the workaholic Spanish the miserable Germans and Swiss, the laid back Dutch,

its great in my office, always a good day and a lot of banter.

CharlieMungus, you’ve managed to hound the OP off his own thread, when he asked a perfectly reasonable question phrased in a completely inoffensive way. Get a sense of perspective man!

Stereotyping is not necessarily a bad thing anyway.

Yeah, well, that’s what you lot always say.

Phew!

I thought for a brief minute there that I might learn something to broaden my multi-cultural understanding…

Kona, didn’t that post need a 😉 ?

CharlieMungus, you’ve managed to hound the OP off his own thread, when he asked a perfectly reasonable question phrased in a completely inoffensive way. Get a sense of perspective man!

Really? I thought he left because he had so much new information that he had to away and think about i or a bit.

Perhaps you are right, maybe we should leave people to get on with their idle generalisations.

Oh I’m still here.

its great in my office, always a good day and a lot of banter.

Yes banter between friends is a great thing but it tends to work ONLY because you know the people dont really mean it and they are not racist.
In the north folk swear at you as a term of endearment but when a stranger does it I dont take it as friendly banter.

I thought for a brief minute there that I might learn something to broaden my multi-cultural understanding…

Dont worry only the English really struggle with this
See this only works if you realise it is a joke and I dont mean it *

* cunningly plays double bluff to confuse moronic english 😉

It is often very hard to tell on the internet what the intent is.

* cunningly plays double bluff to confuse moronic english

😀

Oh for gods’ sake CM, really?

The OP was talking about his colleagues, not every person of Indian descent who ever walked the Earth. If you’re going to troll you could at least read the post before you hit the keyboard. But well done, you’ve successfully derailed the thread into pointless bickering. Have a biscuit.

Different cultures have different customs. Westerners shake hands. Europeans kiss friends on the cheek. Brits stick two fingers up at each other, much to the confusion of Americans. A friend of mine worked for a Japanese company for a while and the amount of etiquette he had to learn in order to avoid causing unintentional offence was mind-boggling.

But that’s not to say all Europeans are into cheek-love or that it’s an exclusively European trait. I don’t say ‘sorry’ unless I am, I trained myself out of that ridiculous habit; should I be offended at the lazy stereotype, or vexed that I’m being swept up in a broad generalisation?

Is that another reference to Michael Douglas?

Oh, sorry, you said cunningly. Misread for a moment!

(well put cougs!)

😀

This will probably offend a few people but I actually like Roy Chubby Brown’s standup. All hes doing is old-school offence. Not unlike the ‘spoon-face/shes good at swimming as she looks like a Dolphin’ of a modern comedian.

Who cares, stop being soo bloody sensitive. Go on any Spanish etc holiday and you can spot the Brits a thousand yards away with their ‘mannerism’s and funny dress sense etc etc.

Is that racist? Or observational?

All hes doing is old-school offence

Problem is he probably believes these views rather than he is taking the piss out of them- see also Bernard manning and anumber of other “old School” comedians

Probably but then where does one stop when our politicians are all sordid feckers with hidden lives.

Thinking about it, the ‘two fingers’ thing isn’t a bad analogy actually.

As far as I know at least, broadly speaking it’s an exclusively British trait(*). Would we be having the same discussion about racism and stereotyping if a non-UK website was asking “Often, when talking to my British colleagues they’ll stick up two fingers to me, similarly to how Americans might stick up one. It’s very endearing, but where does it come from and what does it mean/signify? “

(* – it’s an English act of defiance; is it commonplace in the rest of the Isles? Can’t say as I’ve particularly noticed either way.)

everyone does two fingers but you dont notice because we do it behind your back what with you being a mod 😉

they do in wales and Scotland cannot speak for rest of UK

it’s an English act of defiance; is it commonplace in the rest of the Isles? Can’t say as I’ve particularly noticed either way.

Yep, still used in Scotland..

..despite being somewhat less-famed for our use of long bows in military conflicts..

I believe it is a sort of good-natured eqivocation.

A sort of ‘I don’t know’ – both actually and as in ‘just look at him with the fake tan, I don’t know’.

I quite like it – we british are restrained by the nod/shake system to expressing certainty even when we are not certain.

To do an equivalent, the brits need to involve the shoulders in a shrug – but that can be misconstured as not giving a toss.

Those body language analyst / consultant folks would have field day.

Well, I’m pretty PC on the whole but I don’t think this is a racist thread. I’ve worked with lots of Indians and become friends with a fair few, and only one of them did the head wobble, she was from Kerala. She knew it confused Europeans though so tried not to do it; she found it amusing when we acted confused whilst we tried to remember that she did this and wasn’t saying no when she meant yes.

It’s not racism, it’s cultural diversity in all its splendour. If we’d berated her and her gestures for being stupid or obstructive in some way, that would have been offensive.

As far as I know at least, broadly speaking it’s an exclusively British trait

According to Wiki IIRC it’s understood in Australia too.

According to Wiki IIRC it’s understood in Australia too.

Well most of them would have seen the rest of us doing it towards them from the docks as they were being transported. 😀

Well most of them would have seen the rest of us doing it towards them from the docks as they were being transported.

And we’re doing it back to you now as you Poms all try to emigrate here to get away from the shite weather and recession 😀

Isn’t Aus supposed to be the most expensive place in the world to live in ATM.