There are all sorts of reasons for being mindful of cultural difference. When the first ships sailed out from the Old World towards the New and kept running into virgin terrain, it was important to work out very quickly how not to offend, say, an isle full of cannibals. The point was to trade (though some insist on calling it plunder), and ultimately to rule. So, getting eaten had to be avoided at all costs. Out of such encounters, a rich body of lore formed over the centuries, mixing fact and fantasy, marvel and cunning. It told people how to make sense of, and get along with, other people — always with a specific set of interests in mind. Then, colonization became globalization, but the lores lived on. They acquired different names and uses — anthropology, diplomacy, tourism, racism, multiculturalism, political correctness. The 20th century took over (from printing) the word, ‘stereotype’, for those enduring little pictures in the collective head, in terms of which human beings encounter one another across gulfs of difference. Stereotypes can be annoying, cruel or funny; and when one is disgusted with the world, especially a certain part of the world, they could appear to be full of truth.
A British tourism website has published recently a compilation of dos and don’ts that informs Britons about the likes and dislikes of the various peoples expected to visit the country during the London Olympics. Everybody, from hoteliers to taxi-drivers, should know that a smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy, people from Hong Kong do not like being winked at, Arabs are not used to being told what to do, Mexicans do not like being reminded of poverty, illegal aliens or earthquakes, and it is best to be tolerant if Indians at first seem impolite, noisy and impatient, for this is partly the result of living in chaotic environments. Tourism earns huge revenues in Britain, which also does big business with most of the countries featuring in this list of “market profiles”. In the free market, politeness is good business strategy, although other, culturally more insular, countries also get into a self-civilizing frenzy while preparing to host international events. Before the Beijing Olympics, a state-owned Chinese TV channel rewarded contestants for appropriate ways of greeting foreigners. There were prizes for greeting a married Italian woman with “May I kiss your hand?” or an American male with a hand-clasp followed by “Hey man, what’s up?”
Most interestingly, the market profiles on the British website were written by staff who are natives of the countries featured. Stereotyping comes full circle here, like two mirrors that end up facing each other, each giving back to the other exactly what the other sees, ad infinitum. The free market stands otherness on its head, as difference becomes a collaborative game, for there is something in it for everybody. Vive la différence!
