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I think you picked the most impolite people in the world Born and raised in Austria I've never been anywhere where people easier get into fights with people they don't know (driving the tram is sometimes like watching a talk show), waiters are impolite and especially bus and taxi drivers, the most unfriendly people in the world! Maybe they are nicer to tourists though.
In that case those are probably different from the kind of Turks who have immigrated (most are from poorer patriarchal eastern Turkey) to northwest European countries.
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Originally Posted by Xpat
The Turks are very polite. I say this from experience in Turkey and in woking with many Turks over the years.
... I think to me politeness is about hospitality and thoughtfulness and always trying to put people at ease. It's not necessarily about being prim and proper and knowing etiquette.
Mooseketeer I agree with you. But actually etiquette is supposed to be for the very purpose of putting people at ease and making things comfortable. Regarding this thread, however, is politeness the same as friendly? Also, what is friendly in one culture is not in another. The standard for friendliness to strangers and polite behavior varies among cultures and therefore how can one make such a judgement at all?
Asians find Americans smiling all the time quite strange and particularly when it is directed at total strangers. Does that make them unfriendly? Japanese have behaviors of politeness that result from the culture's not approving of showing one's feelings in public or "rocking the boat". Does that make them superficial if they show respect and agreement when actually they feel disdain and disapproval? They are following their cultural mores. Arabs will offer you something in their home if you admire it and will give you a feast if you are their guest even though they hardly know you. Americans don't do this. Does that make them less polite or friendly? It gets real complicated. Perhaps it would be more useful to discuss characteristics such as loyalty, helpfulness, or concern for the weak? But then again these may not be universal values, though they might be more measurable than that elusive term "friendly".
From working in a very busy airport and speaking to many people from different countries i'd have to say that:
Canadians are the most polite people though with Americans you either really like them or hate them, you get alot of rude ones that expect a Scottish airport to be run exactly like an American one...boy do they criticize. But on the most part, the majority are friendly and love my accent and talk about how good Scotland is..
I find Eastern Europeans and Russians to be very rude and derogatory towards me (being a woman) so no good experiances there.
As far as the English go, it all depends on the social class, alot of the yuppy types just get on my nerves and speak to you like your a complete idiot but lets not go there...
I find Scottish people to be helpful and friendly too. Alot of passengers would agree too
But i must say when I travelled to the US I found the people there to be very friendly and outgoing.
I sort of skimmed through this whole thread, so I'm not sure if someone touched on this, but I think there's a difference between politeness and friendliness, at least in the way I think of them. When I think of "polite", I think of people with manners, perhaps a bit reserved, people who say "please" and "thank you" and who will go out of their way to offer help. With "friendliness", I think of people who are perhaps more gregarious, who initiate conversations, show interest in you, who are maybe a bit touchy-feely. In these regards, I think the Japanese are the most polite people I have seen. However, if we're rating friendliness, put another check in the column for the Turks for me
I will also say, while I've never been there, I have found Africans in this country, especially those from West Africa, to be among the most exceptionally polite and friendly people.
Polite people are more introverted. Friendly people are more extroverted. One can generalise ethnic groups too. The English and Swedes tend to be polite. The latter are a little less formal in their encounters with people.
American tourists in Europe are known for being extroverted (loud) and friendly.
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Originally Posted by dullnboring
I sort of skimmed through this whole thread, so I'm not sure if someone touched on this, but I think there's a difference between politeness and friendliness, at least in the way I think of them.
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Born and raised in Austria I've never been anywhere where people easier get into fights with people they don't know (driving the tram is sometimes like watching a talk show), waiters are impolite and especially bus and taxi drivers, the most unfriendly people in the world! Maybe they are nicer to tourists though.
