LL-L "Etiquette" 2011.05.27 (06) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 27 May 2011 - Volume 06
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From: Pat Barrett pbarrett at cox.net
Subject: LL-L "Etiquette" 2011.05.27 (01) [NL/DE]

I read these with some interest in the fact that I didn't see anything about
American customs, which seem to be very different from the European. We say
hi to everybody and smile. If you don't, like at work, people begin to talk
about you, ask you what's wrong, etc.

An example of ethnic and urban/rural differences: my wife's cousin in
Oklahoma married a man from Tulsa. When we visited them, he told us he was
very confused when he first moved to Checotah, a very small, rural town. He
said in Tulsa, Blacks and Whites (he's Black) live in entirely separate
worlds and interact very little. Feelings between the two groups are quite
hostile.
But driving around Checotah, he noticed with some alarm that White guys in
pickup trucks kept waving to him. Finally, he asked some of his Black
friends what was going on. "They're just being friendly" was the answer.
Very, very different atmosphere in the rural areas
BTW, this "wave" is used where I live, too, because my area still has small
ranches and farms and you frequently run into farm equipment on the roads.
The wave is holding on to your steering wheel and raising the four fingers
of that hand.
One of the generational markers among African-Americans is the nod. Blacks
ALWAYS acknowledged each other with a nod when they were in a White
environment. Nowadays, young Blacks will walk right by you without
acknowledging you. It drives my wife, who is 69 and Black, nuts.
Pat Barrett

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