Travel & Culture:
Good manners and political perspectives.
As the story goes, when Queen Victoria received a guest who poured tea into his saucer and drank from it, she promptly did the same. Good manners dictated that making her guest comfortable trumped Her Majesty’s standards.
Last week Michaelle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, ate raw seal meat at Nunavut’s 10th anniversary celebrations. She was criticized by much of the international press who drew political connections between her action and the seal hunt. Her good manners and respect for Inuit custom did not seem to count.
Different times and different places but both stories are about respecting other cultures with grace and good manners. Sometimes it’s easy – sipping tea from a saucer could hardly cause an international kerfuffle. Eating seal meat, however, did.
As a traveler, it is inevitable that you will encounter customs that are inconsistent with your values. Sometimes it’s a big deal. Sometimes not. Where do you draw the line between mannerly respect for local culture and speaking your dissent?
Respect and enjoy local culture when you travel
I was once in a Barcelona market and was refused the opportunity to touch the fruit I wanted to buy. I wanted to feel it’s ripeness. Discover any bruises. But the woman at the stall was appalled and angry with me for trying. I was sent away. I learned that you don’t touch the fruit in Barcelona. No problem. I can live with that.
With the right attitude, we can live with most cultural differences. In fact, they are a curious joy to me as a traveler rather than a challenge. Here’s a few tips to help you respectfully delve into local cultures.
- Watch and learn. Take pause before you do things like squeeze a tomato and you’ll discover what good manners are in that culture.
- Schedule your day according to local customs. If siestas are the norm, don’t go looking for an open store mid day.
- Dress appropriately. This is especially important in certain cultures where dress is a reflection of respect. Always be neat and clean.
- Recognize what is highly valued in the countries you visit. Electricity and water are often precious commodities. Conserve both.
- Seek ways to give back to the community. This may be a local charity or supporting local crafts people.
- Learn a bit about the history. Understanding the origins of a culture will help you better understand their world view.
- Recognize your own prejudices – after all, you view everything through your own cultural lens.
- Realize that, just like at home, what one person does is not necessarily representative of an entire culture. Take the time to discern between individual action and cultural patterns.
To go or not to go.
When local customs challenge your values.
Sometimes we are challenged with situations more complex than the Barcelona market scene. There have been occasions that I have struggled to find diplomatic ways to both respect my hosts and be true to my convictions.
The promotion of racism or sexism, systemic oppression, disregard for basic human rights and the harm or exploitation of individuals infuriate me. But some evidence of such issues are more significant than others. Forcing women to wear certain attire is ok but physically harming women is not. These are extreme ends of a spectrum that includes complicated gray zones in between.
Here we are entering the territory of cultural relativism which, basically, promotes respect for all cultures regardless of how they may conflict with your own cultural value system. The idea is that no culture is better than another. It suggests that all morality, law, politics and behavior should be understood within its cultural context. Essentially, it is the opposite of cultural imperialism which is the imposition of one’s cultural values on another. This is a severe simplification of the terms and the debate, but then this is not an academic exercise. This is an exploration of culture, travel and how we respond in different situations.
We often encounter customs that are unpalatable but tolerable. But what about when you see things that are intolerable? What do you do then? Here are some ideas:
If your politics are in serious conflict with a country you can always choose not to go. However, if you do go, you may discover that the impression you had from the news is not the reality on the ground – you may learn that you are not in conflict the way you expected and that people – everywhere – have much in common. If you go, you may return to your country with greater understanding and tolerance to share with all.
I would be most interested in your thoughts on travel and culture. Let us know how you enter and enjoy a culture and what you do when local customs are in conflict with your values. Please contribute through the comments.
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