Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/05/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In Zimbabwe and most countries in Africa with a Bantu language culture, if you make eye-contact with some stranger on the street, it is almost obligatory to exchange pleasantries, even if you are passing, going in opposite directions: Hello, how are you? I'm fine thank you. How are you? I'm fine. You say this as you pass by. It's kind of like "I saw you looking at me." In Shona it's different for different times of the day. In the morning "Greetings, have your slept well?" and so on and so forth. It should be said while retaining eye-contact and is always done with a smile or a laugh. Another thing you have to learn to say is "sorry". It's said instead of excuse me, but it is said at the slightest imposition to another person. Like if you both come to the door at the same time, if you slightly bumb them as you walk by in a crowd. I think Mugabe's green bombers forgot all of this. > Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 18:55:29 -0700 > From: Doug Herr <telyt@earthlink.net> > Subject: Re: [Leica] OT: Courtesy (was Oh ... It's COMING SOON! :-) > Message-ID: <BAF96521.E526%telyt@earthlink.net> > References: > > on 5/27/03 4:50 PM, Joseph Codispoti at joecodi@clearsightusa.com wrote: > > > That people avoid eye contact seems to me to signify "I am not in the mood > > for pleasantries". > > Among many non-human species, eye contact is considered a threat, either > from a predator or from a more dominant member of one's herd. I avoid much > eye contact with my subjects for this reason. > > Doug Herr > Birdman of Sacramento > http://www.wildlightphoto.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html