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Not to discourage the article but just because people smile in SE asia a lot doesn't necessarily mean they are happy all the time. A lot of it is cultural as we

Not to discourage the article but just because people smile in SE asia a lot doesn't necessarily mean they are happy all the time. A lot of it is cultural as well.

geomark 9y ago
They may not even be nice people. I've seen young hooligans smiling at packpackers while they were discussing what good stuff they might have in their backpacks. The backpackers didn't understand the language so they just smiled back.
- hbarka 9y ago
  Yeah right
hellofunk 9y ago
Completely agree. It is a cliche and somewhat prejudice to talk about the "Thai smile" or the smiling in other asian nations. These cliches are informed by foreigners who impose their own motivation for smiling onto that of a very different culture. It's not unlike how I often hear non-Americans talk about how friendly all Americans are, simply because when you do things like get a meal at a restaurant, the waiter will ask, "Can I get anything else for you?" Well, to me they are just doing their job but to some people from different places, the waiter is being unusually friendly to ask that.
- roadbeats 9y ago
  Imagine this; you leave your home and say good morning to your neighbor smiling and sharing positive energy every morning. But you're right; a person might smile at you when he is actually carry negative feelings. For example, my landlord is a greedy guy and he sometimes wants to rip me off and he also smiles :)
bodegajed 9y ago
What does that mean though? That thier smiles can be fake. I dunno. Slow island tropical life could be nice on people's mood though.
- askvictor 9y ago
  Indonesians smile when in uncomfortable/awkward situations (among other times). It's a different type of smile to a happy smile, but foreigners might miss the subtleties. Also, don't assume it's all slow Islander life; Indo gets pretty hectic depending where you are (Bali included); it's got a massive population on a pretty small amount of inhabitable land
deleted 9y ago
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guilhas 9y ago
When I went to Thailand, everyone looked so smiley, nice, and with friendly advices, turns out most people that talk to you just want to con you in some way.

Not to discourage the article but just because people smile in SE asia a lot doesn't necessarily mean they are happy all the time. A lot of it is cultural as well.

geomark 9y ago

They may not even be nice people. I've seen young hooligans smiling at packpackers while they were discussing what good stuff they might have in their backpacks. The backpackers didn't understand the language so they just smiled back.

hbarka 9y ago
Yeah right

hellofunk 9y ago

Completely agree. It is a cliche and somewhat prejudice to talk about the "Thai smile" or the smiling in other asian nations. These cliches are informed by foreigners who impose their own motivation for smiling onto that of a very different culture. It's not unlike how I often hear non-Americans talk about how friendly all Americans are, simply because when you do things like get a meal at a restaurant, the waiter will ask, "Can I get anything else for you?" Well, to me they are just doing their job but to some people from different places, the waiter is being unusually friendly to ask that.

roadbeats 9y ago
Imagine this; you leave your home and say good morning to your neighbor smiling and sharing positive energy every morning. But you're right; a person might smile at you when he is actually carry negative feelings. For example, my landlord is a greedy guy and he sometimes wants to rip me off and he also smiles :)

bodegajed 9y ago

What does that mean though? That thier smiles can be fake. I dunno. Slow island tropical life could be nice on people's mood though.

askvictor 9y ago
Indonesians smile when in uncomfortable/awkward situations (among other times). It's a different type of smile to a happy smile, but foreigners might miss the subtleties. Also, don't assume it's all slow Islander life; Indo gets pretty hectic depending where you are (Bali included); it's got a massive population on a pretty small amount of inhabitable land

deleted 9y ago

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guilhas 9y ago

When I went to Thailand, everyone looked so smiley, nice, and with friendly advices, turns out most people that talk to you just want to con you in some way.