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>Using banter for high-stress situations is quite a British thing. There's a story I was told about British troops during WWII in wet rat ridden trenches, cold
by dghughes 3y ago
>Using banter for high-stress situations is quite a British thing. There's a story I was told about British troops during WWII in wet rat ridden trenches, cold and low on rations, having banter to keep morale high - much to the Americans surprise.
I've been reading and watching videos on European cultures. Many say in European cultures small talk is not a thing. I know UK is not Europe in that sense but are geographically. Things like the "German stare" where they don't talk but stare at people. But actually now that I think about it supposedly on UK subways talking is taboo. Someone from the US or Canada would be trying to make small talk in lines/queues for anything.
- 4gotunameagain 3y ago"in European cultures small talk is not a thing" European cultures are quite a broad range, from Sicilian to Finnish and Basque to Serbian. Percentage wise and excluding Russia and Turkey, I'd wager that small talk on average is common in European cultures (so every other country apart from Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, maaybe Netherlands?)
- dghughes 3y agoYes that's why I find it amazing. Such range and diversity of cultures yet any time I read up on any place in Europe it seems that many countries are like the others not big on small talk. I agree it's generalizing and from thin data but who knows it may be true or somewhat accurate.
- mcpackieh 3y agoA Finnish friend once told me a joke from his country, that went something like this: Two old childhood friends meet for the first time in many years at a bar. They both order drinks and sit in silence for several minutes drinking. One of them says, "So, how has your life been?" The other says "Are we here to talk or to drink?"