I'm surprised it's not more actually. I'm always logged on on at least one device.

Qwiss! wrote:

Old Spike Milligan joke, to the tune of Deutschland, Deutschland Über Alles:

"Germans have a sense of humour. HA HA, HA HA, HA HA HA" ♫

That Santi Hand on thigh thing is too funny!! 

Must be "a continental thing" to place your hand affectionately near another mans genitals.

Or an anglophone thing to grasp at opportunities for homophobic jokes everywhere ...

Nah fart and gay jokes are timeless and universal Burnsy, try again.

Biggus wrote:

Must be "a continental thing" to place your hand affectionately near another mans genitals.

Must be an insular thing then to reflexively assume homosexual advances when coming into contact with a fellow man ;D

Based on a lot of travelling, the English-speaking world is more uptight about man-to-man physical contact of all kinds than nearly anywhere else.

But then you get stuff like head-touching prohibitions or it being rude to see the soles of someone's shoes in other places. I guess it all evens out.

I'd add Germany to the anglophone world but yeah, definitely more uptight than France, Italy or anywhere I've been in Africa. Max Weber would probably say it's somewhat linked to the protestant ethic.

This shoe sole thing by the way I've heard a lot of times but I've never experienced back home or anywhere else in that part of the world. To be fair it sounds a little difficult to me to get into a position where I'm talking to you and you're facing my shoes instead of my face

It's a thing in Viet Nam, for example. The most common occurrence is stretching out your legs while sitting opposite someone, that's considered a bit crass.

Especially when your dick is hanging out......

Burnwinter wrote:

It's a thing in Viet Nam, for example. The most common occurrence is stretching out your legs while sitting opposite someone, that's considered a bit crass.

Ah, didn't know that. I read a lot of times that it's supposed to be a taboo in the Arab world but could never really confirm it.

definitely a taboo in Arab world. they don't like dirt. shoes are in contact with dirt all day long. same reason you shouldn't be touching people with your left hand. you remember when someone tossed two shoes at George Bush?

There's a difference between showing your soles to someone and throwing them at their face. I can't remember ever being in a situation where my soles accidentally faced someone's direction and they felt insulted for that reason.

Meh, they're always offended by something.

I was told (though I'm not in the slightest sure if it's reliable) that both the foot-pointing and head-touching tabus in Viet Nam stem from beliefs about the flow of energy through the body.

I always assume these things come from some old disease spreading situation and then get turned into whatever religious mumbo jumbo suits later on.

makes sense. don't eat pork. don't spread dirt with feet up.

You don't need religion or diseases to find pork disgusting.