NAME: Velasco, Brixter CODE: 3113

COURSE/YEAR: BSChe-1 DATE: Feb. 19, 2021

Stapled Tongue

Everyone uses body language but not everyone understands every single
gesture in each corner of the world.

Did you know that curling your index finger to someone can get you easily
arrested in Asian countries while it is a normal gesture to call someone closer in
the United States? And that only shows that body language plays a vital role in
our day-to-day life as it could be a culprit in your life without your intention.
Moreover, the complexity of it depends on which country you are in thus traveling
without enough knowledge is dangerous.

There are a lot of things we do with our fingers that symbolize an entirely
different meaning from other parts of the world. For instance, here in the
Philippines we use the thumbs-up sign to signal a good job or well done but in
countries like Iran and Iraq, it is an insult and equivalent to a challenge. Another
funny gesture we do here in our country is the stop sign wherein we raise our palms
equal to our shoulders while crossing the road but in Greece and Pakistan it is
considered as an insult. Moreover, when we want to achieve something we cross
our fingers and hope for good luck but in Vietnam, this gesture symbolizes
females’ genitals.

On the other hand, we don’t just use fingers but also the eyes. For example,
eye contact in western countries is a sign of how interested and attentive the
person is towards someone. While in most Asian and African countries, avoiding
eye contact is an act of respect towards the elders or the bosses. Furthermore,
physical contact in Northern Europe and the Far East is not an option, as a mere
accident of brushing someone’s hair could owe you an apology already.
However, in countries like ours and so as in America, physical contact is vital in
socializing and building relationships with other people.

However, there are also gestures that have the same meaning to us. It is
due to the colonialism of countries like America, Japan, and Spain which
penetrated and mutated our culture. For example, the peace sign. For America
it is a sign you do when you want to make peace; in Japan, it is a gesture you do
to act cute in pictures, and here in the Philippines both meaning is acceptable
and we practice both. In addition, in western countries, they use the horn fingers
when jamming with rock music which is indeed the same in our country. Lastly,
the hand gesture wherein the index finger and the thumb is touching each other
while the other three fingers are straight. In America it means “OK”; in China it
means money and, in our country, we use both.

With all that being said, body languages indeed portray different meanings
in the different parts of the world, that is why it is vital for every human being to
study each especially in this globalized world. These simple things are ingredients
to success already that one mistake could ruin an opportunity. With the increasing
globalization, communicating with people from other countries is becoming
normal and easily done that is why studying deeply the body language of certain
culture must be on our top priority.