2). Although nonverbal messages are more universal than verbal messages, nonverbals do not always carry the same meanings in other cultures. Can you give examples of some of the nonverbal displays that take on different meanings in other countries? If you have moved around within this country, have you ever encountered regional differences in nonverbal meaning?
An example of a nonverbal message which has a completely different meaning in the United States and other countries is the public display of men holding hands. In the United States I would venture to say that 9 out of 10 people, if questioned whether or not a pair of men who were publicly holding hands were gay, would state the pair were gay. This seems to be a culture wide norm here in the United States, but not in other countries. In the Middle East, for example, it is quite common to see grown men holding hands in public. Here, though, this is a symbol of friendship and in no way symbolizes anything remotely homosexual to the various Middle Eastern cultures involved. While I have no doubt that most Americans hold on to their ethnocentric views when observing this situation in public...but do people from the Middle East think all those guys up in San Francisco are just really good friends?
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