Gestures

Anush Yepremyan

Julie Spahn

EN 97

28 October 2013

Hand and mind: unexpected conduit

"People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what – and who – we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings."

—Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

Do you consider yourself a well-mannered person? Well, maybe you are, at home; what if you are visiting another country? People often use body language when talking. Gestures have become significant in the world of communication. Do they have the same meaning worldwide?

I think everybody remembers Georges H. W. Bush’s visit to Australia in the 1990s, when he greeted the crowd by showing “peace” with his two fingers. It made a lot of noise in mass media. But what was the big deal? Sometimes what you think you are saying doesn’t necessarily mean what you really do. Here comes the awkward moment. He officially insulted the whole population of Australia, just because his palm was facing inwards instead of outwards.

Last year my friend had a chance to go to England for several weeks. She was supposed to live with a host family. She bought a bouquet of white lilies as a sign of hospitality when she went to their house for the first time. So my friend, proud of herself, presented flowers to the household. You could tell right away that those lilies did not meet that lady’s expectations. On the top of everything, she handed them with her left hand (she is a left-handed person). The lady was shocked; her face was red, her eyes were burning, and anger was eating her up. The woman pointed her to the door. Isn’t it bizarre? Later on, it turned out that in England white lilies mean death. The left hand is considered to be as unclean, because in some countries toilet...