Sunday, July 13, 2008

Is it so hard say thank you?


Norwegians have a lot to learn when it comes to politeness and manners. Queuing, helpfulness, saying sorry and gratitude are some areas in witch I think we norwegians could improve our actions.

For instans; let people have the chance to step out of the bus and tube before you are entering. Help the old lady with here shopping bags over the street. Hold the door when someone is entering behind you. Say thank you and smile, apologize when you accidentally push somebody.

Its especially after stays in Great Britain and the U.S. i have become more aware about this topic. and I have noticed a great differences in how we interact with foreigners and the lack of politeness and manners in Norway compared to many other countries.

Norwegians are not known to be the most polite people. Especially foreigners coming to Norway are experiencing this. A culture difference may be a part of the explanation of this fact, but i think its also a room for change!



Here are some relevant links: (written in Norwegian. Don't hesitate to ask if you are interested in the content and don't understand..)

Here is a great article written by an immigrant in the Aftenposten newspaper:
http://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kronikker/article914068.ece

Toppen Bech has just written a book about manners in our time:
http://www.nrk.no/magasin/tidlig/1.5386437

Join my facebook group about this topic:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8108098687

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