Thread: Дежурная улыбка

Я только что прочёл эту статью об отличии американских и русских улыбок. Понравилась.

Интересно, как вы воспринимаете фразу «дежурная улыбка»? В смысле "a constant smile" или в смысле "a business smile"?

И как насчёт названия статьи «Улыбок тебе, дед Макар»? Откуда оно? Кажется, здесь есть что-то смешное, но смысл я не понял.

Originally Posted by UhOhXplode

Yeah, I thought it was kinda rude when I was little. Now i just think it's a better way to talk. And smiling isn't about friends. It's just that people smile if they get happy sometimes. I mean, just cause I don't smile at someone doesn't mean I don't like them. It just means there's nothing I'm getting that happy about.
Tosevski's one of my best friends and he's brutally honest about stuff too but he's from Slovenia. So it's not just Russians.

I read about something that happened in the Iraq war that was really weird too. They dropped boxes of pop tarts from planes for the refugees to eat. Pop tarts? That's gotta be the last thing anyone should eat if they're really hungry! I mean, why not packets of rice or mac and cheese or something? Or even just fruit? I don't think pop tarts have much food value and it wouldn't be my first choice if I was really hungry.
But yeah, I haven't heard anything about food or medicine either. Just arms and money for the rebels. And I don't think Jesus ever said to send more weapons if people are suffering. It was fish he multiplied, not guns.

I should have qualified that to say that the bluntness and the "serious" expressions are more Slavic in general, and not just Russian. I also encountered it in Poland. In the US, I think we call it "resting b*tch face":



I have been accused of having it from time to time. If you look at my Russian пропуск (from the Soviet era) you can totally see it



Regarding the food drop in Iraq. Interesting you mention that. When I was living in then-Leningrad, there was a state of emergency declared and some American benefactors delivered several cargo planes filled with food. But what I saw were pop-tarts, granola, yogurt, and mostly cheap fast-food type items you would find at the local "Quickie Mart." I don't know what the reasoning behind that is. I don't claim to understand it. People who are hungry need real food! Not crap from 7-11.

Originally Posted by Deborski

I have been accused of having it from time to time. If you look at my Russian пропуск (from the Soviet era) you can totally see it

If I had not known who you are, I would think it is a photo of a Russian girl

Actually, I find it more comfortable to communicate with a person whose facial expression reflects their real feelings (so that I can understand the emotions, which I find very important for mutual understanding), rather with a someone with a permanent smiling mask on.

Originally Posted by Боб Уайтман

If I had not known who you are, I would think it is a photo of a Russian girl

Actually, I find it more comfortable to communicate with a person whose facial expression reflects their real feelings (so that I can understand the emotions, which I find very important for mutual understanding), rather with a someone with a permanent smiling mask on.

In America, if you are not smiling, some people will actually tell you "SMILE!"
It annoys me, but that's just the culture here. I don't always understand it really.
As for that photo, I was specifically told not to smile when they took it. It was the procedure of the time for all official Soviet photos.
Interestingly, in the US, some states are starting to ask people not to smile when they take drivers' license photos, etc.

GAHHHH.... Can anyone tell me how to make that picture less HUGE??

If I had not known who you are, I would think it is a photo of a Russian girl

Dat cuz all 'em white ppl look alike, yo!

(I think the cornrows are getting through my skull...)

PS. Yeah, I'd also think it's a Russian girl in that photo.

@ Deborski.
Yeah, that's mostly my expression too unless something happens. But I never know how I look then if someone doesnt tell me. I do know how i looked when I crashed my skateboard cause I had to get to the restroom to get doctored and there's a huge mirror. I just looked dirty and all spooked. Well, it was a good call to be spooked cause my ribs got fractured. But I just know I had a huge smile last Christmas when I got my new mountain bike! That was awesome!
Btw, you look really cool. Is your hair brown? Mine's brown but it's shorter now and it's spiked.

@ Bob.
Yeah, people that smile just to be smiling are kinda creepy. Maybe cause I've seen mentally challenged people smile a lot so I just wonder how stable they are. A dude at the sandwich shop was always smiling but he finally quit, yay. But he's really cool so maybe people just have different ways to interface.

@ the OP.
Well, it owns that they finally agreed on a solution for Assad's chemical weapons but that won't help if they don't get the chemical weapons away from the rebels too. It only fixes half the problem.

I find it super-creepy when I speak on the phone with Americans and they start throwing around platitudes about "ma'am" and "have a nice day". While in many cases being totally unhelpful.

I am aware of this "grumpy" stereotype about Eastern and Northern Europeans, but it's basically false -- I don't think there is much difference in the actual help you get, just the way you get it.

I absolutely can't stand fake smiles!
Of course, I also don't like the uber-grumpy, almost angry stare you sometimes get by some Eastern Europeans when you enter a shop or something like that. But at least it's not fake. In my experience, once you start talking to the person they are perfectly nice and helpful. I don't need phony smiles. I don't get why it's such a big deal to Americans, for people to smile. Seems to me like many people are rude and arrogant, while smiling. I think phoniness is a lot worse than being reserved.

Only yesterday at work, I got a totally incompetent and unhelpful email starting by a long rant about how pleased the person was to be able to "assist me" and ending with "Have a great day!" When I got back to say that my question had not been answered, I got some useless nonsense back with yet another "Have a great day". What they really meant was obviously "P-ss off"! They had hardly bothered to read the information I provided, and certainly couldn't be bothered to answer the question.
But they could wish me a great day!

My real-life US experience is limited, but based on what I heard, I am sure I would just feel uneasy if waitresses were being overly friendly for the purpose of getting tips. IMO, they should be paid a living salary instead, so they can go about their job with a bit of dignity. From a waitress, I expect to be served food, not get a new friend, or cheer me up.

I hate it when I check into a hotel and staff rush to carry stuff I am perfectly capable of carrying myself, opening doors when it's not needed and things like this. I have no idea how to tip American style and it seems at many non-US hotels they are now expecting it. I prefer the old European style when you simply asked for the help you needed and everything was included in the bill.

Here in the UK I hate when people constantly ask "How are you?" despite the fact they usually couldn't care less. Definitely a cultural thing. It's like a mumbled greeting "yoallright?" and the only acceptable greeting is something similar back. It's also almost hilarious how English people are ALWAYS ready with some commentary on the weather, rather than just accepting 30 seconds of silence.

If a person smiles because they get used to doing it on some occasions, rather than because they're amused with something - it's still NOT a fake smile, for it comes from inside, and the person isn't told what to do; while it's a known fact that smiling faces make up your mood in a much better way than those saying "what the f..k do you want", so I prefer cultures that encourage people to smile; anyway, it's rather stupid to come to LIVE in a country and complain about something the local culture features; there are over 200 countries on this planet, and even if one's a radical commie/dictatorship lover, etc., they could still pick a country that would totally fit them.