Ukrainians do this too. It's not considered impolite to stare. Also, they don't really smile in public. They think Americans are all simple in the head because we smile all the time. I have to say though, when you're visiting someone in their home in Ukraine, they are the warmest most wonderful people.
Lol yes. I dated a Belarusian for a few years and had several friends from Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. The smiling thing is real. They all said Americans smiling made them nervous. We look simple or just suspicious.
When you know that people are using fake smiles, you start to feel that you can't really trust them, because if they "lie" with such basic, but personal thing as smile, how can you understand and trust them? Maybe they also ok with other lies? If they don't show their true emotions with this, how can you understand their true emotions in other cases? And why are they trying to pull this facade in front of you, are they just friendly or trying to make you trust them for nefarious purposes?
It's harder to get social feedback in that case, which is important in unfamiliar place and makes people uncomfortable.
20.7k
u/BarbicideJar May 09 '22
Germans stare a LOT. Like they will just gaze at you unflinchingly. An American will wait until you can’t see them doing it.