Another survey. Warsaw not so bad.

[ja_karola]

According to a Reader’s Digest survey for the most courteous city in the world
Warsaw ranks overall 7th-exequo-Auckland. The survey analyzed 36 cities. New
York ranked first and Mumbai, India, last. Montreal places 21st. In Montreal,
a well dressed man neglected to hold the door at the train station saying, ”I
just held the door for someone downstairs.” And a younger man stepped around a
researcher who dropped papers, explaining, ”Why didn’t I stop? I’m not even
supposed to be out of my office right now!”

Gazeta:
wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/1,60935,3435956.html

Reader’s Digest:
www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2006/07/polite.php

Survey this, survey that

[firemouse]

You can always get the results as expected in this kind of "research".

So I don't mind it. But sure it's nice we are so corteus as Kiwis. Can't decide
if this is good or not.

[minimus]

what a load of poo!! Having lived in Auckland for quite some time I can tell
you that Warsaw is much less courteous than any NZ city. But I guess it depends
on the definition of corteous. I never dropped a folder full of papers to test
it. Should try what happens if you politely wait your turn in a traffic jam for
example.

[usenetposts]

The problem of this kind of survey is that what is courteous in one culture
might not be seen as courteous in another.

In Russia, for instance, the people you get to know treat you with the utmost
consideration, arranging pleasant surprises for your birthday when you forgot
they even knew the date, etc etc. But if you try to cross the road you are
taking your life in your hands.

In Muslim cultures, if you go into someone's home willingly and declare
yourself a guest, then they are obliged by their code of hospitality to treat
you well, even if an enemy. But if you are taken to a house by force, not of
your free will, it probably means you're gonna get your head chopped off.

[ianek70]

usenetposts napisał:

> The problem of this kind of survey is that what is courteous in one culture
> might not be seen as courteous in another.

Like the common and popular bus-driver example.

In Poland you call bus drivers (and everyone else) Pan or Pani. "Zwracam się do
Pana z uprzejmą prośbą o bilet." If you call him "Ty" he'll say "Ale z Pana
cham, proszę Pana."
In Scotland you call bus drivers (and everyone else) mate or pal. "Wan intae
the toon please, mate." If you call him "sir" he'll stab you.

[sobieski010]

I suppose that that survey did not include the reckless, selfish, oafish and
downright kamikaze-like behave of the average Warsaw driver. In which case we
would have ended last with Ulan Bator.

[usenetposts]

ianek70 napisał:

> usenetposts napisał:
>
> > The problem of this kind of survey is that what is courteous in one cultu
> re
> > might not be seen as courteous in another.
>
> Like the common and popular bus-driver example.
>
> In Poland you call bus drivers (and everyone else) Pan or Pani. "Zwracam się
do
>
> Pana z uprzejmą prośbą o bilet." If you call him "Ty" he'll say "Ale z Pana
> cham, proszę Pana."
> In Scotland you call bus drivers (and everyone else) mate or pal. "Wan intae
> the toon please, mate." If you call him "sir" he'll stab you.

In Poland I have even had people asking me to address them as "Lord" - which is
what Pan means of course, on the internet, which shows how anal even the
cyberpunks here can be.

Of course they are not lords and ladies, but some languages cannot manage to
remove themselves from the shackles of medieval speech patterns, even when the
literal meanings of these words have become meaningless in the meantime, these
words are all they've got.

[firemouse]

I meant nothing bad. I knew once a NZ lady, and she was very corteous. But you
can find good and bad examples everywhere so what it means "a corteous city".
You had luck or not. And you are right, all depends on definition of corteousy.

[minimus]

> I meant nothing bad.
I know. Poo is the Readers Digest.