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Russians think Americans smile too much

Interesting article. It is interesting how fake the American smile is. That seems to be what the article says the problem the Ruskies have with our smiling habits. They only smile when they are happy whereas we smile as a greeting.

In seeing their point, I think a fake smile is still better than a blank stare. When someone smiles at me I automatically have more positive feelings towards them.
 
Interesting article. It is interesting how fake the American smile is. That seems to be what the article says the problem the Ruskies have with our smiling habits. They only smile when they are happy whereas we smile as a greeting.

In seeing their point, I think a fake smile is still better than a blank stare. When someone smiles at me I automatically have more positive feelings towards them.

I smile all the time. I don't think my smile is fake, I'm just a happy person in general.
 
In seeing their point, I think a fake smile is still better than a blank stare. When someone smiles at me I automatically have more positive feelings towards them.

probably because you're programmed to feel that way via cultural indoctrination
 
When we were in Russia for 2 1/2 weeks for our adoption, the only people who smiled at us were (1) our translator, whom we were paying; (2) the front desk clerk at the Marriott in Moscow; (3) the policeman who stopped and extorted money from our driver; and (4) the primary caregiver for our son's group at the orphanage. Oh, and our son, but I won't count him.
 
I wouldn't smile if I was quasi communist either.
 
I wouldn't smile if I was quasi communist either.

If you're an American living under Obama you are a full on Socialist, which is the same thing as a Commie, with a capital C. Will you be a patriot?

[post stupid half-baked Rulz-comic here]
 
I think my normal minute-to-minute facial pose is somewhere between angry and tired.
My heritage is from Eastern Europe / Russia though.
 
Here's one Russian who loves to smile...

smile.jpg


ovechkin-smile.jpg


alex-ovechkin.jpg
 
Pretty much spot on - Russians are very private and withdrawn unless they know you closely (in which case they become extremely friendly and drunken messes). There's really no in between. I grew up in a Russian emigree family and live here now and still am not comfortable with it.

The idea of a veneer of general politeness and smiling they just find fake and it's very strange to them.
 
It's the weather. It's their problem. Smile and the whole world smiles with you. Is there anything more irresistible than the smile of a pretty girl?
 
/shrug - not sure it's a "problem" per se, it's just a different way of thinking

Russians think Americans for the most part are vapid, easily amused and shallow. That there's no introspective "soul" to American culture. It's a criticism that has some validity to it (just as the American criticism of Russian coldness and isolationism has validity).
 
Hines make foll you vely speciarr smirre

Russians would have a bit of trouble saying "Hines" and "smile" (no true long I sound) and "make" (no true long A sound) but not "very" or "special". You kind of did that in a bad Chinese accent :tard:

The sounds they really struggle to say in English are 'W' and 'Th' which have absolutely no counterparts in Russian. Much like English speakers really struggle with the vowel 'Ы' and some of the long consonant clusters (such as здравствуйте - the formal way to say hello - which has 7 consonants and 1 vowel in the first 8 letters ... pronounced kind of like 'zdravstvooeetye')
 
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