Could someone please answer or explain this? Thanks.
A friend and I (we live in the USA) were talking to a friend online that lives in Melbourne, Australia. My friend asked him if giving the thumbs up sign is considered offensive, and he said no. I see people from Australia putting icons and emoticons of thumbs up around on the internet, so it doesn't seem like it is offensive to them.
What my friend told me is that she heard a story that President Bush went over there and gave the thumbs up sign to someone and that people got mad about it (or something like that). I remember reading in a business textbook once about how you should make sure not to make gestures that offend other cultures when you're there and all that, and again, it mentioned not to give the thumbs up sign in Australia because it's offensive there.
Will someone from Australia (or familiar with the culture there) please explain? Is this just some rumor that made it over here, or is there something to it?
A friend and I (we live in the USA) were talking to a friend online that lives in Melbourne, Australia. My friend asked him if giving the thumbs up sign is considered offensive, and he said no. I see people from Australia putting icons and emoticons of thumbs up around on the internet, so it doesn't seem like it is offensive to them.
What my friend told me is that she heard a story that President Bush went over there and gave the thumbs up sign to someone and that people got mad about it (or something like that). I remember reading in a business textbook once about how you should make sure not to make gestures that offend other cultures when you're there and all that, and again, it mentioned not to give the thumbs up sign in Australia because it's offensive there.
Will someone from Australia (or familiar with the culture there) please explain? Is this just some rumor that made it over here, or is there something to it?
