England Bar Fights

Universal signs are ways that we communicate with the world, even if we do not share the same dialect. Hand signals are one example of the universal signs we use in order to tell people what we want, or what we might not want. But in different countries the same hand gesture can mean different things. Like how in America we use the "peace sign" but throughout most of Europe, it means the same as the middle finger would in America. Yet people get so offended so quickly without thinking of where the person who is giving the hand gestures culture originates from. They are so used to their culture and their ways that it is almost expected of them to act offended, even if the person giving the hand gestures meant no harm in the first place.

My uncle went to England two summers ago and he decided to go to a bar with a few friends of his. The bar was very loud, so loud that the waitress couldn't even hear what my uncle and his friend wanted. So my uncle decided to resort to hand gestures. He held up two fingers, the "peace" sign, for two more drinks and an ok gesture,which in Europe means a very bad name to call someone. The waitress was furious and walked away, refusing to take anymore orders from my uncle and his friends. Later that evening the manager of the bar came up to my uncle and explaned the situation. But the fault really lies within both him and the waitress. It is partially his fault for he should have been more informed about England's culture before going there. Yet it is also the waitresses fault for not considering that my uncle was from America and not England.