Considering the author’s comparison between Brazilian and American culture, it is CORRECT to state that:
Who’s Listening?
Brazilians are so polite that they say hello to strangers when they enter an elevator. My wife and I were spending a week at the beach in the Northeast of Brazil. Each time we entered the hotel elevator, my wife, who is Brazilian, would say Good Morning to other hotel guests. Inevitably, there were replies from people we obviously didn’t know or even recognize. As an American, I’m struck by this cordiality. It’s also customary to greet strangers in Brazil when entering a waiting room in a doctor’s office. I’ve seen my wife talk to complete strangers in elevators, on planes, in waiting rooms, and on line at the bank; I’ve concluded that only the most ardent recluse could be alone in Brazil. It would require a concerted effort to avoid human contact here. You would need to pretend to be a deaf mute to get away with it. Sunglasses to fake blindness wouldn’t work, as it would elicit strangers taking your arm to guide you across the street. Brazilians are so polite that when they cross the threshold of your home, they say Excuse Me, the same expression in Portuguese waiters use when they bring food to your table. Brazilians are so polite that if you’re invited for lunch in someone’s home, don’t expect to find salt/pepper on the table. It’s impolite to the cook to add salt to the food after you’ve been served. Drivers are so polite that they wait patiently while a car blocks a narrow street to discharge a passenger. If the delay in traffic becomes interminable, a driver will flash his headlights. A driver complaining with his horn is so shocking it would cause more accidents than it prevents.
