Immigrant behaviour leessons

[mungbeanz]

Should would-be immigrants be given a mandatory course of how to behave in the UK before being allowed access (at their own expense)? It seems that activities and attitudes that are ok in Poland, Pakistan or Somalia cannot be simply brought to this multi-cultural island. If the British people have to show respect, shouldn't everyone else? This doesn't apply to all immigrants I know, but if show that they know how to behave then they won't need to take the course. I think it is a great idea. Activities such as driving etiquette and looting could be addressed.

[DTCwordfan]

missed that last contribution of ianlaing's - I am sure that it wasn't complimentary - what is it today with these b-e-rks?

[boxtops]

I wonder if it's the same person who also has been removed earlier today - same tone of voice!

[DTCwordfan]

beeburp or whatever "her" name was....

[abstibus]

Let's be fair here - I was talking to a group of Chinese (who don't spit) last Monday and they said that when they arrived here they were horrified to see people holding unwrapped burgers in their hands to eat.
Mouth/hand is not acceptable in China.

[DTCwordfan]

I have lived in HK and the Mainland - it's funny how they eat their MaccieDs and BoigerKin....with their hands.

They don't use the timber splinters on all their own cusine too......

[DTCwordfan]

hands to mouth that is.....unless Darwin's Evolution has them ingesting food elsewhere, as through the hand.

[ichkeria]

"Let's be fair here - I was talking to a group of Chinese (who don't spit) last Monday and they said that when they arrived here they were horrified to see people holding unwrapped burgers in their hands to eat.
Mouth/hand is not acceptable in China. "

Indeed. That sort of thing underlines how daft the original question was. We all need to respect the laws of the land, no matter where we come from, but once we start talking about "etiquette" and "behaviour" we are on dodgy ground

[DTCwordfan]

I am being a little cynical, annemollie, what they do not do is use their left hands for eating (with or without chopsticks). As in the Middle East left hand is for the bum and right hand for the mouth.....your "Chinese Mum" will whack your fingers if you do eat with your left hand! The best thing a foreigner, who is left handed, can do is apologise in advance for using his/her chopsticks that way. Shows you know a little about their manners too.

[joko]

i am not a feral youth but im afraid i have no time for silly local customs... in the same way i dont care about petty things others do i dont appreciate them getting irate about what i do... if it isnt harming anyone and has zero affect on others then some things are no-one elses business, and i would not apologise for whichever hand i choose to eat with...

[ichkeria]

I'm all in favour of "cultural briefings" where appropriate for immigrants, for information and safety reasons. And for all I know maybe these already occur. But a "mandatory course" to teach 'em how to behave now they're in good 'ol Blighty ' perhaps not, and certainly not for the reasons given.

[argorstran]

Mungbeanz , supposing that these immigrants took and passed the course , were allowed access , then found that the majority of the population do not behave anywhere near the standards suggested on the course , what would happen then ?
Also , you chose to mention looting (thus indirectly linking it to Poles , Pakistanis and Somalians ) - the TV coverage of the summer riots showed that the looting was not being carried out by Poles or Pakistanis or Somalians .

[abstibus]

DT - fair point about hands but you are talking about chopsticks in left hand.
I have lived on the Mainland and in Macao and HK too, so I know what I'm talking about.
These people were culturally sensitive too - they wouldn't eat spare ribs in a restaurant here because they didn't know how to do it without using their hands.
In China, the norm is to chew and spit the out bones.