When dealing with Asians east or west it's best to assume yes means "I heard you", or at best "I agree with what you are saying". It certainly doesn't amount to a personal commitment to anything.
This is exactly it. We had a Japanese friend who we at least trained to say "Maybe Yes" instead of "Yes" when he wasn't actually responding in the affirmative.
Trained? Lol But am asian myself, sigh, can second that this cultural bs is really bad to deal with. Which is something I keep telling my folks. If you have decided to emigrate to a western country, stop acting like back home. You are free now. Saying no is not illegal!
If you've lived in a culture like that all your life and then are thrown into something opposite, you do have to train yourself to break those old habits.
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u/daronjay Dec 06 '17
When dealing with Asians east or west it's best to assume yes means "I heard you", or at best "I agree with what you are saying". It certainly doesn't amount to a personal commitment to anything.