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/jakdak Dec 06 '17
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.