asking a person questions about there culture, or religion etc?

Question

Why is it found to be offencive?
i spoke to a man from pakistan, and i was asking genuine questions, and he spoke down to me, and said that it offended him.
i asked him about the laws of his country, like for getting married etc, and if it was still the case, that men could marry more than one woman. And he got so annoyed with me.

i didnt think the question sounded bad, does anyone think it did?

also, would you be offended if a person asked you about your culture or religion? i would have thought most people would be happy to tell, but then again i always assume that people are proud of where they come from.

thanks for any genuine replies (i seriously did not want that question i asked that man to come across badly)

xxx

i knew the man was from pakistan, and i knew that at one point, they were alot to marry more than one woman, how is that disrespectful?

sorry for the spellling mistakes.

Answer 1

In the nicest possible way love, to hell with him.

The man who never made a mistake, never made anything, and the woman who never asked a question, never knew anything.

Some people are so self absorbed within their religion that they can't differentiate when people are asking questions about a religion, or when they questioning the religion.

I think this is a prime example of why nothing causeAnd what kind of logic is the person above who says your not knowledgable? Thats the whole flaming point of asking questions? Last time I looked, textbooks don't answer back.

Answer 2

I don't think your question should have been offensive. We should all be happy to discuss our cultures, religions and traditions or how will there ever be a society in which people understand others. perhaps the man has had a bad experience when speaking about his country (assuming of course that you were talking about the country he is from!). Don't feel bad; curiosity is not a bad thing. If this person is someone you will see again maybe you should point out that you are genuinely interested and that you didn;t mean to cause any offense. He may even have taken your question the wrong way and will be happy to answer your questions next time.

Answer 3

A good way to understand a foreign culture is to compare it to your own or to compare it to some other well-known culture. Because you can't understand something well in a vacuum. You need to relate it to some experience you've had before. And that's why cultural comparisons are common in people's answers about cultures. The understanding of right and wrong is not the same in every culture. And that's why comparisons between cultures often lead to negative judgments and condemnations.

Answer 4

The nature of cultural differences is that it's possible to offend some people simply by asking about their culture.

All you can do is preface your comments with "I'm trying to understand more about your cultural identity, so I ask these questions without meaning any offense, but any information you could offer would be helpful and appreciated."

If you say that and they still throw a fit, it may either be a personal problem or a culture that is so vastly different that interaction with sensitive people from those cultures should be avoided, and instead one should simply do literature-based research into the culture before ever attempting to engage in conversation with a person with those cultural norms.

Answer 5

All depends on people's preconceptions and perceptions.

I'm not saying the guy from Pakistan was "right" to get annoyed with you, but you really have no idea how your remarks may have sounded to him. You might've intended no offense, but I think probably most people who offend "mean no offense." I think people are generally oversensitive - especially on questions of religion and culture, especially when they come from somebody outside of that culture.

Answer 6

Unfortunately you asked a person from a deeply religious country. While we have religion, and especially the zealots and the gullible who adhere to it (which of course includes the poorer countries and sections of a society etc.) then you will always encounter boundaries and suspicion.

It's the way of our world today, sadly.

Answer 7

Some people automatically go on the defensive no matter how innocently the question is phrased. He probably just assumed you were judging his background and culture

Answer 8

The way I see it, you just asked a question.
people who've said 'you should be more knowledgable' well that is the whole reason she asked isn't it, to gain that knowledge.
The guy probably took it the wrong way.
If you asked as you said you did, than as far as I know, you did nothing wrong

Answer 9

you first must understand that the American culture is very different, and that it may be the pride in his culture that made if offended.

Answer 10

I think your ignorance offended him. Why would you assume that men in Pakistan can have more than one wife? Maybe if you worked on your social skills people wouldn't become so offended.