Finns need to mentally evolve beyond this mindset.

Somebody being polite and friendly to you does not mean that the person is inferior to you and that you should therefore despise them.

Likewise somebody being rude and domineering to you does not mean that they are superior to you and should be obeyed and respected.

Politeness is a tool and a lubricant, and Finns probably loose out on a lot of international business and opportunities because of this mentality that you're demonstrating. Look at the Japanese for inspiration, who were an economic miracle, while sharing many positive values with the Finns.

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lucb1e 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

Wow. I lived in Finland for a few months and this does not match my experience with them at all. In case it's relevant, my cultural background is Dutch... maybe you would say the same about us, since we also don't do the fake smiles thing? I wouldn't say that we see anyone who's polite and friendly as inferior; quite the contrary, it makes me want to work with them more rather than less. And the logical contrary for the rude example you give. But that doesn't mean that faking a cheerful mood all the time isn't disingenuous and does not inspire confidence

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zozbot234 3 days ago | parent [-]

"I never smile if I can help it. Showing one's teeth is a submission signal in primates. When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for its life." While this famous quote from The Office may be quite exaggerated in many ways, this can nonetheless be a very real attitude in some cultures. Smiling too much can make you look goofy and foolish at best, and outright disingenuous at worst.

	▲	carlosjobim 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yes, globally cultures fall into the category where a smile is either a display of weakness or a display of strength. The latter are more evolved cultures. Of course too much is too much.

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emilfihlman 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

You know there is a difference between being polite and friendly, and kissing ass, right?

We are also talking about a tool here. I don't want fluff from a tool, I want the thing I'm seeking from the tool, and in this case it's info. Adding fluff just annoys me because it takes more mental power to skip all the irrelevant parts.

	▲	carlosjobim 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Since it's a tool, what does it matter if it's too polite for your liking? It's just a tool. We've always had these things. Every time you started your computer, Windows would have a load screen saying "Welcome".