Post a cultural norm from your own culture here...

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It seems to be more exclusive to the Northeast, because I live in the North and no one treats each other like that unless you're really rude.

More French cultural norms:

1. French people love paperwork and bureaucracy. You can't fart in France without completing several forms first, sending them to faceless bureaucrats, who then pass on the forms (losing a few) to other bureaucrats. After several months they may or may not contact you telling you to fill in more forms. The average French person keeps huge files of documents regarding every aspect of their life. There are countless organisations in France that serve no purpose at all other than to put people into some sort of notional employment, passing forms between each other from one useless organisation to another. French shops can only hold sales when local officials allow it. French farmers can't harvest their grapes until the local authorities tell them. Doctors (general practitioners) can't see more patients than the local health authority allows. It goes on and on, every aspect of life in France is ruled over by countless useless organisations whose sole purpose it to make themselves look busy, but who actually accomplish nothing.

2. All large organisations are dishonest and will try to screw you at any opportunity. Perhaps not too different to other parts of the world but in France they like to go a few extra bureaucratic steps. So for example if you want to cancel a subscription to something you can't just phone the organisation, nor can you just send them an ordinary letter, you have to pay extra for a recorded delivery to them or the organisation throws your letter into the rubbish. The organisation has to sign for your recorded delivery letter and the post office returns a slip of paper to you confirming they have received it.

3. The French national pastime is going on strike. Everyone here does it, no excuse required. If the sun doesn't come out one day that is enough to call a strike complaining about the weather and demanding the government intervenes and creates an organisation to ensure sun behaves according to their bidding. Another organisation must also be created to oversee the activities of the first organisation.

4. Did I mention the French love bureaucracy and shuffling paperwork?

5. The "Gallic shrug". This is the French persons response when questioned about paperwork. They believe it is normal to be submerged under an ocean of paperwork and to employ half the population to shuffle these useless bits of paper around.

Last edited by TallyMan on 11 Jan 2013, 12:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Put two Finns into an elevator. Neither of them says a word and they don't feel uneasy at all.
Put any number of naked Finns into a sauna. They are very talkative and they don't feel uneasy at all.

-Any person you are introduced to can and will most likely act like you are the some sort of close friends when they see you out of politeness(this gets really fun when you cant remember people that well and Ive had quite a few issues with this and no it isnt just a couple of people doing this, its most)

-You are expected to be friendly to everyone, otherwise you must have something against them.
This has gone to a point of people asking what I had against them in the middle of a social gathering.

- If you see someone on the streets by themselves its perfectly ok to approach them about their life and whatnot in a non threatening manner(dont really do this but Ive had it done)

-You have to touch people a lot to show that they can be comfortable with you(arm over their shoulder, hugs, handshakes, kisses on the cheek, or just force hand contact out of nowhere, its all cool until the other person says otherwise and you get to tell them that they are unfriendly if they say something, Y A Y)

-When visiting family, hug/kissthem on the cheek to say hello and also when saying goodbye.
-At family parties, we have to eat large amounts of what's offered or it's rude.
-In my area, people must look each other in the eye when talking(hard for me)
-In my area, People think it's polite to always share small talk among peers or classmates(hard too)
-Always say please and thank you.

I have no idea what's deemed as one where I live (Oz).

Australian cultural norms:
Wearing hats with corks dangling from them.
Greeting everyone with G'day Mate.
Getting drunk every day on XXX beer.
Carrying a machete in your back pocket.
Wrestling with crocodiles.

You have to take off your shoes just inside of the door when entering anyone's house/flat and some public places. It is so strict that all people follow this. Strict also in a sense that you must never step inside of the boundary with your shoes on, and must never step outside of the boundary without your shoes on. So you have to take your shoes off as you cross the boundary. All houses have this boundary. This is simply for the sake of hygiene - not to bring dirt stuck at the bottom of your shoes into your house.

Have a shower or bath when you come home from work etc, rather than before going out. This could be a personal choice but I believe many people still follow this.

Do not talk on your mobile phone on public transport such as in a train or bus. This is not simply a silent rule, but you find signs saying this and hear a recorded voice telling you not to talk on your mobile while on board.

There must be more, but I can't think of any at this moment.

Say sorry to people who bump into you
queue
repress emotions until you drink alcohol (whatever the amount) - then you can do any crazy s**t you like
Don't discuss anything serious in a social context (I don't know if this is true in other cultures - but it's quite rude to discuss something like politics or philosophy at a pub or restaurant in England).
It's not good to show off your status with clothes or cars. Instead, you must show it off with talking about expensive holidays, school fees and gym memberships (you know - 'useful' luxuries). I don't like status bragging of any type, but it is an art over here. If you don't maintain an expensive gym membership or go on 'eye-opening' year long trips around distant continents, some people don't even want to talk to you.
You need to complain about stuff like long working hours but never actually do anything to solve it because they you wouldn't be able to complain about it any more.
However, you must never complain in a restaurant or complain about service of any kind.
It's the mark of being a commoner to say what you think (middle-class English people talk in code).
Poor people are not seen as totally human in the same way that rich people are. They are almost seen as a different species and they can't change by becoming rich. Once a chav, always a chav.
Real efficiency isn't as important as presenting the impression of it. When you can't even do that, just meet the targets. As long as you don't get in trouble for it, doing a half-arsed job is okay.
Cheats are not considered clever, they are despicable scum (I like this rule).
You are considered mentally abnormal if you don't like or feel close to animals (not a problem for me, but it does get a bit too sentimental).