The Danger of Courtesy

Abstract

The rules of behavior which make social life possible are very important; but they differ radically from society to society. The foreigner cannot ignore the code of the people among whom he is living because this would cause offense; nor can he give up his own code and totally adopt the other, because people will be suspicious of one who abandons his own code. Rather, he should learn and apply the basic tenets of the host society in appropriate situations.