WHEN WORLDS COLLIDEIn public, Arabs have little concept of privacy. An Arab will push
into line and consider this acceptable behavior. When an Arab
wishes to be alone, he will simply withdraw into himself. Ameri-
cans, interacting with Arabs, consider this withdrawal insulting.
In Germany, there is a pressing need for private space. During
World War II, when German prisoners of war held in the Midwest
were housed four to a small hut, they went to great lengths to
find material to build partitions so that each man could have his
own private space. In Germany, private space—screened balconies
and fenced-in gardens—is held sacred.
In German offices and homes, doors are usually kept closed.
In American homes they are usually left open—except in teenagers'
rooms. During adolescence there is often an overwhelming need
for privacy. Americans will shut themselves up in their own rooms
when they want to be alone.
The English internalize their barriers in an attempt to find pri-
vacy. The English attitude arises from a culture that does not
have a great deal of space. Because of this, being close to someone
physically does not mean that two people are friends. Sociologist
Dr. Robert Sommer, in his book Personal Space, quotes an English
host talking to an American visitor. "Forgive us our seemingly
cold indifference. This is a small and crowded island. We exist
only by ignoring each other."
The French, too, are crowded—more so than the Northern Euro-
peans. But in France the crowding evidences itself in a love for
the outdoors, for sidewalk cafes. The home is for the family; the
outdoors is for socializing and business. On a business trip to
France, very little of my work was done at the host's office, and
none at his home. Almost all of it was conducted in restaurants
and cafes where long, elaborate discussions about the food took
place before we got down to business.