“The same communication act can have different meanings in different cultures. Reflect on your understanding of intercultural communication and then think of an example of misunderstanding or potential misunderstanding. For example, different meanings of words or gestures in different countries or cultural contexts – for example, gestures such as the OK and thumbs up signs that may be acceptable in one country may be offensive in another. This could be based on personal experience of something you have read or researched” (Costigan 2014).
http://www.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2010/12/21/the-origins-of-the-three-goggles
Pictured above is Australia’s own NBA talent Patty Mills, displaying what has now become known to hoopheads globally as the “three goggles”. This seemingly innocent gesture created by Mills and fellow Portland Trailblazers team mate Rudy Fernandez during the 2010-11 season, has caught on like wildfire in the years since it’s league inception.
‘There is considerable cultural variation in the repertoire, frequency and expressive range of gestures,’ (Eunson 2012, p. 266). The gesture that jokingly originated to signify the Spanish national, Fernandez required glasses while shooting three point shots takes on different connotations in some regions however. ‘In Japan, this gesture stands for “money”. In France it means “zero” or “worthless”. In Venezuela and Turkey, gesturing to someone in this way implies that they are a homosexual,’ (Turner 2009). In Brazil however, it is the equivalent of “flipping the bird” or the middle finger gesture of western culture.
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/mad-dash-cavs-heat-told-142211941.html?format=embed
Ahead of exhibition games set to be played in Brazil prior to the 2014-15 season tip-off, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued warnings to participating teams regarding displays of the “three goggles”. ‘The last thing anybody wants is for the stands to clear immediately after a player nails a 3-pointer,’ (Freeman 2014).
The October 12th game that later took place between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat in Rio De Janiero, was played without any obscene gestures. The Cavs went on to beat the Heat in overtime to the delight of Cleveland’s starting center Anderson Varejao, a Brazilian native. You have to wonder though how Varejao and the small number of other Brazilian players in the league feel about the popularity of the gesture in a lengthy 82 game season.
http://www.seedsofdoubt.com/distressedamerican/images/graphics/pope1.jpg
References
Costigan, L 2014, Lesson 8: Nonverbal communication: understanding yourself and others, COMM11003 Communication in Professional Contexts, CQUniversity e-courses, http://moodle.cqu.edu.au
Eunson, B 2012, Communicating in the 21st Century, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Son, Milton, Australia
Freeman, E 2014, ‘NBA tells Cavs and Heat not to do “3 goggles” in Brazil, where it’s offensive‘, Yahoo Sports, 8 October, viewed 14 January 2015, http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/nba-tells-cavs-and-heat-not-to-do–3-goggles–in-brazil–where-it-s-an-offensive-gesture-015957155.html
Turner, R 2009, ‘5 common American gestures that might insult the locals’, Matador Network, 30 April, viewed 14 January 2015, http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/5-common-american-gestures-that-might-insult-the-locals/