Know what you’re saying with hand gestures….

Hey Bud, what are you thinking? Do you know what thumbs up means in Iraq or Sardinia, Thailand or Turkmenistan?

Do you know this guy? I don’t. If you’re smart, you won’t travel with him!

Thumbs up could be offensive in many cultures. Keep gestures under control.

Here’s what Wikipedia says:  “Thumbs up” traditionally translates as the foulest of gesticular insults in some Middle Eastern countries. The most straightforward interpretation is ‘Up yours, pal!’    The sign has a similarly pejorative meaning in parts of West Africa, South America, Iran,  Iraq, and Sardinia, according to Roger E. Axtell’s book Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World.”  In Bangladesh, Iran, and  Thailand it is traditionally an obscene gesture, equivalent to the use of the middle finger in the Western hemisphere.

Rude hand gestures.