In Dublin, Ireland, bus riders would be expected to extend an arm to indicate that they want the bus to stop for them.
When I first traveled to Mexico, I wanted to take the public bus and I tried to find a bus stop or a bus stop pole but I never found one. Then I noticed that whenever someone wanted to hop in the bus, they would have to extend their arm and get the drivers attention. For me, that was very weird that I had to get the drivers attention, but I had to get used to it.
A folkway in one culture could be extremely rude in another.
whenever I visited somebody’s house, I was used to not taking my shoes off. I felt as if it was weird of me to do so because it was not my house and I saw if as rude to some point. I still remember the time I went over to my Asian friend’s house and them telling me to take my shoes off. At first I felt uncomfortable doing so, but I soon realized it was a way of showing respect and cleanliness. This would be an example of folkway because it’s an unwritten rule for many Asian households.
It’s rare to see two male friends or coworkers holding hands in the U.S. where that behavior often symbolizes romantic feelings. But in many nations, masculine physical intimacy is considered natural in public.
Growing up, I always thought that holding hands meant romantic feelings between two individuals. I learned this by watching soap operas or by watching my parents holding hands. This is more on the more side because in the western side, when people see this, they assume there is a romantic situation and may get social disapproval.