Offensive symbols?

Subject: Offensive symbols?
From: geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 16:18:11 -0500

Scott Wilson reported <<Our documentation team has gotten
feedback that the "thumb's up" symbol used in one of our
products is offensive in Australia.>>

Don't know about Oz, but I know that this gesture will get
you knifed in several Mediterranean countries... it's the
equivalent of giving someone the middle finger here in
North America. The best advice about hand signals is
generally to avoid them. There are always safer
alternatives, such as the checkmark to approve something
and the X to disapprove it; there may be better
alternatives for various cultures, and that's all part of
the localisation game.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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