It's hard to turn off a reflex to something you normally consider an offensive gesture. That kind of unconscious thought works faster than the "…oh, yeah, nevermind" thought.

See also: how many times I've unconsciously started pumping my own gas when I drive through Oregon even though I "know" not to.

It’s funny that you write this like it was some natural law rather than your own personal mentality.

> like it was some natural law

Yeah https://web.archive.org/web/20100611222125/http://biae.clems...

Hmm. I still see nothing about a natural law of having to be offended when I misunderstand a different language. For me personally, the whole context shifts. Does your heart start pumping when you see a photograph of Churchill making the same gesture?

It's hard for me to connect your example of filling gas in Oregon to being reflexively insulted. Is that how you feel in your car, reflexively offended by Oregonian gas stations before your cultural sensitivity has time to resurface? Again, I have to say that I am sure personal differences are strong here, because I don't feel an uncontrollable bodily urge to jump put and fill up the tank within 140-220ms [1] of arriving at a gas station before my consciousness kicks in and I can make decisions again.

[1] From your linked article.

My natural reaction to flicked Vs is to anticipate danger, "it's kicking off Pru", so I felt rather pleased with myself at recognising the intention of the gesture, hey I'm a man of the world, a sophisticated European; the one pint reveals that I'm just another English schmuck tourist. There is pride, and there is a fall, that's why I found it quite funny.

Thanks for the background, and I can certainly relate to trying your best but still being outed as foreigner in no time at all.

What I found is that there seems to be huge difference in cultures about how offended one can be from language (verbal/non-verbal).

Obviously, perceived threat is a different thing altogether!