# The most friendly western country for non-western people



## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

It`s not country vs country, so you should not talk about the most unfriedly country. And you must be a non-westerner who doesn`t live in a country of that list.

I am just curious.


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## GM (Feb 29, 2004)

What do you mean by "Western" ?


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## Pakia (Jun 29, 2006)

Canada, Duh!


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

I'm a westerner so I didn't vote. I've worked in a hotel though and this is a tough question even for me. For every unfriendly guest of a nationality I can remember many friendly ones too.

We didn't get many Australians but they seemed to be particularly friendly, at least when they're overseas!

There are also people who are friendly but not very considerate, and vice-versa.


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

A Canadian and a Spaniard have already voted for their own countries. :|


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

Canadians are pretty nice, I guess. Americans are nice too. Belgians and Dutch were really kind when I went recently. Canadian airport workers are douches in comparison


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

^^ I've never toured LA, but LAX airport workers give such a bad impression of the city. I don't want special treatment, but just a MINIMAL effort to be treated like a human would be appreciated.


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

gonzo said:


> ^^ I've never toured LA, but LAX airport workers give such a bad impression of the city. I don't want special treatment, but just a MINIMAL effort to be treated like a human would be appreciated.


Yeah. Actually, Brussels airport workers are worse than Toronto's - however, the security and customs folks seem to be more courteous


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## Spainiswonderful (Jul 15, 2009)

gonzo said:


> A Canadian and a Spaniard have already voted for their own countries. :|


Oh yeah Gonzo! I am so sorry but I didn´t know I was not supposed to vote, well, :hammer: it´s all my own fault because I didn´read the rules


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Tranquilo senor. :cheers:


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2009)

It doesnt depend on your nationality, but the kind of person you are. What's the point of these threads?


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## TEHR_IR (Mar 1, 2008)

frozen said:


> It doesnt depend on your nationality, but the kind of person you are. What's the point of these threads?


haha that's our thought, but there are always people who don't think the same as us like racists, I'm Iranian but people judge me always because of our political system! there are always stupid people in this world


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## Lastresorter (Nov 24, 2004)

Canada was the first that came into mind when I read the thread title  

About 20 years ago my dad (a Chinese Malaysian) went to Toronto and lost his way. He approached a Caucasian Canadian and asked, "excuse me, have you seen a group of tourists who look like me?" 

The caucasian answered jokingly, "sorry sir, but half of Toronto looks like you"


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## Danylo17 (Mar 31, 2009)

Canada for sure! :cheers:


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## Pakia (Jun 29, 2006)

gonzo said:


> A *Canadian *and a Spaniard have already voted for their own countries. :|


If you were referring to me, Not a Canadian. American of Pakistani descent.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

What's Poland doing in this list of *Western* countries?


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## foadi (Feb 15, 2006)

They're all unfriendly.


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

Thermo said:


> What's Poland doing in this list of *Western* countries?


From what I heard from my friend (who is Polish and is there right now), people in Poland are pretty racist. I don't really consider it "Western" anyway.


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## 6y 4 ever (Dec 24, 2008)

definetly canada


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## paradyto (Aug 5, 2005)

You Key


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## gonzo (Jul 30, 2006)

Pakia said:


> If you were referring to me, Not a Canadian. American of Pakistani descent.


I was referring to a different voter..


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## Sagaris (Nov 28, 2006)

Mahratta said:


> From what I heard from my friend (who is Polish and is there right now), people in Poland are pretty racist. I don't really consider it "Western" anyway.


Poland is as "western" as it gets. But you are right, many of my countrymen are racist. Hell, my grandmother is quite racist.


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## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

foadi said:


> They're all unfriendly.


Have you been to anyone of them?


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

frozen said:


> It doesnt depend on your nationality, but the kind of person you are. What's the point of these threads?


Of course it does.

Go to Paris saying you are from South America, and then come back saying you are from Algeria, see how differently they will react...


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

The French are racist? Who would have thought? :tongue2:


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

Meh, dutch and turks are not better


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

eklips said:


> Meh, dutch and turks are not better


I totally agree... all of us suck.


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## Skyprince (May 2, 2006)

Canada... definitely Canada..

followed by Switzerland.


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## Evan (Jul 8, 2004)

The US public is generally friendly, it's our government that's the asshole.  They make it such an ordeal for people to even visit here these days.


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## abdeka (Jun 7, 2008)

Canada & USA.


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## Spainiswonderful (Jul 15, 2009)

Skyprince said:


> Canada... definitely Canada..
> 
> followed by Switzerland.


Switzerland??? hno: Skyprince, are you a filthy millionaire? Because the Swiss are only nice to you these days if you are rich  Switzerland is internationally considered as one of the world's most livable country with one of the most advanced and oldest democracy in the world but we can´t say anymore that it´s a non-western people friendly country. Today more than one in five people living in Switzerland are foreign-born, the second-highest percentage among countries in Europe and it´s not a secret that racism and xenophobia is present everywhere now. Even Amnesty International have expressed his alarm in recent months.


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## dvf (Aug 16, 2008)

It depends of the "non western people"... :lol:


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## LT1550 (Oct 15, 2007)

Since I am German I feel free to say "definetly NOT Germany"!

I have voted for the USA ;-)


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## Limeñito (Mar 13, 2007)

Western? What to understand by "western"?

I'm from Lima, Peru. Does it mean I'm not western?


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

LT1550 said:


> Since I am German I feel free to say "definetly NOT Germany"!
> 
> I have voted for the USA ;-)


I never really thought of Germany as a country unfriendly to foreigners.


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## Fern~Fern* (Nov 27, 2005)

Limeñito said:


> Western? What to understand by "western"?
> 
> I'm from Lima, Peru. Does it mean I'm not western?


^ Exactly! I was under the impression that Latin America was Western...?


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## girlicious_likeme (Jun 12, 2008)

CANADA!

Because it is the strongest among the middle powers (if disputed, then Australia could be tied as well), a country that aims to resolve conflicts by peaceful means. Since Canada is the most multicultural nation in the world, (considering its scale), Canadians get used to exploring and befriending people living with other cultures. 

I mean, Canada represents "Unity in Diversity". It offers a cultural mosaic, where people do not assimilate to the American culture, but combine their local culture to another country, and "heterogenously" blend them with another... creating the most beautiful piece of cultural art in the world.

People who are enemies in their own countries... are friends here in Canada.


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## ikops (Jun 12, 2008)

Still zero points for my country  And I can't vote for my own country.


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## dean251182jones (Oct 31, 2008)

Oops, sorry that I voted. Can someone remove my vote?

I'd like to think though, that Switzerland is the most friendly western country to nonwesterners.


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## ikops (Jun 12, 2008)

Well, more people seem to vote in favour of their own countries. This was however not Tom Green's intention. First off, I am not a non-Westerner and second, it's hard to judge my own hospitality.


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## spiralout (Jul 16, 2008)

pft this thread is kinda stupid. two very noteable western cultures that you have ommitted are new zealand and australia.


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

Definately not Greece. Worst country I've visited based on friendliness. They totally don't care whatsoever about tourists only to squeeze money out of you. For the rest they just ignore you or it's like you come from another planet. They never can be polite and/or say hello and they act so arrogant like they are some superhumans. Turkey on the other hand was the opposite. Very friendly and down-to-earth people.

For the rest, I always had very good experiences in France, Americans are very friendly and social, same for the Australians and the dutch. 
The British could be a bit more friendly. 
The rest are ok.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

All of them are very friendly if you have a lot of money. None are if you don't. 

Not being a Non-Westerner and (out of that list) only been in US and Canada, don't know how much my opinion on this matter is in value though.


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## franpunk (Feb 15, 2009)

gonzo said:


> A Canadian and a Spaniard have already voted for their own countries. :|


why are Canada and USA leading this poll? 

For god's sake they are the western countries that ask for visas to more eastern countries in the entire western hemisphere!

Like 90% of the citizens of eastern countries require visas, since whe is that "friendly"?


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## franpunk (Feb 15, 2009)

spiralout said:


> pft this thread is kinda stupid. two very noteable western cultures that you have ommitted are new zealand and australia.


He forgot many western countries sonme in Europe and almost all in the American continent.


pd. Australia and New Zealand are not in the wester hemisphere quite the opossite :lol: but well we can say they are culturally. Anyway he wanted to know about the countries he selected in the poll I guess...


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## Girona Airport (Aug 10, 2009)

Spain is the right answer


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## Cobucci (Jun 30, 2005)

Brazil is not on the list, but I think it would be the leader.


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## irutavias (Jul 15, 2007)

Canadians are just oh so warm and fuzzy. I guess it helps us weather the winter


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## _UberGerard_ (Dec 23, 2004)

latinamerica is also western and many countries in the region are definitely more friendly than the majority in the poll.


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## Ian (Nov 26, 2006)

girlicious_likeme said:


> I mean, Canada represents "Unity in Diversity". It offers a cultural mosaic, where people do not assimilate to the American culture, but combine their local culture to another country, and "heterogenously" blend them with another... creating the most beautiful piece of cultural art in the world.
> 
> People who are enemies in their own countries... are friends here in Canada.


:nuts:... you can say the same on lots of countries around the world and in differents periods of history...

nothing new and unique about Canada now...


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## girlicious_likeme (Jun 12, 2008)

Ian said:


> :nuts:... you can say the same on lots of countries around the world and in differents periods of history...
> 
> nothing new and unique about Canada now...


EDIT: No bias. :rofl:

Same old Canada? 

Think again.

From what I've seen, the old tradition of immigrants moving to Canada is changing. Now, Immigrants move from large centres (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver) to mid-sized cities (Regina, Saskatoon) and isolated civilization outposts (Yellowknife).

Compared to small-island nations and city-states that have only one city or a few more, immigrants to those countries have less options (places) to move. That makes Canada more unbelievable in terms of multiculturalism. It exists in urban and semi-urban areas. Plus the current trend indicates that even rural areas (ranches and farmtowns) are getting exposed to multiculturalism.

And the aura of Canadian multiculturalism is different compared to other countries. Canada has been very serious in terms of racism, so racists just keep the slur in their minds, and they cannot voice it out, unless they were :nuts:... 

Plus, in terms of different periods, I never see a large country having tons of cultures combining together heterogenously like Canada... That's why Canada has NO DISTINCT CULTURE.


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## Metsada (Oct 22, 2006)

Xusein said:


> Not being a Non-Westerner


Somalians are Westerners?


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## Ian (Nov 26, 2006)

ok man... three hoorays for Canada!!!  haha... No seriously, i hope Canada keep up with the good work kay:

So... tell me this... in Canada can you refer informally to a black guy as for example "hey negroe" "how r u doing negro"... or is it considered pejorative and politically incorrect like in your neighbour country... 

Just curious... and i really can't explain why i'm asking you this because you will have to come to Argentina to understand it...


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## girlicious_likeme (Jun 12, 2008)

^^ It's considered a racial slur, everyone will just get mad at you... (except the co-racists). :rofl:

like this.


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## Ian (Nov 26, 2006)

^^ very sad


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Metsada said:


> Somalians are Westerners?


Lived and raised in the West for the vast majority of my life. I'm a Westerner.


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## girlicious_likeme (Jun 12, 2008)

Ian said:


> ^^ very sad


Actually, it's not the appropriate video... Should be those guys being arrested.
:rofl:


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## Blah (Sep 13, 2002)

I always thought of western as a bloc of countries with similar values and freedoms, with strong democracy and a high standard of living with military, cultural, and religious links. At least, that's the traditional meaning of the term western during the cold war that most historians tend to use. Which is why New Zealand and Australia are seen as western.

Post cold-war and the break up of the USSR, it's probably not so clear.


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

The west is a bad concept. I'm not sure "values" is sufficient to put the US, France, Germany and Finland together. Now if you add eastern Europe it gets even more blurry and absolutely impossible to understand if latin America is added.


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## Ian (Nov 26, 2006)

Blah said:


> I always thought of western as a bloc of countries with similar values and freedoms, with strong democracy and a high standard of living with military, cultural, and religious links. At least, that's the traditional meaning of the term western during the cold war that most historians tend to use. Which is why New Zealand and Australia are seen as western.


hno:



eklips said:


> The west is a bad concept. I'm not sure "values" is sufficient to put the US, France, Germany and Finland together. *Now if you add eastern Europe it gets even more blurry and absolutely impossible to understand if latin America is added*.


hno: :nuts: :bash:... so much ignorance in this world...


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## UrbanImpact (Jan 10, 2005)

franpunk said:


> why are Canada and USA leading this poll?
> 
> For god's sake they are the western countries that ask for visas to more eastern countries in the entire western hemisphere!
> 
> Like 90% of the citizens of eastern countries require visas, since whe is that "friendly"?


We already have enough illegal immigrants. Visas are in place for this reason and/or for security reasons. Has nothing to do with being friendly or not. If we had no visa restrictions on "poorer" countries, people would be pouring in to find work.


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## Deanb (Jun 7, 2006)

how come Israel is not on the list? and Latin America? Cyprus?... etc


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

Most of the so-called Western countries (let's use the term *developed*) are pretty unfriendly, but in *Denmark* and *Switzerland* people are really nice. Dunno for which to vote!


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## diz (Nov 1, 2005)

As a non-wester person living in the US, I say.... Canada. :lol:


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## Spainiswonderful (Jul 15, 2009)

schmidt said:


> Most of the so-called Western countries (let's use the term *developed*) are pretty unfriendly, but in *Denmark* and *Switzerland* people are really nice. Dunno for which to vote!


Are you sure you didn´t mean Sweden?


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

schmidt said:


> Most of the so-called Western countries (let's use the term *developed*) are pretty unfriendly, but in *Denmark* and *Switzerland* people are really nice. Dunno for which to vote!


What makes developed countries unfriendly?


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## DELCROID (Apr 9, 2006)

edit


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Tom_Green said:


> you must be a non-westerner who doesn`t live in a country of that list.


 :tongue2:


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## dean251182jones (Oct 31, 2008)

schmidt said:


> Most of the so-called Western countries (let's use the term *developed*) are pretty unfriendly, but in *Denmark* and *Switzerland* people are really nice. Dunno for which to vote!


Many developed countries are not western. Examples like Japan, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Korea, Brunei, among others immediately come to mind.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Ian said:


> nothing new and unique about Canada now...


Lots of countries have diverse populations these days, but I do think there are a few realities in Canada that just don't exist in other countries. 

*First:*

Canada is the only nation that I know of that has enshrined multiculturalism in its Constitution. It's a policy strongly encouraged by the federal government, and widely accepted amongst the populace as key to the success of the nation. It acts as a very powerful magnet for immigrants.

*Second:*

Canada is a nation born from immigration. The only indigenous people in the entire nation are the Inuit, Metis, and the First Nations peoples. This is a very solid foundation on which to build a successful multicultural society. The idea that Canada is a white, Christian, mono culture is indefensible. There are some in Canada who cling to this idea, but they're in a distinct minority, and don't have a leg to stand on. 

*Third:*

There is no pressure to fit societal norms, because there are no rules, attributes, or customs that makes one Canadian. It is why immigrants feel part of Canadian society so quickly after settling in Canada. All that is expected of them is respect for the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and by extension, respect for multiculturalism. 

It's a catch-22. If you discriminate against someone different from you, what's to stop them from doing the same to you? If you want to be included in Canadian society, you have to include others. It works both ways. People in Canada get this basic thing very quickly. They're all in the same boat, so to speak.

*Fourth:*

The following reality is what makes the whole system so successful. It's the glue, if you will. The demographic reality of Canada today is that there is no one monolithic block that dominates Canadian society. Anglo-saxon Canada lost their dominance over Canadian society many generations ago. This is important because if there is no dominant group left, there can be no minorities because everyone is a minority in Canada whether they are Scottish, Chinese, Ojibwe, Persian, Sudanese, Atheist, disabled, gay, trans-gendered, Muslim, Protestant, etc.

*Summary:*

Some countries have some of these qualities, but none have them all working in unison like it does in Canada. The idea of 'Canada' is very seductive because its goal is inclusion. It's an incredibly intoxicating pull to a newcomer to know that they will be accepted, as that is what all people truly want in the end. It's one reason people continue to flock there. Canada is a successful integrator of the world's people for good reason. It's designed to be. It's the world's first post modern society.

Canada's trump card is inclusion, it's not the lure of money and/or opportunity. Those things are simply the icing on the cake.


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## Thermo (Oct 25, 2005)

Lol @ Dutch forumers voting for their own country


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## dean251182jones (Oct 31, 2008)

One thing for sure: if we compare North American skybar responses to DLM responses for the same thread, Europeans are far more friendly!

But that's not exactly what this thread asks for.


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

Is Spain more "western" than Argentina or Chile??? :nuts:


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## DG (Sep 2, 2005)

Canada, Netherlands and UK

Australia and New Zealand would be included in the list also.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

DG said:


> Canada, Netherlands and UK
> 
> Australia and New Zealand would be included in the list also.


It wasn't listed, but Australia and New Zealand would have been a good addition. They surely would have both scored well.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Thermo said:


> Lol @ Dutch forumers voting for their own country


Most people of other nationalities voted for their own country too.

Like I said anyway, everywhere is friendly if you have money, and isn't if you don't. :lol:


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## ProudArabian (Jul 31, 2009)

As an arab i have traveled to many western countries and in my opnion there is no country like Canada, UK and many parts of US, in the US there are some parts that are racist but there are other parts which are very friendly like California, New York, Florida etc..

The most hostile western country i found was Spain, especially against arabs


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## JaakkoSuomi (May 3, 2007)

I would say the most friendly/accepting nations are all the English speaking ones. They happily take in many immigrants and often don't have the same kind of intolerance about them that exists in other countries. The US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK for instance are probably the best places for non-Western people to visit. Other countries like France and the Netherlands would also be up there also. 

Finland on the other hand is good if you're Western, but if you're not (and you're black, Asian, etc), it might seem to be a very intimidating place, lots of stares and so on.


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## Spainiswonderful (Jul 15, 2009)

ProudArabian said:


> As an arab i have traveled to many western countries and in my opnion there is no country like Canada, UK and many parts of US, in the US there are some parts that are racist but there are other parts which are very friendly like California, New York, Florida etc..
> 
> The most hostile western country i found was Spain, especially against arabs


 :shocked: It´s very strange to me since all the polls says that the vast majority of them (Mostly Moroccans) feels like at home in Spain and that they are very well treated, in fact Spain is one of the best rated countries in the EU when inmigrants are asked, coming only third after Sweden and Iceland (Although Iceland is not yet a member of the EU) 
Even after the Madrid trains bombings on 11th March 2004 not even one Arab or Muslim was attacked. Can you imagine the same reaction in any Arab country?

You can see the opinion polls updated monthly here:

http://europa.eu


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## aceflamingo23 (Jul 16, 2009)

USA! USA! USA! Well you might want to rethink that, because it depends on what "eastern" country you come from, if you dont learn all our customs and are from the middle east, you might get arrested and thrown into guantanamo (Never go downtown carrying a briefcase, hold it out from you, squint your eyes and start shouting in arabic, because that is what will happen!) But from Russia, China, or India, you'll probably be treated well. From Australia or Japan, the people will be very friendly.


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## J-P4ulo (Feb 12, 2009)

ProudArabian said:


> As an arab i have traveled to many western countries and in my opnion there is no country like Canada, UK and many parts of US, in the US there are some parts that are racist but there are other parts which are very friendly like California, New York, Florida etc..
> 
> The most hostile western country i found was Spain, especially against arabs


 I've heard that Spain is pretty hostile against Latin Americans too.Here in Brazil there was a big commotion last year when Spanish immigration officers denied the entry of some Brazilians with all the documents necessary,they were even called by the pejorative term of "perro" by those officers.


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