Re: [TANGO-L] Tango and rudeness

[Manuel Patino <white95r @HOTMAIL.COM>]

> Astrid wrote: "When he came to our practica, I asked
> him to dance, which he answered with the question: 'Do
> you think you are good enough to keep up with me?'"

Wow, along with the above and another private message I received, I must
conclude that some unfortunate communities are cursed with the most
obnoxious characters! I guess this is just another small slice of life and
of the world in general. One is bound to find boorish characters anywhere,
tango is no exception.
I would like to think that these bad examples are exceptions rather than the
norm. I've traveled a good bit in tango and I've generally found tango
dancers to run the gamut between very friendly, gracious individuals to some
really rude and obnoxious persons. The great majority rests somewhere in
between.
By and large, I've found folks to be a little bit reserved or perhaps shy.
Most will respond very well to friendly overtures while the remainder are
either too reserved or just too arrogant and stuck-up to welcome strangers.
Outside of very rude remarks (like Astrid's encounter) or outright
aggression, I don't take too many things too seriously. Sure, it's no fun to
get rejections from people one asks to dance, and sometimes it is
uncomfortable to feel a little left out or "looking from the outside in",
but there really are no guarantees that tango folks (or anyone else) will
treat us all like we like to be treated.
Probably, the more each of us tries to be friendly and gracious, the more
others will react in kind. If others ignore or ostracize you, best stick to
your friends or take a critical self examination. The answer could be very
obvious ;-) Otherwise, remember that there are lots of uneducated folks out
there. They just don't know how to behave socially beyond their clique.

Gracious encounters to all,

Manuel

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