Embarassing customs, behaviours and habits of your compatriots?

[Barrister]

I remember clapping at a midnight screening of Phantom Menace when the green Lucasfilm logo showed up.

Of course at that point we hadn't seen the movie yet...

Hopefully you remember *the* clapping and don't remember that you clapped

But yeah, that happened in my theater as well.  The only other time I can remember is the final scene in Karate Kid.  Several idiots got up and clapped, including my older cousin.  Never looked at him the same after that.  And he had seen the damned movie already

I wouldn't have gone to a midnight showing on my own, but a buddy of mine stood in line to get tickets for a whole bunch of us.  And clapping is fairly infectious, so of course I clapped as well.

Walking out of the theatre we all thought it was a pretty good movie.  Anticipation and nostalgia can be powerful forces (though nobody liked Jar Jar for even one minute).  I think it was only on repeated viewings that I realized it was a POS.

[celedhring]

Oh my first screening of The Phantom Menace was pretty cringe-worthy on retrospect.

Lucasfilm logo - clapping
Opening crawl - clapping
Lightsabers are first lit - clapping
C-3PO shows up - clapping
R2-D2 shows up - clapping
Duel of fates scene - clapping
Yoda shows up - clapping
End credits - clapping

And I probably joined in at least half of them 

As BB says, pent-up nostalgia masked how shitty the film was.

[Valmy]

Walking out of the theatre we all thought it was a pretty good movie.  Anticipation and nostalgia can be powerful forces (though nobody liked Jar Jar for even one minute).  I think it was only on repeated viewings that I realized it was a POS.

I honestly could not believe what I had just seen. I was like 'wait they thought it was a good idea to have a kid accidentally save the day? They had this cool villain and gave him no speaking lines or development at all before killing him off? Midichlorians?' Hell Jar Jar didn't even register that much.

It was just so different from what I expected. Like you it took me awhile to come to the conclusion of how bad it was.

[derspiess]

Hell Jar Jar didn't even register that much.

I think I've posted this here before, but about 3 or so months before the movie came out I was in KMart and saw a Jar Jar poster.  One look and I knew the movie would be shitty.  I tried to warn my friends but nobody would listen.  My expectations were so low that the movie actually exceeded them slightly.

[CountDeMoney]

No embarrassing customs or habits to report.

[Savonarola]

I was in Morocco in February of 2011; a few months into the Arab Spring.  While CB were out at a cafe we saw a series of images of battles on Al Jazeera.  I looked on line to try to find out what was going on, but found nothing; the news was dominated by the ongoing Wisconsin protests and there wasn't room for much else.

It turns out the battles we were seeing was the beginning of the First Libyan Civil War.  I think that's the most embarrassing behavior of Americans: not caring about anyone other than ourselves.  (On the other hand, Al Qaeda and their successors are doomed to failure.  Not only can't they change us, they can't even get us to care about the Arab world.)

[Savonarola]

For Poles: clapping when their plane hits the tarmac. This is (thankfully) much less common on scheduled flights, but on charter flights, especially tourist ones, it is almost ubiquitous - apparently Poles consider it a great achievement for a pilot to land the plane safely and applause. 

The Colombians did that as well.  Also on flights going to the smaller cities they'd get their picture taken with the plane, pictures of themselves in their plane seats and pictures taken with them and the stewardesses.  (To be fair, even among the middle class, in the fire lands of Colombia traveling by plane was a rare luxury.)

[dps]

No embarrassing customs or habits to report.

Well, it takes some level of taste and sophistication to be embarrassed by something.

Plus it's not like he'd rat out the embarrassing habits of his Chinese employers anyway.

[crazy canuck]

My countrymen occasionally commit genocides and start world wars. That's a bit awkward.

[CountDeMoney]

No embarrassing customs or habits to report.

Well, it takes some level of taste and sophistication to be embarrassed by something.

Plus it's not like he'd rat out the embarrassing habits of his Chinese employers anyway.

I was thinking more along the lines of the smaller print in Deuteronomy. 

[Valmy]

There is nothing weird or embarrassing about turning red cows into magic potions.

[Sheilbh]

Inability to use suncream or handle their drink in a warm climate (sadly guilty).

Caring about Christmas adverts (occasionally guilty).

Red trousers (never).

[mongers]

Inability to use suncream or handle their drink in a warm climate (sadly guilty).

Caring about Christmas adverts (occasionally guilty).

Red trousers (never).

Shelf, Welcome back, just in time for the Trump 'fall-out'.

[Sheilbh]

I am looking forward to his Downfall inspired concession.