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Comment by shawndrost | Hacker News Reader

I had some similar experiences in Morocco; going to a bargaining country is a great education. An example of the kind of social hack they use is that if they offer a tourist their hand, the tourist feels compelled to shake it. One guy used this trick, then used the beat of inaction to wrap a snake around my friend's neck. She was understandably startled, and while she was standing there confused, he pulled out some other snakes and draped them on her arms. It took about thirty seconds to disentangle her, at which point the man said "pay me".

This kind of trick can evoke some powerful negative emotions. A friend was somehow tricked into allowing a hawker to start tying an intricate string bracelet using his finger as the base. His finger was stuck in the knot, and the guy ignored my friend's requests to be let go. It ended with quite a lot of shouting.

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A friend was somehow tricked into allowing a hawker to start tying an intricate string bracelet using his finger as the base. His finger was stuck in the knot, and the guy ignored my friend's requests to be let go. It ended with quite a lot of shouting.

Oh yeah, some African guys in France tried that one on me. The best response I managed was to look 'em dead in the eye, and say "Sorry, I don't speak English". That'll confuse 'em for long enough to get away.

I love French street-people. A beggar cornered me and politely asked for money. I responded, "Je suis desole. Je ne parle pas francaise."

"MONEY," he shouts. "I want money!"

That was, predictably, ineffective.

in the uk, kids will come up to you with puppy-dog eyes and just hold out their hands. i was at a bus stop and a 10-year-old in designer clothes came up to me. i laughed and told him i wasn't giving money to someone dressed in nicer clothes than i was. he didn't budge. then i told him i didn't have any cash on me (all i had was traveler's checks at that point, plus bus fare). he didn't budge. finally, i reached in my pocket and pulled out all the change i had--probably about 20p. i dropped it in his hand and said, "ok ok, you got me." he looked at the money with disdain, dropped it on the ground, and put his hand out again. by that time, the bus had arrived, so i was able to end the interaction, but talk about persistence (stupidity? stubbornness? many words apply.). i sometimes wonder how long he would have stood there had the bus not arrived when it did.

There were street vendors/con artists like that running around in Fiji when I visited--asking your name, carving it onto a painted, balsa-wood knife-thingie, going on at length about how their kids were going to starve if you didn't fork over at least $20. Luckily, my co-workers ran into 'em first, so I was forewarned and forearmed. I pulled all but $3 from my wallet and folded it up in another pocket before hitting the street, and when the inevitable vendor approached me, I got the Fiji keepsake for about what it was worth to me, no social pressure involved (and he wasn't shy about looking into my wallet when I claimed I only had $3 on me).

I had a guy start something like this in Rome recently. I reacted so strongly to being touched by a stranger selling stuff that the guy called me names. I guess I'm just not used to personal contact except handshake.

In some countries, it is not unusual for male friends (heterosexual friends) to sometimes hold hands when they walk

In my experience, Rome isn't one of those places.

In Rome I would worry about someone touching me - it is a common tool of distraction by the pickpockets there.

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