I need an Aussie to give me the real scoop

[Guest]

I read this in the travel trivia website, but I'm not sure if I believe the Australian part of this. Is this true?

"If you aren't fluent in the language of the country you're visiting, it's easy to rely on body language and hand gestures to get your message across. But be careful when you do this. While you may think a certain gesture is universal, it often isn't — in fact, you might be communicating the opposite of what you meant. Take the thumbs up — a sign in many places of agreement, happiness, or satisfaction. But if you're traveling in Russia, Australia, the Middle East, West Africa, or Greece, avoid this gesture at all costs. It's the equivalent of the middle finger and definitely won't make you any friends."

[mike carey]

But if you're traveling in Russia, Australia, the Middle East, West Africa, or Greece, avoid this gesture at all costs. It's the equivalent of the middle finger and definitely won't make you any friends

Although our prime minister may have started using the gesture with the sort of inane alacrity some associate with 1600 Penn Ave NW, and that may have given some people pause in continuing to use the thumbs up, it absolutely is not the equivalent of a middle finger rampant! (A thumbs down is the opposite, disagreement, unhappiness or dissatisfaction, but it is not a rude gesture, it's simply a neutral 'no'.)