I've once heard that asking someone's age is considered rude in western culture. Is that true? If so, then does Vince Vaughn is intentionally acting rude to the character?
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
It is true in some cases! It is considered rude to ask adults and older people their age if you don't know them very well. So asking a child or teenager how old they are is fine. I'd say it's generally fine until about 25 or 30 years old. In western culture, people try to look as young as possible for as long as possible. Vince Vaughn is intentionally acting rude to the character. However, him asking the question is not rude- how he uses her answer is rude. He knows she's young, so saying her age proves his point. Ex: Hey Tim! Why do you have a cell phone? You're five years old! Ex: Excuse me, ma'am, you look like you haven't aged a day in your life. Ex: How old am I turning this year? I'm 40 going on 21!
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