I thought that this was definitely one of the most interesting chapters that we have read so far, and I think that is because intercultural communication ethics seem so relevant, especially here at the U. Intercultural communication is defined as "the study of differences and similarities of cultural content and its influence on persons within and across different cultures" (156). After reading this chapter, I agreed with the idea that we often take culture for granted and just think of it as the norm. However, when we start looking into other cultures or when a stranger comes into ours and starts working against the cultural expectations that we live in, it becomes much more obvious (159). It's actually extremely amazing how much culture shapes our lives and how little we notice it. Being from Minnesota I would say that I have come to epitomize the "Minnesota nice" persona, but that isn't something that I would ever have probably noticed until we started discussing those characteristics in depth in class.
The other way that the book talks about culture being made known is by experiencing other cultures. When I was in Puerto Rico with my high school baseball team, a little boy (probably about 8 years old) brought back a baseball that had left the field. I saw the boy, and he got my attention by waving the ball in the air and calling me a bitch. Needless, to say I experienced some culture shock in that moment because I had never had an eight year old say something like that to me. Now, we had brought our school janitor along on the trip because he knew our coach and he was also from Puerto Rico, and one day as I was talking to him, I learned that what I experienced wasn't too uncommon for them. He said that boys in Puerto Rico matured a lot sooner than boys in the U.S. They learned how to be independent at a young age, and with that came things like foul language. So, it wasn't just a little kid trying to take advantage of an American who he thought didn't know Spanish, but it was a part of his identity. The culture around him had taught him to communicate in such a way, and what I took as an insult might not have carried the same connotation with him. This is why it is crucial to try to understand culture in order to have intercultural communication. If I would have had a conversation with him, I imagine that it would have broken down quickly if I perceived that as an insult. However, if I had some insight into his narrative, and I didn't assume that my culture was the norm, then I could shake it off and proceed without letting the culture shock hinder conversation.
Christopher,
ReplyDeleteI also think it is extremely important for us to be more cautious and take a step back when experiencing a different cultural norm, but a lot of the time, we are not even aware of the the intercultural situation that is going on. It may not be as straightforward or obvious when it is happening, and this is definitely the start of arguments and stereotypes happening. For example, you and I are both from Minnesota. One of us could be from the suburbs and the other from the inner city area. How we carry ourselves, our mentality and attitude, and how we handle certain situations can be SO vastly different, yet we would never actually think so since we are both from Minnesota. We may have similar values, goals, and morals, yet just how we do/think about certain things can be so far apart. I have actually experienced this. It was a complete eye opener. My boyfriend is from Rochester and I'm from the Champlin/Brooklyn Park area. We both grew up with similar experiences (middle class, parents immigrated from Asia, first generation at the University = similar values and goals), yet he violated so many of my norms by how he interacted with others and how he carried himself through life. One thing I learned from him is that your job/school/major IS NOT ALWAYS A CONVERSATION STARTER!!! I have been so accustomed to opening with that line when I'm meeting someone for the first time because at the U, when you meet someone new, you always introduce yourself with your year/major. But outside of a classroom setting, it is not always appropriate. I learned that some group of people don't like to talk about work/school because 1) they may not like their job/may be embarrassed by it or 2) they are not in school/don't go to the University so this particular conversation starter makes the other person uncomfortable. HAVE YOU EVER EVEN THOUGH ABOUT THAT?!! I was in complete shock when my best friend and I were told to NOT talk about school/work with certain groups of people. We had the hardest time understanding this very small topic, but honestly, we have just been accustomed to doing it that we had no idea what to start conversations with. This became a long argument and it took us girls a while to be able to understand the other side and make that shift. You do not have to go very far for intercultural communication to occur. If something this insignificant in our lives can cause such a riff between certain people, think of the little things that people do who we come in contact with. What if you thought it was weird not to wipe the ketchup bottle after using it. How am I suppose to know that? How can we go about being more aware of these things or is it too extreme? And then, what if only a few people are willing to move through life a little more consciously and slowly but the majority are not willing to take the time to step back, access, re-evaluate the situation and handle it accordingly?