This chapter was easy to understand and intresting to read. I never really thought to much about intercultural communications as an ethic, I thought of it to be more of just a term. But after reading the section I see it as more, and something that is priceless in society. The chapter breaks down into a few sections with the main four being intercultural communications, culture, culture shock, and the inarticulate. I thought culture and intercultural communications were pretty straight forward so I want to focus on culture shock and the inarticulate.
The inarticulate was defined as goods that cannot be defined or pointed with precision. The chapter has the example of a first year college student experiencing the inarticulate when trying to explain campus experiences to parents or grandparents who never attended college or universities. This example shows how the feeling of the inarticulate works. Culture shock was also pretty easily understood but, it was a little confusing when it was compared to a surprise and then broken down into pragmatic variations and pragmatic differences. I liked how they made the definition of culture shock a positive one, when usually refrenced it is a scary thing but not in the books definition. The chapter states, "culture shapes us to think in particular ways and when we encounter the unexpected, or even the unimagined, we find ourselves meeting the unusual, which is simply different from our own culture expectations. "
Shareef, I like your point as thinking of attaining this type of ethic. You're right; this is priceless. Having intercultural ethics will allow a person to gain more friends and save themselves from embarrassment and offending others. However, I believe that this is a type of ethic that you're not just born with and can't learn from your own community. You have to step outside of your comfort zone and allow yourself to take a risk.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the inarticulate are goods that can't be defined or pointed with precision. I actually think there's some beauty in the inarticulate. Being a biracial man, I like the fact that not all can comprehend or understand a certain way of thinking I have, and I like only those who are biracial can understand. That's beautiful because the inarticulate really is the uniqueness within a distinct culture. The inarticulate needs to stay undefined and unwritten.
In class today, we defined culture shock as basically stepping into a culture that is unlike your own and coming to grips with being uncomfortable and totally out of the loop. What I've learned in life is, we learn the most when we are not used to certain things. Culture shock allows a person to learn something new while also cherishing what makes their own culture special. I also liked the book's definition of culture shock as positive. Every one needs a little culture shock in their lives. I only think that culture shock can be negative when the culture celebrates tarnishing another culture different from their own. But with my experiences with culture shock, the culture is in tune with the ethics and morals that makes up their own culture, while simultaneously trying to make me understand that their way of life is no better than mine, just different!