Intercultural communication is described in our Ethics book as this. "The study of differences and similarities of cultural content and its influence on persons within and across different cultures. to understand intercultural communication ethics we must be able to understand more than just the present. We need to know what culture is as well. It is defined as "the communicative practices, traditions, and stories that give identity to a group of people." (p.156) I am interested in this theory because it is so much more than the idea of self. We are shaped with so much more and taught about things from many people which in turn gives us an idea on how to look at life.
One main point in the chapter was the idea of "culture shock." Culture shock is: "a feeling of disorientation experienced when encountering communicative events disruptive of one's expected routines. I can say I have felt this all seven times I have traveled to Mexico. I have been to Cancun and Mazatlan and never felt as secure as I have in America. I will say I have actually been in some places that I would never wish people to go. I have friends who live in Cancun and they have been accustomed to the life which they are living. After a week in those cities I have always been ready for homeland.
Culture is so important because it is where we are from. Communicating intellectually is even more important due to the fact that we always need to keep learning and finding more information from other cultures. We have to understand where people have come from in order to apply their theories or ideals to our life. Some views may not help us but others will give us wisdom and knowledge to help us grow as people. As I have grown I always try to make sure I remember to accept others in hopes of them being my new connection to something great. We all come from different experiences and to share those is important.
One of your ideas in particular, that "We have to understand where people have come from in order to apply their theories or ideals to our life," really resonated with me. In my blog post, I argue that understanding the good(s) of another can be instrumental to learning more about their culture. For example, seeing that you value honesty, even when the truth is harsh, tells me something about the culture that shaped who you are as a person. Your above-quoted statement takes this practical application of culture further; after learning about one's culture, understanding where they're from and how their goods came to be, we can assess the validity of their goods in our own lives.
ReplyDeleteTo explain: would your same adherence to honesty fit in my life and improve my interactions with others? The answer could lie in how your valuance of honesty came to be. If this good is borne from a culture that has accummulated wealth, experience growth, developed technology, or even ended wars by telling the harsh truth, it's only natural you would come to value honesty, growing up sharing in this communal memory. However, I might see that the same accomplishments were gained in my culture by carefully holding one's tongue, telling white lies, or omitting the whole truth. Thus, your particular good of honesty might be incompatible with what I know works for me and has worked for my culture. Still, I've just reassessed my ethical stance in this world and opened the door for transformation by 1) understanding your good, 2) using that good to learn about your culture, and 3) as you suggest, using that cultural knowledge to assess why your good works and whether it could work in my own life. Through recognition of culture in communication ethics, we thus move closer to pragmatic learning AND personal betterment..
The idea of understanding others in intercultural communication I also think is huge. We get so caught up in assuming that our way of doing things is the norm, and that anything else outside of our own little world is crazy. But as we've learned in a class of 28 (or whatever we have) that is far from the case. When we have fruitful conversations that get down to the "why" of a given good, action or belief, the understanding that is gained allows both individuals to feel as if they matter, and communication can then flourish. We don't really have a choice in today's postmodern society but to embrace this notion. Even within families today, it feels like there are different cultures, whether that is actually the case, or it seems as if there is a cultural divide between generations. My family for example has little diversity I have to admit, but the reaction I got when they found out I had gotten a couple of tattoos was very diverse. For some it didn't fit what culture had taught them was acceptable, and I wish they would have tried to simply ask why, instead of giving me their implicitly disappointed remarks.
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