This was a good chapter. It is especially relevant to our world today as globalization and technological advances bring people from different cultures closer together. At the beginning of the chapter the authors note "Culture matters more as our connections to one another become closer" (158). Learning from each other is emphasized in the chapter. This is a very important point that seems to be missed by many people. The book says that when we experience culture shock we should not feel as if the people around us should be more like us -- we should try to learn from the Other instead.
One passage that I found relevant was on page 163: "Ironically, when one has encountered great diversity as a routine experience, one may experience 'commonality' as a type of difference that functions as a rhetorical interruption when one finds oneself in the presence of others similar to oneself." I grew up in a racially diverse, working-class neighborhood. My first job was at a store less than ten minutes from where I lived. The customer base, as well as my co-workers, reflected the racial diversity of the area. After a few years I got a job at a bank in a nearby suburb. The customer base at this bank was mostly white and middle-class. Although there was a "commonality" between me and the customers (race) I felt very out of place there due to my experiences of being in more racially diverse environments and, to a lesser extent, being around people of my own socio-economic class.
The explanation of the term stranger was also an important concept from this chapter. The idea that people from one culture feel that those from another culture should adapt to them made me think about how many Americans expect people in foreign countries to be able to speak English. This is like what the book says about being a stranger in another culture because one expects the culture to adapt to them instead of the other way around. Another good point in this section was "The position of stranger is common to a culture where individualism functions. The focus on the self prevents one from learning from another" (169). This also relates to my point about Americans in foreign countries expecting the local population to adapt to them.
I think your first sentence is really key. Most people don't realize how big of a role technology can play in introducing cultures to one another. Without computers or the internet, we wouldn't have as much easy access to learning about other cultures, so, I'm assuming most people would sit back and judge others based on stereotypes and not on adequate research.
ReplyDeleteYour third paragraph makes me think, though, about how many foreigners in our country expect us to adapt to them. I am from St. Cloud and they have a very large Somali population, and close to none of the teachers knew their language fluently. There have been several articles in their newspaper about whether or not those teachers should learn their language, or if those students who don't know English should learn it. This topic is insanely controversial. It makes me wonder exactly what is the "good" for each culture.