Cross Cultural Communication

Class 2: Cultural Influences

Office Hours

• My office hours will start next week. I will be available from 5:40 to 6:40 on Tuesday & Wednesday. You can meet me at the “Northwest Valley Café” located here at the Humanities Building. It is the nearby café by the small lake.

Class Website

I have created a website for our class: www.benszu.weebly.com

Some homework, class notes, and other information will be available there by next week.

The layer cake of culture

• Each and every one of us is like a cake with many layers of flavors. Our life experiences, personal beliefs, and the history of our family define what kind of cake we are.

• It is the same way with culture.

• Understanding the different parts that make a whole piece of culture will better let us understand who a person really is.

Major Things That Impact Our Culture• Our “mother tongue” also known as first language: Our mother

tongue – the first and sometimes only language we learn – has one of the strongest influences on our cultural layers. It is the basis for how we initially think, behave, and communication with one other. • Race: The race into which we are born creates a variety of

perspectives about our cultural characteristics as well as how others perceive us. • Ethnicity: Ethnicity should not be confused with race. People be a

particular race and still have a different ethnic preferences. For example, if a Chinese baby is adopted by a non-Chinese family and raised in England, the child’s race will always be Chinese, but the child’s ethnic preference will most likely be English.

Cultural impacts continued

• Gender: Being male or female certainly has an impact on how different countries and cultures view different individuals, as gender-equality still varies widely around the world. • Local Culture: The local culture is the combined influence of your

home life, surrounding environment, neighborhood, city, or village. This is where we experience the support system that develops the foundation for our cultural beliefs and values. Much of human behavior is governed by what we value to be the most important to us. Our values influence the standards by which we measure the quality of our lives against those of others. The flavor of our local culture, whether a rice paddy in Vietnam or a small village in Italy will clearly influence our values.

Cultural impacts continued

• Ancestry: Our past generations of family can have a strong influence on us. This is specially true if we live in the country of our ancestors or if we are first-generation immigrants in another country.• Parents and family: It should not come as a surprise that this is

the foundation of our layers of development. Our parents’ and family’s involvement – or lack of involvement – in our uprising and lives makes a very important contribution to our layers. • Teachers: We spend a third of our lives in school. Therefore,

both good and bad teachers strongly affect our cultural layers. • Friends: Friends, colleagues, and peers are also our “teachers.”

They may, in some cases, even have a stronger influence than our actual teachers.

Continued…• Nationalism: Our nation or country of residence has a profound (great)

effect on how we live and what we associate with. Whether we feel a patriotic (love of country) connection or the desire to live elsewhere, our country – and its corresponding beliefs and values – drives our actions in significant ways. • Provinces, States, ECT. : It is interesting to note that regions, states,

provinces, and the like within the same country can be vastly different and possibly have an even greater influence on our cultural layers than our country or residence. • Religion: Religion so often one of the dominant or core layers in our

development, and it is one of that can be directly connected to an entire culture’s history. It is frequently the judgment factor between different cultures.

Continued…

• Social class: Social class, in varying degrees, is apparent in every country and cultural around the world. There are different feelings with associate with the wealthy, the middle class, and the poor. • Profession: The work that you do. If someone is in the military, an

educator, a politician, entertainer, businessman, or any other job helps to shape your experiences and how you are seen in society. • Experiences: These are what change our existing layer sand

perspective. Life experiences alter and expand the way we view people, cultures, and countries and what we consider to be comfortable (and uncomfortable.) For example: I say “WC” for restroom so often in China, that when I go back to the United States I will say it and no one will understand what I mean.

At last…

• Events: 911, The Sichuan Earthquake, the Iraq War, and Japanese tsunami are a few of the many things that could very quickly change our perceptions of a people.• Travel: Travel, undoubtedly, has a

tremendous effect on how we feel about other cultures. When you visit a country, you can see and learn firsthand about a culture. Sometimes the effects of travel can reinforce negative feelings, and sometimes they can help us see the similarities between peoples.

Find a layer in your cake! • How have language, race, ethnicity, gender, local

culture, ancestry, nationalism, provinces, religion, teachers, parents, friends, social class, profession, experiences, events, and travel?

• Take two minutes to quietly think about a way in which these ideas effect your feelings about your own culture or other cultures.

• After the two minutes we will get into groups of 2 to 5 students and talk about them.

In groups of 3 to 6 students…

• Discuss how have language, race, ethnicity, gender, local culture, ancestry, nationalism, provinces, religion, teachers, parents, friends, social class, profession, experiences, events, and travel?• Consider:• What do you think about Chinese language? How might it influence your thinking? • What do you think about the “Chinese” race, ethnicity, ECT.? • How do you think your local province, hometown, ECT. Influences who you are?• Do you think someone who is Chinese should always be proud of China and

Chinese culture? What about other Chinese in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and in the rest of the world? Should all Chinese have the same identity or is it all right to have different cultures and countries? Where should the line be drawn and why?

How Many Strikes Are Against You?•Managing Preexisting Cultural perceptions and Misconceptions

Overcoming Cultural Perceptions

• Every country’s citizens have to deal with other countries’ and cultures’ preexisting cultural perceptions or “strikes” against us. And we all have preconceived notions about countries and cultures other than our own. • That said, what are some stereotypes that other cultures have against

China and Chinese people? Let’s take a look.

Chinese Stereotypes • Chinese eat everything that moves• Chinese men are weak, shy, and boring • Chinese women are submissive (obedient) or else are

very aggressive “dragon ladies” • Everything “made in China” is trash • All Chinese are alike and look alike • NERDS who study ALL THE TIME • Chinese people can not speak English • Chinese are secretive thieves who can not be trusted • Chinese are Ninja/Samurai/ Kung Fu/ Tai Chi e Wu

Shu masters• Traditional (Boring, backwards, or both) Culture• Chinese are terrible drivers

Chinese Stereotypes continued• All Chinese names have a single syllable : Chen,

Dan, Wu, Tin, Chun, Chin, Yon, Yo, Cao, Jin• All Chinese are obsessed with “honor” and

appearances (face) • Chinese are all “brainwashed” (have their

thoughts controlled or predetermined) Communists • Chinese are loud, dirty people who will throw

trash everywhere • Chinese cultural only cares about men • Chinese are corrupt, have no manners, and are

trying to take over the world

How to move beyond stereotype

• 1. Begin by examining the stereotype and ask “Why?’ If we can see that a stereotype is based on wrongly held assumptions, we can take away the power of the stereotype.

• 2. Evaluate the reasons for the power of the stereotype. For example, is the stereotype powerful because it is based on differences? Most stereotypes are based in the miscomprehension over not understanding other people and ideas.

• 3. Encourage acceptance of differences rather than demonizing differences. We are all products of our environment and family, with different upbringings and backgrounds. When we accept these differences, we overcome and redefine stereotypes.

• 4. Think “outside the box” (In a new, different way). Just because everyone may believe in a certain way, that does not make it right. We must look at things from multiple perspectives.

• 5. Check your own ideas about people who are different than you. Think about the kinds of stereotypes you place on others.

How to move beyond a stereotype… last…• 6. This one is mine… I think in order to move beyond a

stereotype you ultimately have 2 choices.• 1. Let people know right away that you are “not” that

way and that not everyone is like that.• 2. Or, accept that you are that way and have fun with the

stereotype. Joke about it, laugh about it, and let people know you are not afraid of it.• I have had Chinese friends tell me: “Wow! You are not a

fat, stupid jerk like other Americans!” and it does not bother me because I know they have either had a bad experience with Americans, have not met any good Americans, or else really did meet a fat, stupid jerk. Whatever the case - Once you realize the stereotype is not about –you- the person, it will not bother you.

What other stereotypes can you think of?• In groups of 3 to 6 students consider what you think

to be the biggest stereotypes of the following countries: England, the U.S., Russia, Japan, France, and Korea. • After you find what you think is the “biggest”

stereotype of each country, discuss why you think these serotypes exist.• What do you really think? Are the stereotypes unfair,

are they the result of some misunderstanding, or is there some truth to the stereotype that has been exaggerated? Discuss it and be prepared to talk about your conclusions.

The world around us… what does it look like?• If we consider the world in terms of numbers it can give us a greater

understanding of the world we live in.

If the world were a village of 1,000 people, it would include:• East Asia & Pacific - 354• South Asia - 224• Sub-Saharan Africa - 109• Latin America & Caribbean - 85• Europe & Central Asia - 78• Middle East & North African - 49

What language would these 1,000 people speak?• Chinese/Mandarin - 144• Hindi - 60• English - 56• Spanish - 53• Bengali - 34• Portuguese - 29

What religion would they be?

• Christian - 330• Muslim - 215• Hindu - 149• Secular/Nonreligious - 140• Buddhist - 59• Jewish - 2

How much money would they make?• Living in low income nations - 407• Living in high income nations - 157• Men in workforce - 287• Women in workforce - 197• Children in workforce - 1• Per capita income - $5,107

Closing discussion

• What do these numbers say about the world we live in? In your groups, please discuss these questions:• 1. Based on the knowledge of where people live, what language they

speak, their religion, and how much money they make, what are some of the aspects of culture that you think are important to learn based on that knowledge?• 2. If you could change one thing about how people see culture, what

would you change about peoples views on culture? Chinese culture, world culture, or how people think or feel about anything. What would you change and how might you change it?

Class is over! Goodnight & have a great weekend!