#cccintercultural

Music- Music plays a huge role in my life and how i interact with the world. I’ve been making music for over a year now and I've been into writing for a good part of my life. I study all kinds of music and they gives meaning to my life.

Philosophy- Reading is one of my core values and i take a liking to philosophy in general. I like to read the classics and i also delve into modern philosophy sometimes. My favorite philosophers are Plato, Friedrich Nietzsche and Socrates. 

Why do people from different cultures misunderstand each other?

Ethnocentrism is defined as somebody thinking their culture is superior to other cultures. Cultural relativism is the idea that a person's beliefs, values, and practices should be understood based on that person's own culture, rather than be judged against the criteria of another. These two words have a huge responsibility for the answer of this question. People from different cultures misunderstand each other because they do not have the knowledge to understand that other cultures are different than their culture therefore, they judge that person or group who is “different”. All around the world there are people who go about their life with different norms. Rather than judging somebody just because their culture is different, people should embrace the differences and be understanding of other cultures.

Earlier in the semester, I learned about the self-awareness imperative. I define the self-awareness imperative as having the knowledge about other cultures for people to become more aware of their own culture. The self-awareness imperative is important when being in contact with a person who endures a different culture. Also, recognizing and accepting is important when meeting a person from a different culture. Once you recognize and accept the person for who they are and how they go about their life differently, you will be able to interact and find commonalities which can lead to trust. People from different cultures misunderstand each other because they do not have the knowledge about the different culture. Some people have a first instinct to judge people from diverse cultures because they are different from their own culture and norms. People need to use the self-awareness imperative to stop having the first instinct to judge or discriminate against people who are from different cultures.

What is my place in the global economy?

Ever since I had no knowledge about the global economy, I would not do research on where and how the product I want to purchase is being developed. To compete effectively in the global market people must understand how business is conducted in other countries.  As we have already learned, globalization can present many issues. Increasingly, multinational corporations are moving operations to new locations, often overseas, because of lower labor costs. Corporations locating their factories overseas increases job opportunities in that specific country, but decreases job opportunities in the United States of America. As you can see from job opportunities, there are advantages and disadvantages that arise from corporations conducting business overseas. My place in the global economy is using my knowledge to conduct research on the products I want to purchase before making the decision to purchase or not. I care about how these corporations are treating workers overseas. If I come across a product and I research where the product was imported from as well as how the workers are being treated, that will decide if I purchase the product or not. For example, in 2012 Tazreen Fashions, Ltd. were conducting business in Bangladesh. A factory fire occurred in which 112 Bangladeshi garment workers died. “At the time of the fire, Tazreen Fashions Ltd. was manufacturing clothes for well-known brands and retailers in the United States, including Disney, Sears, Wal-Mart and Enyce, as well as a licensee of the U.S. Marine Corps. There were no emergency exits at the factory, and employees alleged not only that fire extinguishers were inoperable but that bosses shut the main exit when the alarms sounded, ordering everyone back to work” (LA Times). Personally, I would not purchase any products produced by Tazreen Fashions due to this research. Tazreen Fashions were not treating their employees the right way and did not ensure the safety precautions for the factory. Consumers decide on how a company thrives due to the company’s income. I will only purchase a product if I do research on how the workers are being treated in the country that is manufacturing the products.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/17/opinion/la-ed-bangladesh-20121217

My place in the Global Economy is a consumer, but not one who buys things just because they are cool. I buy things depending on whether the company respect my values. In the United States I don’t support places that don’t respect my values such as Jimmy Johns for their owner advocating the killing of tigers. In China Starbucks is doing record business while companies like Apple are struggling. I attribute this to their values and mission statement. Apple’s mission statement is about them bragging about their company and great new products, while Starbucks is about nurturing the mind and taking care of their customers.As a consumer I like to support those who don’t take their customers for granted and truly care about their service.

If you like Apple just want to make a quick buck off of me then you won’t get my service. Companies that come from all over the world always want to appeal to where they go to next. “Cross cultural trainers in the United States report that Asian business personnel often spend years in the United States studying English and learning about the country they decide to establish operations here or invest money” (Intercultural Communications in Contexts). I support those who put in the effort to succeed. I sell candy in my everyday job and I genuinely thank people for shopping at the store at work at. I would hope companies would do the same for me. Companies with values and those who stand by their values get my respect. If I lived in China and I see the effort Starbucks has made to adapt and be respected in the Chinese market yeah I’d support them. 

Martin, Judith N., and Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. McGraw-Hill, 2007. Doland., Angela. “Why Foreign Brands Have to Figure Out China All Over Again.” Ad Age, 7 Dec. 2015, adage.com/article/global-news/foreign-brands-figure-china/301603/?utm_source=daily_email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=adage&ttl=1450046850.

Do all individuals and cultural groups share a fundamental humanistic belief in the sanctity of the human spirit and the goodness of peace, and that people should respect the well-being of others?

 I decided to pick out an article that has a headline which reads: HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DROUGHT-IMPACTED SOMALIS FLEE TO CITIES. I used Refugees International as my source. This article is about Somalians trying to survive going through a third consecutive season of a severe drought. This severe drought has forced more than 760,000 people to flee their homes in search of food and water. The town of Baidoa, retaken from Al-Shabaab in 2012 and now marginally under state control, has become the only means of survival for much of the rural population across the country’s drought-stricken, south central region. Many of Baidoa’s new arrivals have come on foot, some walking for over three weeks. Many did not make it due to starvation and/or dying of thirst. While observing Somalia’s demographic profile on The CIA World Fact Book 2016, I came across a statement that stood out to me: “Somalia scores very low for most humanitarian indicators, suffering from poor governance, protracted internal conflict, underdevelopment, economic decline, poverty, social and gender inequality, and environmental degradation” (The CIA World Fact Book 2016). To answer this question, I would say no, not all individuals and cultural groups share a fundamental humanistic belief which results in respecting the well-being of others. All people should respect the well-being of others but sometimes people do not contribute and help others when they are in need. In this article, Somalia’s government is trying to do everything they can by having numerous amounts of family camps in Baidoa, but since the drought has been occurring for so long now, Somalia needs help from other countries who would like to help. Alice Thomas said it best in the article: “What cannot be overlooked is the severity of the current drought and the massive collateral damage it has wrought on rural populations here who, entirely depend on rain-fed agriculture to survive, are chronically malnourished even in a good year. The government and humanitarian agencies must act with greater urgency to scale up the urgent food, water, shelter, and protection needs of the displaced. With the support of donor governments, they must come to terms with the fact that many – if not most – of the displaced will not be returning anytime soon, and at the very least, not until next January when the next harvest comes.” I agree with Thomas’ statement. Other countries need to help Somalia, as well as Somalia’s government, a lot more than they already have. People should respect the well-being of others in other words, help all the Somalians who are struggling to survive.

https://www.refugeesinternational.org/blog/2017/7/19/hundreds-of-thousands-of-drought-impacted-somalis-flee-to-cities

What are the different ways that identity plays a role in how people behave, are treated, organize (around a cause such as feminism) or are discriminated against? 

In Cynthia’s culture in Kenya, being a female means you are chosen to do the housework and daily chores to ensure a stable home. If you are a male, school is available for you and it is expected that you attend. In this society, it is uncommon that women graduate secondary schools. They are discriminated against if the women choose school, it’s almost taboo. “Sometimes intercultural encounters make us aware of our own ethnocentrism...” After reading the article on Cynthia, I realized how important an education is and how lucky any women is to get the chance to go to school, but also we need to raise awareness of these issues.

What are the different ways that identity plays a role in how people behave, are treated, organize (around a cause) or are discriminated against?

      On page 4 of our Intercultural Communication textbook, the idea of the Demographic Imperative is introduced. As years go on, the world is becoming more and more diverse and we are seeing more heterogeneous societies. We are seeing more races and genders taking accomplishing things that they could not before. For example, according to the Department of Labor, women today make up 47 percent of the work force in the U.S and by this time in 2020, they will account for 51 percent of the total work force. This would never have been imagined many years ago. 

      Although we are seeing women advancing in our culture and society, that does not mean it is happening everywhere else. In the article How Wonder Girls are changing our world from the Global Fund for Women website ,Paola Gianturco and her 11 year old granddaughter show us the dangers and inequality of being a woman in different parts of the world. They wrote a book on the wonder girls around the world and their fight for equal rights. They received inquiries and stories from thirteen countries including Kyrgyzstan. In Kyrgyzstan, women are deemed less important and seen almost as items. In their culture, the men participate in what is called bride kidnapping, which is where men will snatch a woman off of the street and force them to marry them. Although this practice is illegal in the country, about 80 percent of all marriage begin this way.  Not only are women forced into marriage but crimes against women are almost never reported. Although there are laws against domestic violence and sexual harassment to try and “protect” women, these incidents are rarely reported or responded too as police believe these are private matters. Just because they are women and identify as such, they are discriminated against and not given the same rights and tools to become successful and productive members of society.

       Women have come a long way in our culture to receive equal rights, equal pay, and equal opportunity however, that clearly isn't the case in these other cultures. Diversity and equal rights is something many cultures and different countries struggle with and coming up with proper solutions. The Wonder Girls however, are helping change that little by little by showcasing brave women from across the glove and their efforts. 

 Intercultural Communications in Contexts Sixth Edition, Martin, Judith N., Nakayama, Thomas K., pg. 4-5

https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/wonder-girls-book-interview/#.Wc2Y2K2ZPVo

The Demographic Imperative: Blood Quantum

By Shane Kellum

What are the different ways that identity plays a role in how people behave, are treated, organize, or are discriminated against?

Christina Berry’s article, “Blood Quantum - Why It Matters, and Why It Shouldn’t,” touches on how blood quantum is used to determine one’s eligibility for citizenship in a recognized Indian tribe. Quantum, however, was never an issue before the U.S. government involved itself in Indian Affairs. As Berry states in her article, “many American Indian tribes practiced adoption, a process whereby non-tribal member would be adopted into the tribe and over time become fully functioning members of the group.” In other words, a member of a foreign Indian tribe could become an equal in the eyes of the indigenous tribe. If this is the case, should it not be left to the tribes, themselves, to decide who qualifies as a tribal member?

Intercultural Communications Contexts, by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama uses the terms heterogeneous and homogeneous to describe the differences and similarities in a group, culture, or population, respectively (8). The book states that, “instead of thinking of cultures as either heterogeneous or homogeneous, it is ore useful to think about cultures as more or less heterogeneous (or more or less homogeneous)” (8). The authors mean to say that it is important to not only see what sets a person’s culture apart from our own; we must also take into account the similarities that that individual’s culture shares with ours. As this relates to blood quantum, what percentage American Indian (i.e. the difference) should not qualify them to being a tribe member, but rather their cultural connection (i.e. the similarity) to that tribe.