Life After 09/11

After reading the article "The Construction of Arabs as Enemies: Post- 9/11 Discourse of George W. Bush", it reminded me of my experience and how life did change for me after that atrocious event. 

Before September 11, I traveled with my Moroccan passport everywhere -- Germany, France, even the United States. However, post 9/11 things changed dramatically. Arabs were portrayed as the mortal enemy, and Muslims become a third species. Ever since that day, I have now been traveling with my American passport. My Moroccan passport was expired for five years before it was renewed. This shows that George W. Bush's speeches did have an impact to Arabs nationwide, not only Americans. It was the first time where I became aware of the convenience of having dual citizenship. I remember the summer after 09/11, we had to raise our passports right as we got off the plane so that the ones with "the blue passports can stand in line to go down the escalator first". 

This extends to the movies we were watching last class about Arabs. The truth is, its not really anything new that Arabs are portrayed as "Satan's sidekicks" or "Barbarians". Hollywood has depicted this image of Arabs for years, even pre 09/11.  Yet, what is different is, due to 09/11 people have a personal connection which thus cemented their stereotypical views from the media to be fact in their eyes. 

The real question is, will there ever be a period in Hollywood, where Arabs wont be perceived as the bad guys?

Culture and nature are inextricably interwined. Nature is that can not change it, but culture is that can change it. It changes by over time, passing through people or influenced by environment, that is why nature can change the culture. So in order to protect nature and biodiversity, it is neccesary to protect traditional culture. The demand from poeople to preserve their own ethnic and religion with desire of a sharing culture and transitory it from generations to generations.

Asians in the Media

Last class, while discussing representation of certain groups in the media, I brought up the ways in which Asians are stereotyped in American media. As an American-born Chinese, I don’t necessarily find these stereotypes offensive but I am intrigued as to why more creators of media choose to reuse and recycle the same caricatures over and over again. The major roles for Asian actors are the kung-fu master, the gang member, and the nerd. While I don’t think that these stereotypes are particularly harmful in the short-term, they have drastic implications on cultural relations in the long-term. Studying the media of a particular culture is a method that cross-cultural scholars of Martin and Nakayama’s critical approach use.

The typecasting of an Asian as the martial arts master has been prominent across several decades of cinema. Actors like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Jet Li popularized this genre, while the influx of “wuxia” films in the 21st century like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers furthered it. Some argue that the “wuxia” genre did more good than bad, since it got Americans interested in Asian culture. While I appreciate the fact that a foreign film such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was able to become popular in the States, I do feel that nowadays Americans will only think of Asian culture as “flying people kung-fu fighting” while there remain so many unexplored cultural aspects. The gang member can be seen in films such as Gran Torino and the Rush Hour films. Mostly, Asian gang members are portrayed as moronic and incompetent; they are rarely portrayed as the more sophisticated, refined gangsters played by white and black actors. The Long Duk Dong character in Sixteen Candles is a representative of the nerdiness that has now become associated with Asians. In fact, other current freshmen have said that they pictured me as a nerd after looking at my Facebook profile, simply because I was Asian and wear glasses. I have also been asked numerous times, both jokingly and seriously, if I know karate or tae kwan do or some other sort of martial arts. These stereotypes aren’t particularly damaging to my well-being, but they definitely affect others’ perceptions of me and other Asian people.

The above examples are very limited to Asian men; for Asian women, the number of roles is even lower. Going back to “wuxia”, some have applauded the genre for introducing strong Asian women to the American consciousness, but it doesn’t really do much when Americans can only see them as a martial arts warrior, a geisha, an exotic love interest, etc. It’s interesting how Asian men are mostly portrayed for their intelligence/ability whereas Asian women are only notable for their beauty.

The United States has a long-standing history of exploiting its minority groups in the media, reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices, and putting them into the media of the next generation. It’s a vicious circle. We need more people like John Cho, who along with Kal Penn, created one of the first mainstream films set in contemporary society that featured relatable main characters who happen to be Asians. We need more films like Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, that features characters who are Asian (as well as gay) who aren’t the butt of jokes. Overall, I feel we need a more fair and accurate representation of minorities in the media. We live in a global community. If our media continues to perpetuate distorted images of different groups of people, how will be able to know the truth?

Language of Argument

In class the other day, we discussed how George W. Bush used language to portray Arabs as terrorists. I was thinking about how this concept is used in other situations. One of the main things that I came up with was the argument over abortion.

On the pro-life side, the name itself makes it hard to argue with them. Just as Bush named his war the "War on Terror", those who oppose abortion give their movement a name with which nobody can disagree. The language that they use makes anybody who argues with them seem, "pro-death" or "anti-life". Therefore, the language that they use makes themselves seem like the heroes and others seems like villains. This creates an us vs. them mentality. Pro-life activists also call the abortion "murder of a baby". The world baby connotes a sense of vulnerability and it is difficult for anybody to condone the murder of a child. Thus, activists use language to help their own cause.

Pro-choice activists use a similar strategy. It is hard for anyone to disagree with choice as a principle. They call abortion "abortion" which sounds very clinical and emotionless. They also call babies "fetuses" to decrease the emotional attachment that a person has about the procedure. Both sides of activists use language in an attempt to increase their popular support.

Adapting to my new habitat

I was really interested in learning about the U-Curve and W-Curve that we did last week since I think it is highly relevant in my life right now. As I adapt to living at college, I think that I will be able to understand how I'm feeling and maybe even predict when I will feel at home here.

The idea of the U-Curve makes a lot of sense to me because before I came here I was really anxious and college was just about the only thing that I talked about. Then, once I got here, I felt completely shell-shocked and out of my league. I wasn't sure how to fit in or what was expected of me. Now that I've been here for a while though, I am beginning to understand what I need to do and when I have time to relax. I feel more comfortable here but I think I still will feel more at home in Minnesota.

Eventually, however, I will come to see American University as my home. And when I visit Minnesota over breaks, I will experience the W-Curve. I am going to be visiting home this weekend and I'm not sure yet whether or not I will have a tough time fitting back in or whether I have changed my norms and attitudes. If I have, I expect that I will be surprised because I haven't been at AU for long and I don't think I have adjusted to the culture fully.

Through learning about the U-Curve and W-Curve, I feel like I understand how I have been feeling more fully and like I can now predict how it will feel to go home, whether it is for Thanksgiving break or summer break.

Technology connects people worldwide together!

Nowadays, with highly techonology, such as internet which is effectiveness to using IM that helps people aware different cultures via chatting online such as IM on Yahoo, MSN or AOL, etc.... The fact that is IM is a really great tool for people world-wide communicate to each, such as from Bottom line of Asia to the top line of America. People can communicate and learn from each other's cultures via IM at the same time doesnot matter what is zone time is. IM is the most fastest, and cheapest way and people can give all kind of information at any time and receive it at the same moment by text-based, via talking on microphone, or seeing each other on the webcam. They can express their ideas and learning everything from each other. More that that, people can open many windows at the same time and collecting information from individuals. And that the way technology connect people together in global. So that, I am wondering that people would be able to realize that while they are chatting is what they are perceiving different cultures and aware how amazing of technology create everything in front of us as magic.

"Our" Technology

If your parents are anything like mine, they were initially afraid of anything that had to do with technology (and still are to some extent). We finally got a computer in 2000 and I was the only one who knew how to work it because I had been in computer classes in school for 2 years at that point. I remember that they were so afraid to type anything on the Internet because they didn't know who "might see it". All of this plays into human nature's fear of the unknown. Technology was still some big mystery to the adults while children were really interested in it.

Technology became "our" way of communicating with our peers. At my elementary school, girls would "IM" after school at the age of 9. But back to the point, as technology grew (and continues to grow), we grow with it. It has become something synonymous with our generation. The movie shown in class is a prime example of this fear. The parents do not fully understand what is going on online and therefore do not want their child to take part in it. Although there are valid points concerning child predators, etc, because we have grown up around technology, it has been drilled into our heads what to do and what not to do online. But parents and adults can't always control what their child does and some believe that technology is just another forum for trouble.

Technology has enabled people to communicate with people all over the world. I personally keep in touch with friends in India and Israel, so in a way, it has allowed us to experience other cultures. It allows us to access so much information in such a short amount of time. What I am trying to do is show how dependent we are on technology (our generation, at least). I know that when we are senior citizens, we will probably still be using technology while being criticized by other generations who still might not understand our fascination with technology.

A New Identity with Just One Mouse Click...

The movie we watched in class had me in a state of awe. I heard stories before of people creating fake identities  and even heard of a girl getting kidnapped because she met up with her "internet boyfriend"; yet, I have never seen anything as shell-shocking as some of the stories in the movie. 

Just with the over controlling mother. I mean by not allowing her son to "communicate" like the rest of his generation she is actually hindering him. The new way for most people to communicate in our generation is via technology. Whether it is to send and email, text, or to purely call, its all technologically based. Although nobody really teaches us how to send an email, we learn by watching other's or trying different styles ourselves. For example, we know that the formality we use to email a teacher is not like the one we use to recount our lives to our friends. People in the United States are living in a more polychromic atmosphere, where everybody knows everything about everybody's lives (the obscurities of some people's Facebook status who reveal every minute thing they do). This brings back the point of the freaky mother. By controlling her children, she is actually pushing them to resort to secrets and sometimes trouble as they tried to find another mean to "stay in touch 24/7 with their friends".

Even more absurd was the anorexic girl, and all the commodity thats goes with it. It was amazing how some people actually built blogs to encourage others to pursue their anorexic behaviors. This alludes to the danger of the web and how everything can be posted. That you could literally find anything to support any of your ludicrous ideas just by searching on a web engine. 

Yet, the scariest thing would be how with just one mouse click, you could be the person you always wanted to be, or invent a person completely because you are that apparently bored. Remember the girl who posed pictures? The internet is a wall with a small door. You can open the door and throw anything about you, true or untrue, to the people on the other side. And when you shut that door, they will never know who you truly are. They scramble with what you have throw at them. You can be in this sense God, and create a whole new identity that could be based on anything, and the worst part is nobody will know its you, not even sometimes your friends. How scary is that?

The World and the World Wide Web

After watching the video last class, I was shocked at most of the stories we saw. I was horrified by the website that glorified anorexia and flabbergasted by the girl who created a pornographic alter-ego on MySpace to overcome her poor self-esteem and confidence issues. Although I had been introduced to the idea of identity shaping technology before, I didn’t have a good grasp on this concept until watching the video. It made me think about the ways in which one’s cultural identity shapes the way one uses technology.

In the article about the cultural differences in instant messaging, the authors discuss different ways that people of different cultures communicate online. They described how some cultures will talk to only one person while others may have several windows running concurrently. They compare different cultures’ uses of emoticons. The article discusses which types of cultures are more likely to use audio-video interaction. This reading is more focused on “what” different people do, but I am more interested in the “why” and the “how”.

In my experiences communicating with students from China and Korea, I have found several fundamental differences in the ways Eastern and Western cultures communicate via technology. Of course, my observations are biased since I am using my own personal experiences as well as those of my similarly aged peers, but I will attempt to be as balanced as possible in my analysis.

One recurring theme I have noticed is the differences in why we communicate in the first place. In the U.S., it is very normal to open your chat window when bored, lazy, procrastinating, or when there is nothing better to do. In Asia, this type of behavior is strongly discouraged; instead, they appear to only use online communication when absolutely necessary. How often do we hear American students say something along the lines of, “I got so distracted doing my homework because I kept talking to my friends”? In Asian countries, where academics are a much higher priority than social life, this attitude is unheard of.

American students are much more lighthearted in their online communication and deliberately use their messages to display aspects of their personality. Have you ever seen a Facebook photo with dozens of bickering comments underneath it? Most of the time, there is not an actual conflict going on underneath the photo, but it is a reflection of the goofiness and playfulness our culture loves to use on the Internet. In Asian cultures, there is none of this. You say want you want to say, straight to the point, no dancing around. Asian people definitely have a sense of humor, but they don’t necessarily like to convey that when they speak to each other online.

I’ve noticed lots of Asian students have started using “lol” and similar text-speak phrases. I think that they are trying to emulate the American way of “chatting”, which I don’t think is a good thing. There is no correct way to communicate. It is crucial for a country to maintain its own culture and unique qualities. In some ways, I believe we should all start communicating like Asians. We might actually get some homework done.

Analysis Question #2

The diplomats are obviously aware that they are negotiating a very sensitive issue with a culture that is not their own.  As any person, we have the tendency to believe that our culture is dominant. The diplomats can not afford to negotiate within the conference room with that attitude. Moreover, there are many factors that might influence communication between the two which the diplomats should be aware of. For example, Arabs tend to be loud and use excessive hand gestures. One should not take this as an offense but simply as part of another cultures form of expression.

Furthermore, this is a negotiation occurring between a high context (Iran) and a low context (the United States). This means that they have opposite ways of conveying a message. In high context communication, less is explicit; the diplomats should not take offense and beware that if they says everything blatantly they might be offending the Iranian diplomats who would believe that the US diplomats consider them ignorant. 

One of the most important factors that is more ubiquitous between the two are the nonverbal communications. Most of these silent gestures are universal and diplomats should watch out for these signs in order for the negotiation to run smoothly. Meaning, they should be aware of the others facial expressions.  Since nonverbal are subconscious, what the diplomat is revealing through his/her facial expressions is what they truly feel. 

All in all, these dimplomats have to take into consideration that this is a complete different culture. Different in context as well as time (Iranians follow polychromic timing, whilst US monochromic). The last thing that a diplomat should do is consider their culture more dominant as mentioned earlier. 

Analysis Question Number 2

When negotiating with Iran, there are many factors to consider involving nonverbal communication. One is the idea of cultural space. While it may not seem like an important issue, different cultures have different ideas about boundaries and challenging these ideas can only be detrimental for the United States. There is a humorous example of this in "Seinfeld", where due to a colassal misunderstanding, an entire business transaction fails because an American refused to shake a Japanese man's hand. Understanding how the Iranians use space will prove very valauble in negotiations.

The use of silence is also a key aspect to consider. Stereotypically, Americans are very loud and boisterous, some would call us obnoxious. Some cultures who view Americans' behavior sum it up as "Americans just never stop talking". On the contrary, Iran, which is more of a low-context culture, might value ponderance and reflection, which usually requires a silence not found in the American way of business. There was a story in the textbook about an American and European student, who both claimed that they did not learn anything after being in the other culture because of a difference in the way the other culture utilized silence. Similarly, if both the Americans and Iranians are baffled at why the other culture is talking too much/too little, this could severely slow down the negotiation process.

Ethnic Identity!

Reading article "Mexican American Ethnicity in Biola, CA" by Eric Aoli helps me to understand that how ethnic identity play important in people's daily lives, especially the connection between family and religious which is supported as a relevant. Its impact to children growing up and how they took more independent roles. A person picks up own congreation and that changed over time. The value of the moral, faith is of what helps a person "to keep going in life" by providing hope, belief and guidance for ones formular. So the three theme of hard working, religion and family are really put in people mind and transfers into communication which evolving the interlocutors to understand one another of ethnic people. Applying in my situation, coming from Vietnam and with nonreligious and after reading this article I think how it helps me to realize that I am just such similar mexican in California, working hard, having moral standard which help me survival in a new country in U.S. that show my identity of who I am.

"What Goes Unsaid Goes Over Our Heads"

Last class, we participated in an exercise where we attempted to tell emotional stories using no nonverbal communication. It was hard. For me, I could not convey the fear and distress I was in without using elaborate hand gestures and changing the inflection of my voice. While the exercise was slightly comical, it really highlighted the necessity of nonverbal communication.

When I say that nonverbal communication is necessary, I don’t mean that we need to consciously remember to use it. The storytelling exercise in class proves that it is impossible to correspond with anyone without using it! When I say that nonverbal communication is necessary, I mean that it is necessary to learn about and understand nonverbal communication and understand its role and function in everyday society. The textbook described a woman in a foreign culture giving a friendly wave to a man from a balcony, only to have him come up to her door! On the surface, this sounds like a humorous anecdote but a combination of misunderstandings like this can result in terrible atrocities.

Reading nonverbal communication is a valuable tool for any person in any situation. For example, in justice class, we discussed reading the nonverbal messages given by people under question in depositions. Since depositions are very expensive, some legal scholars have suggested doing them over Skype or webcam to reduce travel costs. The biggest problem with this idea is the inability to read people’s nonverbal cues through a screen. Effective businessmen, teachers, doctors, plumbers, filmmakers, and everyone else under the sun must be able to pick up on nonverbal communication in order to be successful at their respective occupations.

What goes unsaid goes over our heads. This is my philosophy regarding humans’ abilities to consciously recognize nonverbal communication in the big scheme of things. Sure, we know that good eye contact and posture are always a positive, but can we articulate why that is? We have a clear distinction on what constitutes as personal space, but are we aware of the differences in proxemics with other cultures, and the implications that has for ours? When I say that nonverbal communication is a necessity, I mean that understanding nonverbal communication is essential, in the context of politics, economics, religion, history, sociology, or simply the phenomenon called everyday life.

On a completely unrelated tangent: Is it possible to understand and discuss nonverbal communication with others, nonverbally?

Code Switching

Last week, in the section focusing on language, the textbook introduced a concept called "code switching". After reading the description of what it was, which is when you purposefully alter the way you speak or act depending on the situation, I realized that it has always been a part of my life.

Yes, I grew up in Tennessee, a situation which I always despised. I felt that I had to fit a certain stereotype just based on where I was from. In school, I made a point not to say things like "y'all" or "fur" instead of "for", basically, I tried to be as anti-southern as I could. This was also intensified by the fact that we had a summer house in Boca Raton, FL, where most of the people are from New York or New Jersey. My accent, compared with theirs, stood out a great deal. At a young age, I began to mimic certain words that they said in an effort to yet again distance myself from my southern heritage.

Fast forward a few years to the present: During my first few days at American, people began pointing out certain words that I said or pronounced differently, including: "y'all", "crayon", and "tour" just to name a few. So I began code switching again, attempting to hide where I was from.

Now, I have accepted the fact that I am in the definite minority here by being from the south. While I do not say words such as "ain't", I have acknowledged the fact that I have a southern accent which I cannot hide. I will most likely attempt to code switch for the rest of my life, but for the time being, I allow a few "y'alls" to slip here and there and know that language distinguishes where we are from, something which none of us can hide, no matter how hard we try.

To Whom It May Concern in the State Department:

In your upcoming meetings with the Iranian government about nuclear arms, it is important that you keep in mind certain cultural differences in non-verbal communications.

An important thing to keep in mind is the different ways of viewing time. People in the United States tend to be very monochronic whereas people fromt the Middle East are more likely to be polychronic. This means that they do not stick to schedules as strictly as we may and they value relationships over events and accomplishments. Therefore, do not let late arrivals or slow starts sour the negotiations from the beginning. Instead, be sure to take your time to get to know the negotiators and develop a relationship before you attempt to deal with the actual issue at hand.

Another difference is that Iranians live in a high-context culture and they may not explicity say everything that they mean, but will instead leave it to us to infer what they want to really say. Do not get angry that they seem to be avoiding the subject but instead try to get to the implication behind their words. Facial expressions and body language may be a helpful way of decoding what they mean, but keep in mind that only six facial expressions are universal and some more subtle variations may not mean the same thing across cultural lines.

Be sure to research the meaning of eye contact in Iranian culture, because while in the U.S. it indicates respect and the fact that you are paying attention to the speaker, it can be a form of disrespect in other cultures so be sure to keep in mind traditional Iranian customs.

Also keep in mind gestures have different meanings in different cultures.

In general, when meeting with Iran, be sure to keep in mind how the Iranian cultures would view your actions and non-verbal communications

In the article "Iran: Cultural Value, Self images and Negotiation Behavior Shmuel Bar, the British Ambassador to Iran in the 1970s, Sir Dennis Wright, summarized his dealings with Iranians as follows "The Iranians are people who say the opposite of what they think and do the opposite of what they say. that does not necessarily mean that what they do does not conform to what they think." Iran is a central of Arab world, but it is not Arab country, and Iran has closer to West than other Asians. So, Iran's culture mixed part of east Asia, and WEst. It bears low context in documentation but high-context in communication with non-verbal clues as "when they tend to read contextual non-verbal connotations that their interlocutors had no intention." So with Iranian interaction in coomunication is highly complex such as hand and body gestures, eye contact, etc.... The connections of these gestures show the confidence between their opinions to each other, of the class-conscious in weekens or strengthen. Alos, in Iranian's head and hand gestures culture is differed in some way from Western models, such as raising the head has a meaning of disagreement or discontent, while lowering the head is an expression of confirmation. So in Diplomacy, they have to attention those factors which influence in communication in Iranian to have highly result.

Nonverbal Communication -- Can we talk without it?

A few days ago in class we had a little activity -- to try and tell a personal story without using any nonverbal communication. This lead to the discussion of what other nonverbal communications are there besides the basic; hand gestures, eyes opening wider to build suspense maybe a little eyebrow wiggling etc.  

By trying not to use any verbal communication we were in fact using them. Meaning, for example, when I was telling my story, I kept swiveling in the chair. Or Thomas who clutched the chair and sat rigid, not looking at anybody to avoid eye contact which is a nonverbal communication. 

Another interesting factor was how once we were allowed to use nonverbal communication, hands were flying about and the stories changed, they were more elaborate. The stories became more intriguing as emotions involved, with others feeling more like how the orator felt. This leads to as Martin and Nakayama point on nonverbal communication and how "nonverbal behaviors convey the "real" message. This is because our "nonverbal communication operates at a less conscious level". We discovered that as we had to attempt and tell our stories without using any non verbal behaviors. Kit's eyebrows for example raised at one point during her story, and when she was done and told that she raised her eyebrows she didn't even notice. 

All in all, we four students failed at telling the story without any non verbal communications, which lead to me to wonder, can someone actually talk without using any?

Me time

In class last week, we talked about the fact that different cultures run on different times (monochronic and polychronic). I agree that there are generalizations among large groups of people but I also think it is very important to keep in mind that each individual has specific practices.

One great example of this is the excercise that we did in class. People made a list of the actvities they do reguarly and what time they would start at. Then we were supposed to make a list of what time we actually arrive at the activity. My arrival times varied drastically from everybody else's. I tend to arrive anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes early to everything whereas most students in the class arrived around the start time or even a little late. This completely blew my mind because when it comes to getting somewhere on time, I start worrying about it an hour before I have to leave. To me, it is incredibly rude when somebody else is late because it shows that they do not value my time. My view of time doesn't really fit a monochronic or polychronic frame because, while it is closer to a monochronic frame, it does not focus on the event of the moment, but also simultaneously focuses ahead.

Therefore, I think that it is important to make sure that when generalizing, you keep in mind that everyone has a personal system for time and you should be respectful of their idiosyncracies.

Also last week, we tried to tell a story without using non-verbal communication. I think that this was very interesting excercise because it proved the point that it is impossible for someone to not communicate nonverbally. Even when you do not gesture, make facial expressions, or move, there is somebody interpreting your actions and attributing meaning to every physical movement you make. Even if we were to live life in the same way that we told out stories, the listener would assume that we were communicating distance or disinterest in the story. Thus, this activity shows that it is impossible to get rid of non-verbal communication.

Changing Cultural Space!

This week, we learned chapter 7, Nonverbal Codes and Cultural Space. I am really interested in Changing Cultural Space, because it helps me to realize how travelling influenced me the way I reacted with others and space changed who I am so that I can fit into where I am and its culture "Changing cultural spaces means changing who you are and how you interact with others." (M&N)Yes, since I was 19 I have started travel alot, such as Australia, France, Germany, Marocco, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Indonesia, Holland, etc...I have been 5 continents with different countries. That really gives me the idea how I relocated and was adapting new cultures. However, it is still difficult to adjust the change language and customs because of the unfamiliar with the new cultural space. Because cultural spaces can be symbolic with previously places which serving as causes of existing self identity compromise in new spaces.

Speaking in Tongues

I’ve always been jealous of people who are fluent in multiple languages, and this jealously has increased exponentially since coming to American. It seems like everyone here is either bilingual/multilingual, or is taking a foreign language class, or has been all over the world and back again. This might sound strange coming from a person who has been to China ten times, but the most I’ve done there is visit family and attend one three-work summer program. I know a little bit of Mandarin Chinese and I took French for five years but I don’t feel like I have any real worldly knowledge or experience.

Learning languages is absolutely vital to me, for both personal and practical reasons. Right now, I am considering a major in international communication which means I need to know languages other than English in order to be successful at my job, which will provide me with a comfortable lifestyle and the freedom that money provides. Earning big bucks is not my only motivation for learning languages, although overseas is where all the money’s at. I believe studying a language is important in the same way that learning history and philosophy are; they provide a solid framework from which one can form ideas and beliefs. Of course, learning a language does nothing if you don’t use it but I still think the general knowledge of another way of “thinking” is very valuable.

This brings up an issue brought up in the book as well as our class discussion, the question of whether language affects reality. I do not think it does, simply because I do not believe there is one “main” reality that applies to everyone in the universe. Each person has his own reality, which is heavily influenced by his language. Even if there were a “higher reality”, the person describing it would have to use language to do so, resulting in a giant paradox. However, I do believe that the language you speak has an enormous impact on your perception of the world. We talked about languages that have both formal and informal versions of “you”; implying different hierarchical structures in those societies. We also discussed languages that assign a “gender” to words, which definitely say something about that culture’s gender roles. Even slang and informal language can be revealing about a certain group of people. In America for example, many non African-Americans have begun using words and phrases that have roots in African-American culture. Nowadays, it’s “cool to be black”. It’s a complete switch from a mere 150 years ago when slavery was still dominant and a mere 50 when segregation was a societal norm.

I’ll end this blog entry with a quote by Dale Carnegie that sums up my feelings on language: “There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it."

The Amazing Race

There were lots of interesting points brought up in last week’s class, but one that I found especially striking is the idea that whites will soon become the minority in America. In a 2008 Reuters article, Adriana Garcia explains how in a mere forty years, the Latino population is predicted to overshadow that of “non-Hispanic whites”. The effects of this cultural shift will be gradual; the entire world is not going to turn upside down the second a Latino baby is born that pushes the Latino total higher than the white total. Any major societal changes in the U.S. that are a result of whites being minorities will occur in the long run.

As I typed that last sentence, I had to stop and think to myself, “Can I really call it ‘American’ if whites no longer have the largest numbers?” I am Asian-American and even I think of whiteness the second I hear “America”. The textbook references this idea in the “Invisible Knapsack” feature inserted in the “Characteristics of Whiteness” section. Martin and Nakayama write, “Nonewhites indicated high agreement with the statement…’When people refer to ‘Americans’, it is usually whites they have in mind’” (page 189). Even with the current amount of diversity in people and lifestyles, the United States is still predominantly “white”. When we think about the history of the country, we think of powerful, white men drafting the laws fighting in battles; when we think about the perfect family, we imagine a white husband and wife with white children; when we picture the ultimate American Dream, the image of a white man going from rags to riches is usually conjured. The U.S. is still predominantly Christian and even though many different people practice Christianity, it is most associated with whites.

So what might start happening in 2050? The possibilities range from having more minorities in movies and television shows to a drastic change in immigration policy. Maybe more minorities will enter the higher-end workplaces typically inhabited by whites, earning more income and providing better education for their children. Maybe someone will create “Hispanic History Month”, similar to how February is “Black History Month”. Maybe the world will experience racial harmony and everyone will get along. Whether the changes are subtle or dramatic, I think it is imperative that we be open-minded about living in a future society that has different norms, values, and culture than the one we live in now.

Reuters article: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1110177520080212

Proud To Go To American

As of today, it has been exactly one month since I entered American University as a student. In only thirty-two days, I have participated in the freshman service experience, begun my first college classes, transitioned into living on my own, and have met (literally) hundreds of new people.

One of the most commonly asked questions during welcome week was “Where are you from?” While the most common answers were clustered in the Northeast United States, I was surprised at how many international students I met. Germany, France, China, Kosovo, Philippines, India, Spain, Japan, Vietnam, England, Nigeria, Egypt—there seemed to be no country that wasn’t represented at this university.

I bring this up because the idea of separate histories introduced in chapter 4 is definitely applicable to my experiences with intercultural communication at American University. Although most of the history described refers to written history, every single person has a political, intellectual, social, family, national, and culture-group history that he brings wherever he goes. In my sociology class, we refer to this as one’s “social location”. So when I have a conversation with Cindy from Japan about how our classes are going, we may say the same thing but we both have lived completely different lives that lead us to this conclusion. Consider the following example. I might say my classes are rather simple because all my life, I have grown up in a nurturing family that emphasized academics and schoolwork, while surrounded by peers who shared similar interests and academic levels, while living in an excellent public school system, under a president who made education his number one priority. Cindy might consider her current classes at AU easy because she grew up in a strict, overbearing family that forced her to study nonstop in a competitive academic atmosphere, in a country where getting the highest test scores are the key to living a successful life.

In the textbook, Martin and Nakayama discuss how “people bring four elements of personal history to intercultural interactions”. These four things are childhood experience, historical myths, language competence, and memories of recent political events. These all came into play in my first interactions with international students. The hardest thing to overcome was historical myths; no matter how hard I tried, I would always associate certain traits with certain countries/nationalities.

Understanding multiple histories is essential for effective communication; as well as a good understanding of one’s own social location. This is easier said than done. It is impossible to research the backgrounds of everyone one meets, and frankly, it is pointless. In my opinion, the solution is education. First, kids should be exposed to more international education, whether this be starting foreign language study earlier or learning about world cultures in more depth and detail than the typical curriculum allows for. I was only allowed to take French starting in 7th grade and my world geography/history classes were very minimal; as a result, my language proficiency and general knowledge about world affairs is much lower than I feel it should be. I also feel that we, as a collective society, should make broader attempts to reach across borders and immerse ourselves in other cultures. For students, this can be as small of a step as sitting at a different table at TDR. Our school has more diversity and internationalism than most colleges, but it seems like we, myself included, don’t take advantage of this. We’re missing out on so much.