Dimensions_of_Culture,_Values,_and_Communication

Running head: DIMENSIONS OF CULTURE, VALUES, AND COMMUNICATION Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication Jorge Posada Diversity Issues in Communication COMM/315 March 16, 2005 Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication All human beings create culture. Culture is a pattern of ways of responding to basic needs: food, shelter, clothing, family organization, religion, government, and social structures. According to Webster’s Dictionary, culture is defined as "the ideas, customs, skills, arts, etc. of a people or group that are transferred, communicated or passed along to succeeding generations." When crossing international boundaries, cultural boundaries are crossed as well. What may have been the norm for one may not be the norm to another, especially when it comes to the cultures of foreign lands. Cultural norms often are so strongly ingrained in an individual's daily life that the individual may be unaware of certain behaviors. Until these behaviors are seen in the context of a different culture with different values and beliefs, the individual may have difficulty recognizing and changing them. My indoctrination into culture began in North Carolina for me. I was born in Columbia, South Carolina, but lived my childhood and teen years in the coastal flatlands of Southeastern North Carolina. The basis of my values was formed here. The county I grew up in was tri-racial, consisting of whites, blacks, and Native Americans (Lumbee Indians). I remember growing up as a child; you could leave home with your front door wide open without fear of being burglarized. A big part of my culture was that you respected your elders. You said yes sir, no sir; yes ma’am, no ma’am. You did as told, and you didn’t talk back. No matter where I went in the world, I was always able to find some semblance of that. Looking back, it was more so prevalent in societies that didn’t have abundant access to the modern world of MTV, and VH-1, or HBO and Cinemax. Places such as Africa. During my time in the Navy, I had the opportunity to visit many foreign countries and interact with indigenous persons on a very personal level. Oftentimes, I felt at odds with certain cultural norms. Obviously, language was always the first cultural bridge we had to cross. Most of us in my platoon spoke at least one of several languages. We were pretty much able to cover Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic/Farsi, Korean, and German. However, it seemed that we were always sent to places that spoke in a language we didn’t! It is clear that language differences often accompany cultural differences. However, more is involved than just the specific language an individual speaks. It is a fact that over half of our communication is non-verbal, indicating the significance of gestures, facial expression, tone of voice, and intonation patterns. The most obvious of the non-verbal signals is eye contact. All cultures use it to send signals or messages. The difficulty comes when the signals are misinterpreted. "Look at me, I am talking to you!", when we were told by our parents when being reprimanded as children. We break eye contact when we want to end the conversation with a bore that has cornered us at a business function. Not making eye contact is easily seen as a sign of deceitfulness, non- assertion, or disinterest. However, in many cultures, averting one's eyes is a sign of respect and the proper behavior in the presence of an older person or authority figure. Gestures are another non-verbal communicator, one we often depended on when there was a language barrier. Yet gestures could have gotten us into trouble in multicultural groups. The OK sign, for example, made with the thumb and forefinger is an obscene gesture in Greece and some parts of South America. I learned that the hard way. Smiling, often considered an international gesture, is another non-verbal cue that can be misinterpreted. A smile is seen as a welcoming, friendly gesture in American cultures. In Asian cultures, it is a sign of embarrassment, confusion, or discomfort. In the Middle East, a smile from a woman to a man could be construed as a sexual come-on. In Germany, smiling is reserved for friends and family. Did you ever wonder why Germans always look mad' Perhaps the difference that causes the most difficulty in communication is the subtlest. It has to do with the degree of directness or in-directness, or the amount of information that is stated rather than implied. In African culture, for example, communication is very indirect, depending on subtle contextual cues in contrast to the "Don't beat around the bush" dictum of an American culture, which favors a very explicitly stated message. When these two approaches collide, problems can result. The Japanese, for example, are often exasperated at what they see as Americans’ "irresponsibility" when they interpret literally an off hand comment such as "I’ll give you a call" or "I'll get on that right away." On the other hand, Americans are just as frustrated when they miss the instated clues that their Japanese counterparts automatically pick up. "How was I supposed to know I had to wait until the boss left' Why don't they just tell me'" No matter where we were, that particular region’s values played a big role in how we approached situations. We did extensive research on our destinations prior to arriving in country. We learned the cultures and values of that location. We made a conscious effort to conform as best we could. The slightest thing could have caused an international incident, if not our own deaths. Overall, I learned that I am not the only person in the world, nor is America the only country. Just because we do things a certain way in the United States, does not make it ok to do those same things in another country. Being respectful and cognizant of the cultural surroundings can go much farther than going in John Wayne style, here I am, a big bad American. Do it my way or else. That just won’t work. Learning to welcome, instead of resist other’s ways of doing things allowed me to broaden my thinking. Gave me a deeper appreciation of where I came from as well as give me new found respect for those other cultures that exist outside, as well as inside, our borders.