cccintercultural

[cccintercultural]

How Can People From Different Cultures Get Along?

Culture is defined as the arts, custom, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. Most cultures are based on tradition, upbringing, and experience. The lack of knowledge of difference cultures can cause either future education or ignorance. Being part of a certain culture you are sometimes taught the negative aspects of another culture, which can embed future hatred. This negates the respect people should have for each other’s cultures.

According to The Social Science Perspectives: Individual Components Section in Chapter 12 on page 465 from Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama’s Fifth Edition of Intercultural Communications in Contexts, empathy is a trait that can help bring cultures together to get along. While watching the documentary My So Called Enemy, which brings together 6 girls of both Israeli and Palestinian culture together, I learned that some girls didn’t practice empathy at all. An example is when Gal, an Israeli Jewish Girl tries to explain to Hanin, a Palestinian Israeli girl the reason why Jewish people migrated to Israel after the holocaust. Hanin nonchalantly declines to agree with reasoning stating that they could’ve went somewhere else. When talking about empathy, its basically saying to walk in someone else’s shoes. I believe Hanin could’ve showed a bit of compassion because it could’ve been her family members or ancestors that were part of the holocaust.

I believe once people start to respect other people’s cultures and values, then everyone can get along. I believe by ignoring the stereotype then it would definitely broaden everyone’s horizons and provide insight on cultural views. A similar example, In the clip below, come from the 2018 drama film tilted The Hate U Give, which depicts police brutality against a young stereotyped black man who was believed to be drawing a gun, when he was actually retrieving his hair brush, and was shot and killed. The clip shows the interaction between the boy’s best friend, Star, whom witnessed the cold-blooded murder, and her friend at high school, Hailey, who invokes the anger by accusing Star’s friend of actually being a criminal and saying his death was his own fault.

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along?

It is very relevant that when we are trying to bridge a gap or go over a wall of misunderstanding, we have to engage in true dialogue and participate in mutual listening, as said in the textbook “To recognize and embrace our connectedness even to people who are different from us, we have to engage in true dialogue.” (Intercultural communication in contexts, 7th Edition, by Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama, pg. 480.

People from different cultures can get along by making active efforts to listen to other cultures and make compromises when compromises may be required. For example, in the program “My So Called Enemy” one of the girls, called Rawan, who was an Arab made a statement saying “Conflicts go on and people die because we  were not trying to listen or compromise”, and I think this is true especially in conflicts where emotions are high and things get extreme, people rarely decide to come together and have an actual conversation or compromise to listen to the other side. A good example of dialogue is the dialogue between Rawan and her tattoo drawer who lost her young niece to violence from the Palestine. Although, Rawan is an Arab palestine, she and her tattoo drawer get along fine even though they have both lost a lot from the conflict of both sides. 

https://mysocalledenemy.com/ - link to program “My So Called Enemy”

Also, for people from different cultures to get along there has to be a way for them to communicate that breaches whatever barriers they may have from reaching each other, for example, a barrier like the wall that separates Israel from Palestine would definitely block many potential friendships and relationships that could be formed, so speaking over the phone or through text messages like the girls did in the “My So Called Enemy” program would be a great way to reach out and maintain contact with the other side.

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along? By Joshua Counts

People from different cultures can get along by using cosmopolitan communication. Cosmopolitan communication is a communication skill that works with cultural differences and power. The goal of this communication skill is to achieve understanding, intercultural growth, social, and global justice through self transformation. This from the book Intercultural Communications In Contexts Seventh Edition by Judith N. Martin, and Thomas K. Nakayama. 

I can relate this to the film My So Called Enemy because there were scenes in the film where the girls would use this skill. One particular scene where all the girl had found out about a bombing Israel that killed many. The girls were in a circle and cleared the air so to speak. They spoke honesty to each other.

They talked about their feelings toward each others, many girls said hurtful things that others thought were unfair. Tears were shed because before this news the girls that came from to different cultures were staring to become friends. Some would think that these honest opinions would hurt them, but instead it made them better.The girls that were Israelian and Palestinian realized that yes, they have different opinions, but they also shared one major thing. They wanted peace. The girls started to see that they weren’t to different from each other that and matter what part of the world you come from you’re still human. 

They danced, laughed, cried, hung out, and shared stories about each other. Some even became best friends. When the camp ended and they all met up again years later much older. Their feelings for each other hand’t changed, they were still friends and still trying to make a difference. They had changed from who they were and were now different. The camp councilor Melody said something that stuck with the girls and that will stick with the girls forever. “Cross borders emotionally.” Meaning even though sepreated from each other make connections with others and build bridges with them and that’s what they did and are doing. 

https://mysocalledenemy.com/

[cccintercultural]

“How Can People From Different Cultures Get Along?”

(Sarah Marshall)

       People from different cultures can learn to get along using transpection, a process that refers to developing cross-cultural empathy. To achieve cross-cultural empathy, the people from different cultures need to be open-minded and learn about the feelings, beliefs, and assumptions of foreign people, in other words, they need to put themselves in their shoes (Martin, Nakayama 485). Transpection is called a process because it can only be achieved with practice overtime. It requires self-reflection and can be very difficult if the person attempting transpection holds very tightly to their beliefs. 

       In “My So-Called Enemy” one of the girls, Adi, picks up on a key factor in transpection that some of the girls hadn’t yet realized. She said “…I don’t think they [the Israelis] understand where the hate is coming from…” What Adi identified is an important part of transpection; they need to first understand why they (the Israelis) feel hatred towards the Palestinian girls, and then understand why the Palestinian girls feel hatred towards them. Once both parties can definitively answer those questions about the other, then transpection and intercultural communication can begin, and they can work towards getting along. 

https://mysocalledenemy.com/

Martin, Nakayama. Intercultural Communications in Context. Chapter 12, page 485. 7th ed. 

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along?

Alyssa Barrett

People from different cultures can get along by focusing on what they have in common and less on their differences. This way they may be able to relate to them more, and may also become more motivated to get to know them better. Page 479 of Intercultural Communication in Contexts defines motivation as the “desire to make a commitment in relationships, to learn about the self and others, and to remain flexible”.

Inas, a Palestinian girl from “My So Called Enemy”, talked about the Jewish girls she spent time with in the program. She said, “When I remember they are Jewish, I have many feelings at the same time because their people killed my father”. This shows it is difficult for her to accept the fact that they are Jewish.

However, the motivation of discovering activities she liked to do with them made a relationship possible between Inas and the Jewish girls. When she talked about how they liked to dance and see movies together, she seemed happy. She even called them her friends.

In the same way, people can get along by focusing on what they have in common with those who are from other cultures. Even if they have trouble accepting something about another person’s culture, they can still have peaceful relationships with them the way that Inas did with the Jewish girls.

Martin, Judith N., And Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. Pg 479. 7th Ed.

[cccintercultural]

Marlee Neumann - How can people from different cultures get along?

     People from different cultures can get along by using an empathetic approach. As stated in the textbook Intercultural Communication in Contexts, “…To achieve empathy across cultural boundaries, people must forge strong relationships and strive for the creation of shared meaning in their interpersonal encounters,” (7th ed, Martin & Nakayama, 485). The text also describes empathy as the ability to “walk in another person’s shoes,” (484). When someone from one culture imagines a day in the life of someone from another, they reach an emotional understanding with them which in turn helps them get along with each other.

     In the 2010 documentary film My So-Called Enemy (https://mysocalledenemy.com/), a group of young Israeli and Palestinian women enter a program to live together for 10 days. Because of the conflict between their cultures, some of the girls do not initially get along. For example, Gal (Israeli) and Hanin (Palestinian Israeli) could not find common ground on their opposing views; this led to anger and frustration between the two. During their first discussion Hanin says to Gal, “I think there’s a lot of empty places in the world, you could live there.” This comment upsets Gal, as Israel is where her home and family is. The conversation then escalates as they go back and forth without actually listening to each other.

     Gal tries to make Hanin see that she did not cause the conflict herself and that she strives to create peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Hanin is set in her beliefs that Israelis are collectively to blame for the conflict and that they should face consequences. If they each used the opportunity to feel empathy toward each other’s situations, there is a better chance they could have gotten along. If Gal was able to really see the daily struggles that Hanin faced as a Palestinian, and if Hanin was able to see that Gal was a loving girl like herself, they could see each other in a better light. They could have gotten to know each other better during the program or possibly visited one another when they returned home to physically witness their daily lives; this would be “walking in each other’s shoes.” Taking an empathetic approach can help people see those from different cultures in a more humane way and help them get along.

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along? Rachel Mai

“My So-Called Enemy” link: https://mysocalledenemy.com/

                                How Effectively Different Cultures Get Along

All cultures have their own traditions, expectations and values. Since each culture is unique, cultural misunderstandings may often occur daily. Although cultural misunderstandings may seem inevitable, there are ways to decrease conflict. In chapter 12 of Intercultural Communication in Contexts, knowledge and empathy are emphasized as key components of effective communication between different cultures. Having self-knowledge is also of high importance when communicating with one another. How can you begin to understand someone of another culture if you don’t know your own?   

                                         “My So-Called Enemy”

In “My So-Called Enemy,” young women from Palestine and Israel come together in order to discuss their lives and “build bridges of understanding.” Throughout the program, they were able to have open dialogues and discuss different issues between Israel and Palestine. Through conversations about bombings, the young women were able to grow stronger bonds. Adi, Gal, Hanin, Inas, Rawan and Rezan all met through Building Bridges for Peace, an they were able to use their experiences to grow as people. Even though they were from different cultures, they were able to get along through empathy and understanding.  

In essence, cultures may have different traditions, values and ways of life, but it is possible to get along and coexist. According to an article written by Alison Rhoades, “Globalization has led to an upswing in cross-cultural working collaborations, be it between business clients or work colleagues.” Businesses collaborate with countries of different countries, and for a successful partnership, communication is key. Distinguishing something as simple as the appropriate greeting is a great first step towards success on both ends. Cultural misunderstandings have happened throughout history, but reconciliations are occurring through the respect and empathy from both cultures.

“Chapter 12.” Intercultural Communication in Contexts, by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, 7th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2018, pg. 478–508.

https://medium.com/waat-ltd/how-to-avoid-the-cultural-misunderstandings-that-can-impact-your-business-c4a70941c65a 

[cccintercultural]

Question-How can people from different culture’s get along?

  People come from all different cultures and background which makes our world a diverse place.  Sometimes it is difficult for people to understand and get along with people who come from different places.  In the film “My So-Called Enemy” for example, an organization brought girls from Israel and Palestine together to live amongst one another.  I think that it is important for things like this to happen because really deep down the girls were all equal to each other and the same. Their belief system may be very different but, overall they are human beings.  They all knew the hardships of the Israeli and Palestine conflict which affects both sides daily lives with constant military presence in their lives.  When two of the girls Hanin and Gal got into their confrontation or argument I think that was a good thing. 

   It was good that both girls were honest with each other and showed their true emotions.  You will not be able to move forward or resolve issues without seeing true opinions and their argument did that.  Having an open dialogue and not holding back is an important step in understanding somebody from a different place.  In any situation I believe using the community engagement philosophy is very important.  Working together is so important in understanding where a person comes from and it allows for a real and open conversation.  Having conversations is so important in finding a way to get along and understand someones background.  

“Chapter 11.” Intercultural Communication in Contexts: , by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama, 7th ed., McGraw-Hill Education , 2018, pp. 500

“My So Called Enemy” (Notes)

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along?

Timestamp: 21:30-22:25

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jj8vne0ca0&t=2s

My So-Called Enemy: https://mysocalledenemy.com/

Globalization, defined as the increased interconnectedness between countries and people, has brought individuals from different cultures together like never before. Differences in values, beliefs, and traditions have resulted in conflicts between many groups of people. While at times the various tensions and violent clashes around the world seem like chaos for the sake of chaos, if we work to understand them on a deeper level, we can work towards stability and peace. The textbook Intercultural Communications in Context 7th ed., written by Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama, talks about the various ways we should work through conflict with people who may be very different than us, in order to get along. The book states, “To recognize and embrace our connectedness…we have to engage in true dialogue.” “A focus on mutual listening, instead of talking, forms the core of successful intercultural dialogue”. Through the “sharing of narratives”, we expand our perceptions and how we see the world. 

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one that has been going on for decades between the Israeli and Palestinian populations that inhabit the lands of Israel, the Gaza strip, and the West Bank. It is an immensely complex issue; both sides fight for international recognition, security, control of Jerusalem, religion, nationality, water and land rights, and a plethora of other issues. The documentary film “My So-Called Enemy”, directed by Lisa Gossels, follows a group of Palestinian and Israeli girls who, over the span of seven years, talk about their political and cultural differences while trying to find a common ground, and navigate a complex situation back home after becoming friends with their ‘enemy’. The girls take part in a women’s leadership program called Building Bridges for Peace, founded by Melodye Feldman. The film is an eye-opening look into the conflict. Even though the girls live close to one another geographically, they have never had an open dialogue with one another, nor had they interacted with one another outside the context of the conflict. They never had the chance to discover their commonalities among one another in a peaceful environment through normal interactions. But the program allowed them to understand the conflict in a different light by putting them face to face with each other, allowing them to see each other as real humans with real feelings. Inas, a Palestinian girl in the program, says, “When I see the Jewish girls as individuals, I love them and all of them are my friends. We talk every day and read together. We dance together and we see the movies together. But, when I remember that they are Jewish, I have my feelings at the same time because their people killed my father”. She has a deep personal connection to the conflict because of the death of her father, but participating in the program allowed her to understand that she cannot demonize everyone on the ‘other side’ because they are caught in the conflict just like her. 

Rezan is another girl who shows a deeper understanding of the conflict which allows her to get along with other cultures. She says, “It is not their fault that they are Israelis and it is not my fault that I am a Palestinian. The borders are setting us apart.” Sometimes the cultural divide simply seems too huge. Sometimes there are grievances perpetrated by one cultural group upon another or by one individual on another that are so brutal as to make solutions sound hollow and idealistic. (pg.501) A way for people from different cultures to get along is forgiveness, which promotes understanding and reconciliation. Although forgiveness is difficult to achieve, it is a way to move past violence and persecution in order to bring about a more peaceful future. Being able to build a relationship and forgive an ‘enemy’ is one of the most powerful tools in overcoming conflict and getting along with people who are different than yourself. 

One of the major themes that the documentary touches on is empowering women to be leaders. Building Bridges’ founder Melodye says, “If peace is going to happen in the Middle East, women have to be part of the process. Women have a different way of communicating. At Building Bridges, we are teaching our girls how to be leaders in communities that don’t give equal voice to women. So, the question becomes, how do we empower them to change the world?”. This sheds light on the vital role of women in the peace-making process. Investing in gender equality is an important step in having people from different cultures get along because agencies all over the world, including the U.N., recognize that countries are more peaceful and prosperous when women have equal rights. 

[cccintercultural]

How Can People From Different Cultures Get Along?

As humans it is very easy for us to get lost in our own culture, and we tend to forget that there are other cultures other than ours. Many people have bias opinions about other cultures, leading them to have little thought or no care at all for a specific culture. But it is very possible for people that differ from other cultures to get along. Yes, culture is very important in life, but we are humans first. Human interaction is normal, and it is perfectly normal for humans to get along. It’s easy to misjudge someone based off of their culture; but having an open mind and getting to know someone as a human being, adds to getting along with each other. Finding things you have in common with someone from another culture is another step forward to getting along. Open communication, explaining your culture and listening to someone else explain their culture is another stepping stone toward getting along. There are many things people from other cultures can do to simply live and get along with each other in peace. For example, in the Intercultural Communications it states, “A group of Palestinian and Israeli soldiers who previously “saw each other only through gun sights” but came to believe that conflict can not be solved by military means. Following principles of nonviolence, they now organize activities, tours, lectures, and events for both Israeli and Palestinian audiences, with goals of better understanding of the group through active dialogue and ultimately reducing violence and conflict” (Martin, Judith. “Chapter 12: Striving For Engaged And Effective Intercultural Communication” Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 7th ed., p. 478-512)

People from different cultures are able to get along simply by having the same passion in something. For example, in the program “Brasslands” bands from all around the world come together for the Guca Trumpet Festival. People from many different cultures come to listen, compete, and dance, just because they enjoy it. “But this year there’s gonna be a competition of foreign bands” “and each foreign band, and I have no idea who’s coming, or where from, is going to play one Serbian tune, and one from their own country,” said an American brass player. Just by being able to play other cultures music, is a way of getting along. Many people come to this festival to get to witness the different types of cultures, and have an open mind about each one.

“Brasslands” https://www-newday-com.camdencc.idm.oclc.org/streaming/index.php?film=BRA-01&license=8BJX-4EUS-335E

[cccintercultural]

How can people from different cultures get along?

The documentary, "My So Called Enemy" primarily takes place in a camp in North Jersey called "Building Bridges For Peace." The camp allows people from the Middle East, primarily the Israel-Palestine area, to come together. The camp acts as a safe haven away from a war torn area where people are able to talk, get to know each other, and process their emotions during a difficult time. While at the camp, the girls are able to get along due to effective and controlled dialogue. According to the text, dialogue helps people get along because it allows them “to recognize and embrace our connectedness even to people who are different from us, we have to engage in true dialogue (Nakayama 480).

As soon as the girls got to know each other, dialogue was able to be made. The most notable dialogue happened outside when the girls had a disagreement over a school bombing that occurred. One group felt like they and their people were being blamed for the incident even though they were not directly involved. Another group felt as if they were the plain not being heard. To paraphrase what one girl in the documentary, Rezan, said: she saw no point in speaking at all if nobody was going to be heard. She said this because communication is what allows people from other cultures to get along. Without communication we, as a global society, remain lost. A counselor at Building Bridges For Peace refers to their close knit as a circle and says it can be made bigger and encourages the girls to continue to do so as they leave, through communication.

Sources:

"My So Called Enemy"

Intercultural Communication In Context (Nakayama)

[cccintercultural]

“ How can people from different cultures get along?”

People from other cultures can get along by being aware of their surroundings and others who may have different cultural backgrounds and how they might act or think. For example, in the book “ Intercultural Communication” by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nayakama, a situation occurred where someone’s friend happened to be gay and they did not see it as wrong or right but when jokes were made they laughed about it. However, as their friendship grew over the years, they soon gained understanding of the person and started to respect that person’ s way of life and supported their friend. The word that they used to relate to this topic was the word “Other-knowledge” which means “ to have knowledge about how other people think and behave and to help to become a more effective communicator.” To steer clear of stereotyping , it is more sufficient to be cautious of how people from different cultures interact.

I can connect this specific example to the problem between Hanin and Gal. As I watching the video called “My So-Called Enemy”, I came across their problem as most intriguing and the one issue which has a solution to it. In the beginning of the video, Hanin was asking Gal “ After the Holocaust, do you now know why its important for Jews to come to Israel?” and Gal goes onto say” Why should they come from Europe to Israel to disturb the peace and kick people out of their houses, when there are other places to go?” The solution to the problem is for both Hanin and Gal to be aware of each others backgrounds and to come to the conversation with open minds. From watching the video, at the beginning of them getting to know each other they were enclosed and skeptical of each other’s beliefs  but as time passed they grew an understanding and respect for each other’s cultural backgrounds. In conclusion, when trying to get along with people from different cultures always be available to ask questions and to respect everyone because at the end of the day we are all human. 

Seventh Edition of “Intercultural Communication” written by Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nayakama pgs. 482-483

[cccintercultural]

Why do people from different cultures misunderstand each other?

“Misconception” (Soufena Hamed)

With over seven billion people on the planet, it is virtually impossible for every single person to get along. We are all different individuals with our own experiences and beliefs, and sometimes, those beliefs can clash with someone else’s. Understanding how conflict occurs is vital to understanding the different values and ways of communication of people from different cultures, and shows why people misunderstand each other. Conflict is not only about simple disagreements between people. Conflicts among groups are often complex and intricate; many are rooted in generational differences, deep historical influences, or political, religious, and cultural dimensions. 

In the past few years, we have seen a growing anti-Muslim movement across the United States. This is largely fueled by anti-Muslim narratives, pushed by people with vast political power, and because of growing fear in response to the refugee crisis of 2015 to today. Small groups of people have been turning to protest because they feel that the Muslim community is a threat to “American values”. Quoted in the article written by Narij Warikoo, of the Detroit Free Press, Mayor Jack O'Reilly says, “The demonstration is not really a forum for honest dialogue, and anything that intensifies emotions will only intensify conflict”. When they approach the conflict aggressively and deny those they are attacking the chance to speak for themselves, they clearly demonstrate that their goal is nothing more than to threaten the Muslim community. The anti-Muslim protesters claim that their values and morals are different, but at the end of the day, we know that just like these protesters are a small portion of a much more accepting community, the Islamic extremists that the protesters fear are also only a small portion of the Muslim community. In the textbook Intercultural Communications in Context, this is summed up by the statement, “Media can exacerbate conflict on all levels… as with any generalization, we must be careful not to stereotype.” We have more in common than many would like to admit, and open-mindedness is needed on all sides.

[cccintercultural]

Why do people from different cultures misunderstand each other?

Throughout history, man has created problems for himself, and a lot of these problems have often come from relationships with other men. People tend to discriminate one another, and because of this tempting inclination to separate and divide, long lasting conflicts tend to exist in the world.

 One example of one these conflicts that manifested in the world at a time was the attack on Prabhjot Singh, an American Sikh professor and doctor at Columbia University, in Harlem, New York when a group of young men on their bikes began to beat him because of the way he dressed in his religious attire, calling him a ‘terrorist’. Without a doubt, when one reads about this story one can only see the magnitude of stereotype and prejudice that is involved in this incident, and for it to happen in Harlem, New York should bring light to the reality that these things happen right in front us.

These stereotypes and prejudices can often stem from widely held beliefs that can build the framework of our ideological structure when planted at a young age, or they can be frameworks that one wrongly uses to try and make sense of the world and the overwhelming amount of information that we interact with daily. With much more reading, i found to be the case that “stereotypes can also develop out of negative experiences. If we have unpleasant encounters with people, we may generalize that unpleasantness to include all members of that group, whatever group characteristic we focus on (e.g. race, gender, or sexual orientation.” Pg. 209, Intercultural Communications in Contexts, 7th Edition, Judith Martin and Thomas Nakayama.

[cccintercultural]

Why do people from different cultures misunderstand each other?

Culture is defined as the arts, custom, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group. With that being said, it is very easy to miss construe an unfamiliar culture. According to The Relationship Between Culture and Communication Section on page 95 in Chapter 3 from Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama’s Fifth Edition of Intercultural Communications in Contexts, cultural values are the worldview of a culture group and its set of deeply held beliefs. It is also stated that cultural conflicts are caused by differences in value orientations and that some values may be more priveliged and vver. The day you were born it’s an automatic induction into a culture, and this can alter religious believes, birthrights, and even first languages before you even learn how to walk. The culture that you know is heavily influenced by your upbringing as well as the company you keep. Culture is usually shaped by tradition and customs.

But usually with misunderstanding a culture, conflict arises. For example, the attack against Sikh professor Prabhjot Singh sparked controversy. The assailants shouted racial obscenities and ant-muslim slurs while attacking Professor Singh. What these attackers believed was that Professor Singh fit the description of a terrorist. What they fail to realize is that most Muslims, whether they’ve migrated or were naturally born here, want to be able to be themselves peacefully and bring a piece of home wherever they are. Most protestors don’t understand the Islamic religion and often associate it with terrorism. This creates a sense of ignorance

As for the attackers, it would be imperative if they’d try to practice peace or to try to understand one’s culture before lashing out and doing the unthinkable. Their dominating style of conflict (pg. 438 Chapter 11 intercultural Communications in Contexts, 7th Edition, Judith N. Martin and Thomas K. Nakayama) was achieved because they instilled fear into this man’s family. They don’t understand the magnitude and the severity of the situation, and how this could land them in jail.

Keep reading

[cccintercultural]

Why Do People From Different Cultures Misunderstand Each Other?

Alyssa Barrett

I believe people from different cultures misunderstand each other because the characteristics of a group of people vary from culture to culture. In “jogging alone”, the jogger was doing something she thought was normal and acceptable- jogging by herself. Though it is typical to jog alone in American culture, it was seen as strange in the eyes of the Dominicans around her. In their culture, people are expected to spend a lot of time around other people. That is why the Dominicans wanted the American jogger to stop and chat. They even offered for their children to jog with her so that she wouldn’t be alone.

Although the Dominicans thought they were doing nice things for her, they didn’t understand that she actually enjoyed jogging by herself so that she could focus on her goal of jogging a long distance. The Dominicans and the American did not understand why each had a different viewpoint on how jogging should be done. However, when situations like this occur between cultures, facilitated intergroup dialogue can help. Page 471 of Intercultural Communication in Contexts describes facilitated intergroup dialogue as dialogue between groups that focuses not on persuading, but on speaking and being understood, with the goal of truly understanding the opposing viewpoint. This tool for understanding each other in could be helpful in the jogging situation. If it is used, the Dominicans may not be as insistent on the jogger making many stops, and the jogger may be more willing to make some stops to socialize with the Dominicans. If people from different cultures focused not on persuading each other but on learning about one another’s viewpoints, they may be able to understand each other better.

https://www2.pacific.edu/sis/culture/pub/1.2.4-_Activity_-_Individualhw2.htm

Martin, Judith N., And Thomas K. Nakayama. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. Pg 471. 7th Ed.

[cccintercultural]

Marlee Neumann - Why do people from different cultures misunderstand each other?

     People from different cultures tend to misunderstand each other when they move to a different country but refrain from adapting to the culture they moved into. It is common for anyone to practice the culture they were born into throughout their lives, however if they resist the new culture they become a part of, they will often misunderstand the people of that culture. For example, in Joan Mandell’s documentary film Tales from Arab Detroit, one Arab man struggles to understand his teenage daughter who was raised in America. His daughter is proud of being Arab, but lives like an American teenager, going to high school football games and hanging out with friends.

     In the film, the man states that he does not want his daughter to become a “7-Eleven girl,” describing them as young Arab-American girls who hang out in 7-Eleven parking lots. His daughter insisted that she was not a “7-Eleven girl,” and felt like she had to prove herself to be a nice girl to her father. The textbook Intercultural Communications in Contexts describes some challenges of intercultural relationships. “…Stereotypes are a way of categorizing and processing information but are detrimental when they are negative and held rigidly” (Martin & Nakayama, 399). Stereotyping is a way for this Arab man to categorize the young Arabs growing up in America, but this leads to misunderstanding between him and people like his daughter.