TESOL 103 W05 Cultural Miscommunication

In our studies for TESOL 103 we were given the below video to watch and comment on:
https://video.byui.edu/media/04%20Cultural%20Miscommunication%20/0_3aaa6xxh/28027982
This was done by a lecturer at BYU called Bro. Ivers and he gives amazing insight into the trap doors which are waiting for the culturally uneducated when you are living and working amongst many different cultures.
What came to mind whilst watching that, is there are so many cultures in the world, it would make it very difficult to study all in-depth, so,  unless I was going to be immersed in a particular culture or two, I would not clog my brain up with unnecessary information.
Living in South Africa, I have educated myself on the cultures I am surrounded by, consisting of the Afrikaners, the Xhosa, the Zulu and the Coloured cultures.
Each one offers up similarities but also have their unique characteristics. I have come to love and adore each difference and similarity and at the end of the day, it is our common traits which make us realise we are brothers and sisters.
In the lecture, Bro Ivers talks about Group Orientated vs Individualistic classrooms. I had not heard this before, but it makes perfect sense when you compare the Eastern Cultures (Group) vs. the Western Cultures (Individualistic). He went on to quote a wonderful saying from Japan, "The nail that sticks out the most gets hammered!" In other words, you do not want to be noticed, flow with the pack, do not stand out and all is good. As opposed not only America, also South Africa. You want to be the best, you want to be the leader of the pack, by excelling and the more you stick out the more successful you will be.
I love this quote by Robert Alan, "Cultural differences should not separate us from each other, but rather cultural diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity."
And as I said, it is our commonalities which unites us as family.

Comments

  1. alb8 February 2020 at 07:37

    Thank you for sharing the Robert Alan quote - that is great! It was interesting watching the videos and reflecting on cultural differences. There is a lot that we can learn from each other...maybe, at times, it wouldn't hurt Americans to be a little more humble and less individualistic! My oldest son is having a lot of success on the basketball court at the moment, and he's received a lot of recognition for it. This has made him a target for the teams he plays against, since they have all heard of what he can do. And I know the fallout waiting to happen when he has an off-game or doesn't produce the way he has been - it will be hard for him to take and for us to watch him take it. While I don't ever want my children to lessen their goals or to not give it their all, sometimes it would be easier if we focused more on the group instead of one person. But then we wouldn't be who we are...a lovely catch-22!

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