One example which showed intercultural conflict was a true event I watched on National Geographic Channel. It spoke of a Caucasian lady who was imprisoned in Thailand for drug trafficking across state lines. When she first arrived in the prison cell, there were many other inmates in the waiting cell and most were lying on the ground or seated on the floor. She wanted to get over to the other side to a quiet spot. While trying to get across, she was not aware of the position of her feet and unintentionally walked over the heads of some of the Thais. By the time she got to the other side, she realized the entire cell was glaring at her in eerie silence but she was ignorant to what just happened. She was beaten up by the inmates and the fight only stopped when one Thai stood up to defend her.
To the Thais, our feet are considered to be the lowest and dirtiest part of the body and we should never point our feet at someone let alone raise our foot higher than someone's head. Being unaware of cultural differences put us in a perilous position when we are on foreign ground as we may appear rude and offend locals without knowing. Effective interpersonal communication includes excelling in intercultural communication as they are inherently intertwined. To ace interpersonal communication, we must possess cultural sensitivity first.
Here is a short video which I found on youtube to end on a lighter note. It contains the commercial that Dr Radhika mentioned in class and I found it really amusing. Enjoy!
Hello Kaylyn, your post is very interesting and the example you have given is unique in a sense and it is something new that I have learned through reading your post. You have given concrete examples on how the lack of cultural understanding has serve as a barrier to allow successful intercultural communication to be made through your post and short video clip.
ReplyDeleteThough the video clip does not apply to the Singapore's society, I feel that it will be extremely useful and relevant if we were to travel to any of those countries and it also teaches us that what applies to our own country's context may not necessarily apply in another country. Hence, we should do our research on the internet before embarking on a trip to a foreign country. It is also important to be sensitive to the culture of others to ensure that successful intercultural communication is achieved.
I agree with Jolene. The situation was indeed a unique one as not many people would experience being locked up in a jail cell with a bunch of Thais (let's hope). While I must admit that what the caucasian lady did was extremely disrespectful, I do have sympathy for her.
ReplyDeleteOn that note, I feel that intercultural communication should be a notion of give and take by both parties. The Thais could have given the caucasian lady the benefit of the doubt as she is not Thai, and would not know the Thai traditions and customs, as well as taboos. That being said, perhaps this would be possible in a less dangerous situation, such as in an area other than a jail cell, or if the offending gesture were something less severe like stepping on somebody's head. (Let's face it. Regardless of culture, anyone would be mad at that)
Sidetracking slightly, I happened to feature the same video in my blogpost. While entertaining, it was also educational as I myself did not know of many of the cultural practices and understandings.
All in all, this blogpost was a good read.
Nazyra
I totally agree with both Nazyra and Jolene that your post was both insightful and interesting- keep it up Kaylyn.
ReplyDelete