According to LaRay M. Barna there are six “stumbling blocks in intercultural communication”; these include nonverbal misunderstandings, preconceptions and stereotypes, assumption of similarities, language differences, judgment, and anxiety. In the two weeks that I have lived in the Czech Republic, I have certainly experienced each one of these stumbling blocks. But as clear cut as they seem written on paper, they become less clear in life and application.
I think the most difficult aspect of these stumbling blocks is the contradicting nature of “assumption of similarities” with “preconceptions and stereotypes”. One is encouraged through the works of Edward T. Hall, author of Beyond Culture, and Barna to learn about other cultural patterns and perspectives through primary sources in order to increase one’s cross-cultural understanding. Hall provides an example in his book Beyond Culture, to help illustrate his point. He describes a situation where he put up a fence and within a few days his neighbor, who is Latino, pulled a portion of it down. Initially Hall was annoyed but then he realized that his neighbor’s communication styles were different than Hall’s American style. Hall explained that in certain cultures such as Latino cultures, confrontation is generally avoided; in general, the first step to resolving a problem is action with direct communication being a last resort. This is the exact opposite of American communication styles. Thus it was appropriate within Latino culture for his neighbor to remove the portion of the fence that Hall had accidentally put on the neighbor’s property. Hall concluded that had he not known about the differences in communication, he might have viewed his neighbor as rude. But since Hall understood the communication rules of that Latino culture, he was better able to accept the way in which his neighbor communicated with him.
However, critics say that seeking and gathering such knowledge is in itself the creation of stereotypes and preconceptions or is at least a slippery slope towards stereotyping. What is the difference between stereotyping and cultural understanding? Certainly there are cultural differences between communities of people. Discussing and understanding these differences are important, in order for other cultures to understand each other. I have often believed that it is important to strive for cultural understanding. But am I wrong? Are those of us, believing we are striving for cultural understanding actually purveyors of stereotyping?
These questions have plagued me these two weeks here in Prague. My working draft on this issue seems to conclude that when individuals notice a trend in a society and stop there without seeking additional clarification or detail; then it is stereotyping. However, if an individual notices a trend and then seeks to clarify or find out if the individual’s interpretation is valid, then that is the process towards cultural understanding. It takes the generalization to the next step, an elevation above stereotyping. For example, I noticed that Czech people speak much more softly than Americans. I could have left my observation there and created a simple generalization, which would have become a stereotype within my mind. But instead I asked a Czech person and he explained that Czechs do not need to take up that much space. He said often Czech's view American’s as rude because they use their voices to take up a lot of space. Now I have greater understanding about why Czech people tend to speak quieter than Americans. But I can not take that to be an absolute. It is a working understanding and through-out my time here, it should be my responsibility to learn more and to continue to develop an even greater understanding. I think the keys to cultural understanding versus stereotyping are to remember there is always more to learn and never pass judgment. Simply because a generalization may seem reliable does not mean it is valid, constant retesting is necessary to ensure one’s understanding of cultural patterns are valid and not just reliable.
Erin McLaughlin
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