>That is interesting, Charlotte. Having never had the opportunity to >grow up in -- or even visit -- Hawaii, I would have never known of that >culture clash. > >Thinking about it, I am sure there are other cases where the same clash >would occur. I am equally sure that I would be unlikely to anticipate >all of them. A relative, who works for the State Department, tells me >that they have courses for people being assigned to overseas embassies >-- sometimes, rather extensive courses. I also know that the military >has recognized a need for specific instruction in such matters. > >Serious question: When cultures clash on matters of this sort (manners, >expectations, appropriate behaviors, etc.), who decides which culture is >to acquiesce to the other? (Assuming we do not want a court to decide.)
Hi John, I don't really know what happens when cultures clash. My understanding is that for individuals, when in Rome, do as the Romans. My father has business relationships worldwide, and reports adapting his interpersonal style to whereever he is (but he also wears business aloha shirts whereever he goes -- part of his signature). Hawaii had a lot of immigrants arrive from different countries at roughly the same time, to work in the cane fields. Linguistically, the result was a creole language, Hawaiian "pidgin," which like any true creole has consistent grammatical rules. It's built largely on English grammar and the majority of words are English, but a substantial proportion are Hawaiian or Japanese or... It would have been built on English because that is what the plantation owners spoke. Food-wise, the result was fusion. I think the Smithsonian catalog has offered a book on the food history of Hawaii or something like that. Social mores aren't recorded as history, but I suppose the most common elements across cultures become widely adopted. Hawaii's population is about a quarter Japanese, a quarter Chinese, some Korean... That means more than half East Asian, and common cultural practices could readily have been reinforced. Saving face is a particularly Japanese concept, or so I was given to understand as a child, but it seems likely that some form of the idea is present in other Asian cultures as well. At the same time, the various ethnicities certainly do retain distinct identities. Frank De Lima is or was a brilliant comedian who based many of his sketches on the various peculiarities of each ethnic group, for example contrasting (and exaggerating) how each would approach the same situation. Part of the appeal is the shock of recognition when one considers oneself and one's neighbors. Charlotte -- =============================================== Charlotte F. Manly, Ph.D. Psychological & Brain Sciences Assistant Professor 317 Life Sciences Bldg ph: (502) 852-8162 University of Louisville fax: (502) 852-8904 Louisville, KY 40292 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.louisville.edu/a-s/psychology/ http://www.louisville.edu/~cfmanl01 USE 40208 ZIP CODE FOR FEDEX --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
