INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          GUT LEVEL REACTIONS

• “Gut level reaction” of how I think & feel about what he wrote about the U.S.

Sincerely, first think that comes to my mind is the fact that the time that took Robert Khols to investigate, The Values Americans Live By, deserves value and admiration.

• How he expressed it? It is maybe a generality but I think one size fits all American values in these thirteen observations by Mr. Khol. He is been honest and assertive.

Write an objective analysis of each value.

1. Personal Control Over the
   Environment/Responsibility

Positive: In what respect to Christianity, does God control our future and every action we make through fate, or is there a combination of free will? How would you explain this somewhat philosophical debate in terms of Christianity’s beliefs?

Perhaps unrelated, yet it has been on my universe for some time. If Judaism didn’t have any idea of hell and Christianity was provided to the world from him, who was himself a Jew, how is it that Christians belief in hell? Why something as important for punishing would will be left out from the Old Testament and suddenly appear in the new?

Negative: I wonder what Elie Wiesel or an American soldier would think if you call him backward primitive or hopelessly naïve because they both believe in destiny (fate). As Wiesel has noted, “that day I encountered the first American soldiers in the Buchenwald concentration camp. I remember them well. Bewildered, disbelieving, they walked around the place, hell on earth, where our destiny had been played out.

Negative: Why if Americans don’t believe in fate? Why then some folktales indoctrinate us how useless it is to try to evade fate. One (from Minister-in-Sheppey, Kent) tells how a man killed his horse because a prophecy that it would cause his death- and so it did, much later, when he kicked its skull, cut his foot on a splintered bone, and died of blood-poisoning (Westwood, 1985:97-9).

2. Change Seen as a Natural and Positive

Positive: I can tend to agree with Mr. Kohls regarding what he means by change that indeed means a positive view for the minds of many Americans. The most fundamental idea in Scientology is called the Cycle of Action. It is apparency as follows: create, then

                                                                                                                        survive, then destroy. First there is creation. Then this followed by survival. Then this followed by destruction.  The image above can best illustrate my point.

Negative: The cycle of action could also be defined as Create-Stop-Change.

Although I don’t disagree with the positive commentary towards change seeing it from the first perspective neither I disagree with the second point of view seeing it from the perspective of the more traditional American Culture. For instance if my dad lived in the United States of America I don’t think that he would want to change anything in his life. Nor his way of dressing, diet, hair style, language, beliefs, customs, his façade and heritage this attributes may not be valued as important for others but for sure worshiped by my dad. 

So my definition of change is as follows: when change is too rapid, both ‘beigness’ and ‘havingness’ suffer. When change is too slow, both ‘beingness’ and ‘havingness’ suffer. For change is essentially the redirection of energy.

Positive:

3. Time and its Control

Positive: what is time but an abstract manifestation which has not existence beyond the idea of time occasioned by objects, where an object may be either energy or matter. For a more clear analogy check out the image. I think I would like to agree with the Mexican proverb, “ Al que  madruga Dios le ayuda (early risers get God’s help…?)” for the last twenty five years that I’ve lived in the United States I noticed that factories, value (reward)  you there at work and on time even if the company has little or no production at all. Personal observations. I can appreciate American culture for this specific attribute. Maybe that is why the average American has abundance because they also wealth. Yet abundance of assets comes with being able to keep a job, have good control management of time and or scheduling. 

Negative: My parents in Mexico never really brought me up aware of why time was really an issue may be not in Mexico, in my little village or ranch but they could not anticipate that one day I will become a Citizen of the United States and time will become an important value to respect if I ever wanted to survive here in this enormous nation i.e. the United States of America. The eighteen years that I passed being raised in Mexico I never really had to work for a factory where I need to abide by punctuality. My job was paid on commission most the time. I manufacture onyx tables at my dad’s business for most of youth. I did not really have to worry about the fact that, “I am running out late for work, see ya!” like people will say in America. Another think that stroked me from living in America is that time is every one’s enemy. Everyone is always running and so friends and acquaintances never really have the time to create a long lasting relationship.  

4. Equality/Egalitarianism

Positive: Our father founders intended it that way to be able to have a free nation away from the tyrannical British government and Monarchy oppressor rulers. I am very glad and I really value: Abraham Lincoln for his Gettysburg speech that he gave to all the death soldiers who fought in the Civil War. It has been one the most famous speeches ever written in the history of this nation; America is not longer the same country and we are seeing the changes now just we the reelection of our forty four newest president. Thomas Jefferson tremendously admired for his Declaration of Independence and as Mr. Khols has researched under Equality/Egalitarianism the United States won’t be the Beacon of Light for the rest of the world without the axioms written in his most cherished document which is the Declaration of Independence.     Martin Luther King, were able to

Negative: The fact that you come from Africa and you want to be treated as a Prince.  You have your dad who is the King of Sierra Leone and you come to the United States to check things out and you run into sticky situations where you are not treated as you were treated back in your country where you have your picture on your currency and so forth.

5. Individual and Privacy

 Positive: I valued people from all walks of life. In my religious philosophy we work mostly with the Fourth Dynamic which is the Mankind dynamic. We are not alone in this vast planet our next door neighbor is our symbiont. However, today we all have to “think locally but act globally” what is that announces? Well! It does communicate the fact that we got to become more universal. Regaining power, status, wealth and individuality are good traits of the founders of New England back in the Middle Ages and that was the period of the Renaissance. Is close to a millennium after the arrival of the first settlers and we got to look for the way out of this garbage can I call Earth. Must be done collectively, we ought to work in teams groups, that is the way.

Negative:  I remembered I said in class, that I don’t share my space and or food. Well maybe that was true yesterday but your class has completely shifted my point of view toward my son in law, Derek Warden. I had an unclear position here on food and space. I thank you for helping to think differently. It was negative how I behave by labeling food in the Frigidaire and so forth but I see that Americans value sharing their food and I will, from now on too.  

6. Self-Help Control

Positive: What can I say when I have myself benefited from the greatest self-help book seller of the New York Times that is Lafayette Ronald Hubbard.  I value this attribute of the American culture tremendously; I think this nation has great humanitarian people. Although, the United States, at least, for me will not be the only place in the world to reach my dream.  I respect Americans for the fact that they are not self-important. I don’t think I have a preconception about them. I know them.

Negative: Americans know everything that it is almost impossible to share a piece of data with them. It is not the truth, you ask an American, can I help you, and their immediate reaction will be, do I have a sign on my back that says I need help? I don’t really appreciate that but every head is one world.

7. Competition and free enterprise                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Americans compete among each other these are annoying because if a group has the same ideals and purposes should support each other to emerge to valuable society.

Positive aspect: I hope that it is right that competence is driving this society to a better one; we do not of all the achievements of our society.  Competence is making it better?

Negative aspect: Americans create discord, negative relations, dishonesty, braking relationships destroying others for cause of their one’s achievements

8. Future orientation                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Americans think of tomorrow, planning for tomorrow living and hopping that tomorrow will be better. It is what I noticed in the elections. They were hoping that the new President will change the economy, the war, and the

decadency of this nation.

Positive: Thinking of the future will remove the stress of the present and will help to prepare to organize anything with a better perspective.

Negative: to belief that planning will solve a problem is sometimes not good because sometimes we miss the important details of the present.

9. Action work orientation

Americans value work because it compensate for the things they owe. Americans recognize that hard work pays. People are busy planning organizing even they find time to volunteer for others in some cases.

Positive aspect: the working class has more than one job, executives will work in weekends to finish work, its very positive aspect because shows a high level of responsibility and they are ready to change the environment and

not to be effect of it.

Negative aspect: people that work a lot does not have time for personal relationship, feel lonely, and will not have friends, will not care for who is next to him.

10. Informality

Americans now days do not even say hi come in to the building and ignore you. In the higher level they use a hi! From the country I come from a good salutation protocol is expected. Dressing is true people do not dress up properly not even at work. People do not even shower in the mornings.

Positive aspect: informality promotes freedom, friendliness, and equality.

Negative aspect: for someone who cares for old traditions formality is a sign of class and status, informality will be braking with traditions long ago established.

11. Directness, Openness and Honesty

Americans are direct you can notice this on their news casting the more horrifying crimes are in display. Although it is hard to tell that this news are honest since sometimes they only emphasize one side of the story.

Positive Aspect: Directness, openness and honesty are practical tools in decision-making. It saves time and money. Americans really on these elements since decision-making is very important aspect of Americans transactions.

Negative aspect: do not take in consideration the humanism sensibility of others, some times to be direct and honest damages relationships. Prejudice of others can lead to ruptures in relationships.

12. Americans are practical?

I do not think that this is a general rule look at the war in Iraq billions of dollars spend daily. While the education system is failing to educate the future leaders.

Positive value: certainly Americans have created better ways of living developing technology and promoting that things can change for better.

Negative aspect: It is not truth that humanism is not involved in practicality. Leonardo Da Vinci was both a person who observed how things work and created masterpieces.

Believing that we can create ways to live better lifes involves philosophy and the arts. “Dreams are created by artists’ (LRH).

13. Americans like to spend?

This society is marketing oriented. Television is the medium to promote the new. Analysis of television commercials will easily tell who is directed to. The Americans spend in things that make them feel is worth their hard work.

Other cultures that did not have a valuable things when immigrate to America   appreciate what they can afford and even buy used things.

Positive value: enforces their drive to production like a game. People benefit of this drive since production increases and products are sold.

Negative Value: Americans expend more time worrying about making payments to their lenders than desiring to have something instead of enjoying a person conversation.