BIS 401 484: Internship 2017

Discussion Board # 1

5/15/17

1) What did you think of the video? Were you able to step outside of your thoughts
and behavioral patterns and reserve a part of your mental capacity to listen to
and monitor your internal reactions as a means of gaining a deeper insight into the
nature of yourself? Whats your perspective on this notion of self awareness in the
present moment as a tool to learn more about yourself? Was this radical
experiment an effective one in terms of helping you understand the concept of
empathy? Also, what connections to the concept of cultural humility come to
mind? (Write at least several well-developed paragraphs - very short answers are
NOT sufficient!)

I loved Sam Richards video. It was truly enlightening and did an excellent job bringing
me back down to realityto Earth. When he first started talking, I remembered that I
hadnt actively pursued empathy in a long time so I eagerly listened to his experiment
and encouraged myself to step outside of my own shoes and really listen to the words
he was speaking. It was hard to gauge my internal reactions because of the
connection that I have with the U.S. military (my boyfriend is a U.S. Marine and that
impacts a lot of how I feel). However, despite this conflict of interest, I didnt find it too
hard to initially step outside of my own shoes in this experiment. I have long been critical
of U.S. military intervention so it wasnt too hard for me to try to imagine how an
average Arab-Muslim Iraqi citizen might feel about U.S. intervention. However, what
was hard for me to grasp was his connection of this empathy experiment to radical
forces who are trying to kill American troops. It is hard, as an American and as someone
who loves a member of the U.S. forces, to understand the drive behind pro-killing
sentiments of a minority of local Iraqi people. Looking at that image of the widowed
military wife crying over her husbands flag really sparked a deep connection within me
and when Richards said of the woman, What I want you to do is picture her as a
Chinese woman receiving a Chinese flag because her loved one has died in America
in the coal uprising I didnt know what to think. I didnt know how Id feel. And that
scared me. The fact that I could ever look at any person suffering at the loss of the
person they loved and not know how I feel about it (and certainly never relate it to my
own experiences), reveals just how blinded we are by our own biasby our lack of
empathy.

This moment, in particular, captured my need to become more self-aware. I have a

keen insight into what, in my life, makes me happy and adds valueand a large part of
being self-aware and displaying cultural humility is understanding and knowing that
other people around the world (seen and unseen) have the desire for the same
happiness and value in their lives.

I thought that this experiment was extremely effective in helping me better understand
empathy. Its one thing to step into someone elses shoes into a fictitious situation that
you will likely never have to experience, but stepping into the shoes of someone who
may go through the same struggles as youjust on the opposite end of the spectrum
is an entirely different challenge. Sam Richards challenged me to view my values as
they exist on every spectrum, in every mind, and within different realities.

2) Whenever we travel abroad, we experience differences in perspective and ways of

thinking. Sometimes we may feel that others are judging us inappropriately based
on our appearance, our ability to communicate with locals, and our nationality
(there's no shortage of stereotypes regarding the "typical" American - and, as an
easily identifiable American, you will hear a lot about Donald Trump and American
politics during your stay in Europe). So, take a moment to consider how other
cultures / countries may view Americans. Do some informal research (on the
internet or perhaps talking with people who you know who have spent a significant
amount of time in foreign countries), and answer the following questions: A) What
are some perspectives or attitudes, positive and negative, that you believe
Europeans (or, more specifically, central / eastern Europeans) may have about
Americans? (cite your sources); and B) What are some things you can do to
integrate more effectively into the local culture - and avoid being labeled with some
of the negative stereotypes that Europeans may have about Americans? (Write at
least several well-developed paragraphs for EACH question above - very short
answers are NOT sufficient!)

A) In order to answer this question, I will pull from a few different sources. I will first cite
my own opinions based off of my experiences abroad and the people Ive come in
contact with, and then I will cite the opinions I found on research databases and
informational sites.
From what Ive experienced, there arent too great of hostilities towards Americans. I
think that it is common to find greater hostility within the older generation rather than
the younger one. Older generations, having seen a lot of American imperialism and
neocolonialism, can be resentful of, condescending toward, and critical of Americans.
Within a more globalized world society, younger generations are finding more in
common with and are better able to connect with Americans. This creates a positive
feeling toward the U.S. and Americans as a whole. But, in general, there is no one
specific trend that Ive encountered. Ive had some Europeans be really intrigued by
my nationality and inquisitive of my culture and thoughts and Ive also experienced the
opposite side of the spectrum. Ive witnessed people show resentment for me for no
particular reason (on my end) and Ive heard tales from friends who have studied
abroad about people having yelled at them often (these are Czech people),
degraded them, and even spit on them. A lot of these types of reactions can seem
uncalled for and may cause confusion but, also, I have seen Americans blatantly
disrespect Europeans and disregard their wishes. Ive been a restaurant where fellow
Americans (and unfortunately friends of mine) were playing with fire and started a small
fire in the restaurant. There are many Americans worthy of their stereotype and many
who are notit all boils down to the fact that Americans are everywhere. Every culture
has encountered some experience with Americans and that type of large-scale
exposure is going to wield both positive and negative opinions.

Looking online, Daily Mail (based in the UK) did a segment on how people in different
countries really feel about Americans. Entitled, America Around the World, the
journalists visited with people from all over the world who explained in a few sentences
what they thought of Americans. From a woman in Addis Ababa stating it was
paradise, a woman in Bangkok saying Americans are obese, an Australian woman
saying Americans are nave about the world, a German woman describes a
stereotype of Americans as dumb, a man from Dubai raves about American pop
culture, a French woman says Americans always think they are right, a woman from
Shanghai speaks about the idea of the American dream, and a man from New Delhi
associates America with freedom (Townsend, 2015). As one can see, these
descriptions are extremely diverse and tend to paint Americans in a variety of light. A
second source I referred to was the World Economic Forum. In a piece titled, What
does the world think of America?, the WEC, citing the PEW Research Center, tracked
international opinion of the US over a number of years. The results show varying
responses and levels of support for American decisions abroad. All of the 16 nations
studied supported the American response and campaign against ISIS, most of the
nations surveyed perceive the U.S. as a global power, Europeans overwhelmingly
expressed negative feelings about Donald Trump, a majority of citizens around the
world see Americans as optimistic and hardworking (80% in Spain), and the majority of
European countries dont see Americans as tolerant (Torkington, 2016). While this study
only focused on Europeans, it reveals quite a bit about the different responses toward
American from our own Allies. This begs the question about what the rest of the world
thinks of us.

B) In order to integrate more effectively into the Czech culture, I can make a point of
not revolving situations around myself or judging anything off of my own experiences.
Rather, I can frame everything I see/hear/experience through the culture that I am in.
Americans have a tendency to make it all about themselves and I will actively seek to
avoid doing that. In my interview with my employers, I mentioned how interested I was
in viewing sustainability problems outside the scope of my own backyard and outside
of the United States. They were surprised by that answer and seemed happy that I was
attempting to view their country and culture above my own. I think that these types of
exchanges are they key to crushing these deleterious American stereotypes and it just
takes a lot of self-awareness and a big dose of empathy.

TOWNSEND, CATHERINE (2015 SEPTEMBER, 14) DUMB, OBESE AND VERY PATRIOTIC': PEOPLE FROM AROUND

THE WORLD REVEAL WHAT THEY REALLY THINK ABOUT AMERICANS IN BRUTALLY-HONEST VIDEO.

RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK/FEMAIL/ARTICLE-3234105/DUMB-OBESE-

PATRIOTIC-PEOPLE-WORLD-REVEAL-REALLY-THINK-AMERICANS-BRUTALLY-HONEST-VIDEO.HTML

TORKINGTON, SIMON (2016 OCTOBER, 10) WHAT DOES THE WORLD THINK OF AMERICA?. RETRIEVED

FROMHTTPS://WWW.WEFORUM.ORG/AGENDA/2016/10/WHAT-WORLD-THINKS-OF-UNITED-STATES/

3) How can practicing the concepts of empathy and cultural humility (and
understanding something about the history, culture, and traditions of a people /
place) allow us to see a clearer view of reality? Along these lines, to what extent do
you believe empathy and cultural humility are practiced by the worlds political
leaders, and what suggestions might you have for them? Be specific, use
examples. (Write at least several well-developed paragraphs - very short answers
are NOT sufficient!)
Most of the worlds problems are based off the idea that everyone in the world is so
irreconcilably different that we cant possibly get along, agree, come to compromise,
or let alone understand the position of the other. However, if more people employed
the tactics of empathy and cultural humility, they would understand what exactly those
differences are, why they exist, and how, underneath all those differences, there lies the
same core values. By understanding culture, tradition, and history, we are able to more
clearly understand the thoughts, opinions, actions, and impetus behind peoples
worldviews. The more aware, the greater the care.

I do not believe that empathy or cultural humility are effectively practiced by the
worlds leaders. Most leaders are too concerned with their nationalistic persona that
they are not encouraged or brave enough to address a global society. The United
States (though a special and rare case) is the perfect example of this. America First
ensures that Americans never escape their stereotypes and that the world never comes
together collectively. I would suggest that leaders become more aware of the
interconnectedness of the world, accept its reality, realize its importance, discover that
this does not threaten their own countrys validity, and find ways to utilize an ideal of
cohesion in order to create a more perfect union and a more perfect world.

4) Finally, I want your ideas for steps you will take (prior to leaving for Europe, and
while you are there on program) to enhance your own worldview; to become a
more global citizen. Assignment 1 asks you to set some goals for your time on the
program, and you can just summarize here (for support and future conversations with
me and your fellow classmates) your goals and plans related to improving your
intercultural competencies.

To utilize the gifts I have been given, and opportunities Ive had to both provide more
clarity in my life and to give as much of myself as I can to the worldto be able to
identify my purpose, seek experience, and provide a passionate result. I aim to push
beyond my personal boundaries, accept change, stare down discomfort, welcome
enriching experiences, and have the faith in myself needed to provide success for
myself, my employer, and my loved ones.