Discussion Post #2

[Isaac Choe]

Figuring Foreigners Out, as well as Hofstede’s findings on cultural markers of difference were quite enjoyable to learn about. Viewing major categories as a spectrum seemed to be a good approach, such as the individualist-collectivist spectrum with which I was already familiar. This seems to be a pretty well-known differentiation between western and eastern cultures, and though I think cross-cultural interactions are beginning to blur the lines, it is still a palpable difference. I feel this mainly within families, as my parents often tell me, “Isaac, you’re our retirement plan”. Not necessarily purely in a monetary sense, but in the sense that their sacrifices for me will be reciprocated once I am able to offer such sacrifices. However, in the text, the examples given were very straightforward and overly simplified. I admittedly was not the biggest fan of having a quiz-like structure to determine which end of the spectrum a culture is since it presents culture as being something that is meant to be textually examined. Of course, being able to express how one culture views, say, time (moly/polychronic), is an exceedingly difficult task without being able to experience differences first hand. Though Hofstede’s visualizations of the globe and each country’s respective score on each measure were very enjoyable, I would like to use this information as a generalization, not an unchanging fundamental to each society. As I stated earlier, this knowledge is better understood when experienced in person, but for those who have not been able to travel to their target country, then I do think overarching perspectives are as valuable to know as specifics, such as the currency.