“Figuring Foreigners Out”
The book “Figuring Foreigners Out” was written by Graig Storti to help you understand why people of other countries think and act the way they do. We live and work in a multicultural world so it is important to know about other cultures, religions, ethnicities and traditions. Basically this book can help you to learn about them. I agree with Storti about the notion that “Cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity are no longer just the subjects of college course but they are basic survival skills for almost everyone” (p,3). On the other hand, I disagree with Storti’s notion that “It is not possible to talk about culture, about groups of people, without making generalizations” (p, 4). I think it is not a good idea to make generalization and assumptions about other cultures or religions. Generalization leads to misunderstanding and stereotypes about other cultures, religions and ethnicities. It is important to have facts and accurate information and knowledge about other cultures, religions and people of different backgrounds.
What is culture? The first chapter of the books starts with the definition of culture. Storti defines culture as “the shared assumptions, values and beliefs of a group of people which result in characteristics behaviors” (p, 5). Chapter one ends with three exercises to make the readers ready for the coming chapters. I like the definition of culture but I disagree with the idea of “the shared assumption”. I think there should not be assumptions about or within cultures. Culture is the way different people live, think, worship, and speak and more. Culture is beautiful and different and there is nothing to assume about them. You can learn about them though. For example, culture and religion has nothing to do with Al-Qaeda but many people in the US assume that all Muslims are terrorists and their religion is the cause of it. Another example is the KKK in the US. Many people abroad might assume that all White and Christian Americans were part of this extremist group. It is not like that. All Muslims are not terrorists and all White Americans were not part of KKK. Ninety nine percent of Muslims and White Americans hate these both fanatic and extremist groups. None of them represent the two nations and religions. See how assumption and generalization leads to misunderstandings and stereotypes about other cultures and religions. Facts and accurate knowledge and information are important about cultures. Over all, I like the book and the exercises. It definitely makes one to think and to learn about other cultures.
Comments
Angela, I agree with you. Some stereotypes can lead to wrong conclusions, but I think what the author was trying to say is that we all make assumptions and use stereotypes without even being aware of our thought process. I think the awareness of this could be helpful in avoiding making generalizations based on assumptions.