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I still remember the shock I got when I first moved here. What a terribly superficial culture this country has, I thought. The way people treat each other, especially in conversations! At the beginning they ask you: "How are you?" But beware! They don't really want to know how you are, and if you make the mistake of actually giving them a detailed account of your well-being, they'll shun you for weeks. On the other hand, you're required to immediately embrace all new acquaintances with the standard "Nice to meet you." Maybe you weren't even in the mood to meet somebody at this particular moment, and if she or he turns out to be just another perfectly intolerable human being, then you lied to the entire world around you! I had some serious objections to this whole game. Unfortunately, even I am human and realized that it was either going to be adaptation or getting the heck out of this country, and my finances narrowed it down to the first choice.
In addition to my little blunders with American small talk, I also had quite a few instances of misunderstandings, and it certainly was not because my English wasn't fluent! I could tell you about the time I had an enticing little talk with a seriously cute guy who threw me a "I'll call you later" at the end of the conversation. Dummy me, sat by the phone the rest of the evening waiting for him to call. Is this an instance of gendered communication, or is it just a sign of the "American" times? How often do we use these vague phrases to be non-committal with almost anybody? These sentences have lost any actual meaning; they're an easy, "polite" way out of any situation. We refuse to give a concrete answer and therefore we can't be tied down to any kind of commitment. It's a good way to...
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...erstood! -- by the opposite sex I would like men to be on the lookout for these revolutionary and radical women because, after all, we women have the power to send you all back to your beloved "caves"!
Works Cited
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Tannen, Deborah. "'Put Down That Paper and Talk to Me: Rapport-Talk and Report-Talk." Writing the World: Reading and Writing about Issues of the Day. Ed. Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 8-16.
Troernel-Ploetz, Senta. "Selling the Apolitical". Writing the World: Reading and Writing about Issues of the Day. Ed. Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck MacDonald. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 67-73.
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When Marquez argues that “being and American has very little to with what language we use during our free time in a free country”, she is completely right (207). The language that you speak at home or with your family should not matter, as long as you’re not rude and do not speak that language to people who do not understand, there should not be a problem (Marquez 208). People need to understand that when you speak Spanish to your family it’s not an attempt to be rude, but it’s a matter of respect (Marquez 208). Although it may appear to be rude to speak Spanish in public, that was never the intention of the speaker.
It can be said that in many cases, the job of the author is to reflect the values and norms of the society in which he or she lives. As we consider the new millennium, we see that much has changed in the way of societal norms including the aging of the baby boomers, and an increased awareness of religious, gender, and racial differences. Politically, citizens have become increasingly disenfranchised (Bill Clinton’s sexual escapades may have been one cause of this) and, America has positioned itself as a top world leader.
I have been in this country for almost three months now. One of the biggest challenges is getting along peacefully with the native population. To Americans one of the most important things is to make sure that no one gets insulted or hurt and that everyone is heard. Some would go to the extent of not revealing their true opinion, in order to avoid confrontation. In some group discussion decisions, if reached at all, are made after making long, tedious conversation about the topic at hand. While there are some merits to this kind of behavior, other aspects of interpersonal aspects are lost, such as frankness and being open to one another. Sitting among other international students enhances these observations by listening to the so-called “outsiders” talk amongst themselves. On one occasion a fellow student tried to explain something to his friend from another foreign country that he had different opinions from him on a certain subject, talking and describing the matter and “beating around the bush” as they say, when all of a sudden the listener said,” Just say what you think – don’t be an American.” I was amazed that someone noticed or thought the same way I did.
Although today’s America in many ways has changed into a new society. Immigrants desire to move to America because they have freedom of religion, a chance to rise from poverty, and a new beginning. According to Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur in from Letters from an American Farmer, ‘’ A country that had no bread for him, whose fields produced him no harvest, who met with nothing but the frowns of the rich, the severity of the laws, with jails and punishments; who owned not a single foot of the extensive surface of this planet? No! Urged by a variety of motives, here they came (148). Immigrants have a need to move to America to have a better future. As immigrants look on America they see that it’s a way out of getting a new life.
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at least I know I'm free." Freedom is the founding pillar of the American self-
Differences in culture make country has its own traditional customs. Wedding, an extremely important event on one's life, has specific ritual observances. However, thanks to the cultural exchange, Vietnam wedding customs and those of a foreign country – America, have both similarities and differences.
Gray, John. Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. New York: Harper Collins, 1992.
Mill, John Stuart. Philosophy of Woman: An Anthology of Classic to Current Concepts. Ed. Mary Briody Mahowald. Indianapolis [etc.: Hackett, 1994. 151-70.
Patterson, K. (2002). Crucial conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high. New York: McGraw-Hill.