Dimensions of Culture Values and Communication

Running head: Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication

Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication

Bob Dussault

University of Phoenix

Abstract

The author will examine culture, values and communication by exploring his own experiences. Experiences reviewed are feeling at odds with a cultural norm, perceptions regarding a group that are excluded from the dominant culture, and situations where being categorized as a cultural outsider might provide benefit.

Dimensions of Culture, Values, and Communication

Communication, as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Education (2001), is the successful transmission of information though a common system of symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or signals. The culture in which we have grown up and the values that were taught to us by our family and community affect the way we communicate with others. Since no two of us share exactly the same experiences and we may come from different cultures, religions, or geographical regions communication can sometimes be difficult. I would like to examine some of my own personal experiences to illustrate.

As an obese person I have faced many challenges over the years. From my earliest recollections, I can remember television and magazine ads that stress the importance of looking the best you can, anything less is just not “normal”. Those kinds of influences color people’s opinions of others that don’t fit the popular definition of normal causing all kinds of prejudices. One example of such a prejudice from a recent study from Rice University, Master (2005), shows that sales clerks at convenience stores act unfriendly, neglect to smile, avoid eye contact and end interactions prematurely when dealing with overweight customers, clearly the communication channel is challenged in this case. All through my school years I was teased about my weight, when I wanted to join the Navy they wouldn’t even consider me until I lost 30 pounds, when I left the Navy and was looking for a civilian job I keep feeling that I wasn’t being considered for the opportunity, not because I wasn’t technically qualified but because I was “different”, I began to question my own self worth and established values.

So often in the news these days is the issue of same sex marriage, why is this news worthy? It is because the dominant culture throughout the world is heterosexual and marriage has traditionally, though not always legally, been defined as being between a man and a woman. Though it is not fair to base one’s opinion about another person based solely on their choice of intimate partner it does happen every day for gay and lesbian people. This issue is polarizing people throughout the world, according to The Economist (2006), 27 states have effective constitutional bans against same sex marriage and 43 have statutes outlawing it while only one state, Massachusetts, has legalized it. Regardless of the state, all people seem to have an opinion on the subject and, like it or not, it will be a topic for discussion and an issue that will influence perceptions for years to come.

While it is popularly accepted that being a member of the dominant cultural group is preferred, sometimes there are benefits to being considered a cultural outsider. One example of a group on the outside receiving benefits for that fact is Native Americans. There exists a great deal of sympathy for this group of people primarily due to the poverty that affects many of them and the way they have been treated in history, The Economist (1998). Because of this sympathy many allowances have been made including but not limited to sovereignty status in the form of tribal governments, the right to establish gaming on their land, and educational grants, EducationMoney.com lists 113 grant programs alone. Affirmative action, a policy