Joseph Ostraff

Today our guest speaker Joseph Ostraff spoke to our class. He did a great job and told us a little about all the places he has visited, from California to Ukraine and even Toga. He showed us a Youtube clip with many different greeting. He also showed us the greeting used in Toga, which is when two men hold their foreheads together. In the U.S. we shake hands as a casual greeting, while Hispanics may even kiss each others cheek. He mentioned that the hula dancers dance was once a prayer and has been since then made into more of a sexual thing. It's crazy to think of how distorted that had become. We are constantly needing to immerse ourselves in others cultures, that way we can see things through a more rounded point of view. Breaking cultural bonds can be one of the most rewarding things we can do in life.

Media and Cultural Influences

Media has an enormous affect on the way we view things around us. For example, Apple had done an amazing job of convincing every college student that you are not going to be as cool or as successful if you don't have a mac book pro, and iphone, or ipod. I can pretty much guarantee that 90% of the students at UVU own at least one apple product. They do a great job of adverting to college students through popular mediums, such as; movies, online ads, and television. Literally everywhere you turn apple is advertising some form of their products. I must admit I may be the biggest sucker of them all. I myself have owned 3 different iphones, i have a macbook pro, and I even have an apple TV. Media does a great job of convincing people that they need something to fit in. That if they have this device or this shirt than they will finally be cool. The media uses celebrities to promote ideas, products, politicians, and pretty much anything you can imagine. As long as someone that is cool is promotion it, you can guarantee there are thousands of people out there buying it.

Chapter #8 Adult Transition

Chapter 8 was a good read, it dealt with everyday things that we must go through at one point or another. I wanted to focus my attention on the Adult Transition Model. We move from High School which is a much more structured life style, one that tends to be more specific and mandatory. We then move to college where schooling becomes more of an open-ended life where we are the deciding factor of what we do. We are most times thrust into a more state of more responsibility. We are required to pay for tuition, books, housing, food, phone bills, etc. While we are also given further freedoms, no more curfew, eat on the couch etc. Adulthood must be embraced whether one likes it or not. After college is through, we are then pushed into the working world. This is actually one I strongly look forward to. I have always enjoyed sales and working. I am looking forward to starting my own businesses and finding that furthered freedom through a completed education.

Non-Verbal Communcation

Non-verbal communication is a huge part of any culture. African Americans tend to use hand shakes and fist bumps. American's in general smile a lot more at each other, even strangers, while in Russian you are looked at as some type of Alien if you smile at all. Each culture tends to have its own socially excepted non-verbals. For Example, if I was to go up and kiss a girl I just met on both of her cheeks like I was in Italy, I likely wouldn't end up getting a phone number. Non-verbals even in the" white" American culture are crucial in everyday behavior. When we meet a stranger in business, we shake hands. This shows respect and a sign of acceptance being given from both parties. Also, in the U.S. we tend to look others in the eye when we are talking with them, this shows respect and concentration on the person who is speaking. A man who is slumped in his chair at school with his head lowered shows those around him he isn't paying attention or that he is insecure.

Non-verbals even fluctuate from family to family. MY family tends to be loud and boisterous, while my wife's family tends to simply raise their eyebrows to acknowledge you are speaking. Simply things can send big messages.

Thoughts Thus Far

I have really enjoyed this class so far, I feel like we have taken on topics that aren't usually talked about in cultural classes. I am also enrolled in a international business class and we cover such a large array of topics in our communications class that it makes for a lot more interesting dialogue. I definitely hadn't thought about how my economic status could have such an effect on my "cultural lens". I realize now that coming from an upper-class home has put limits on how other America's view politics, schooling, jobs, etc. It's different for a white male to look at college as a no-brainer, but what about the underprivileged black kid who works after school just to help keep a roof over his family's head? Higher education may not be an option at that time in his life, and requires a different outlook on education in general. Also, in Utah, LDS girls (not all, but a lot) look at school as a means to find a husband, not necessarily a path to getting a high paying job. My wife intends to be a mom, she will be receiving her bachelor's degree this summer, but will likely not be pursing a career since we will likely have children and I will be the provider. Now, I feel that the desire to simply be a mother is something worth being praised in this day, however mothers need to educated, mothers are the one teaching our future generations.