TAKE HOME EXAM
CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING A
DR. A. HERUJIANTO, M.A.
Ardiyani Sawitri Dewi
St. Number: 110000211
***
PRIVACY MAY HAVE NEGATIVE MEANINGS FOR SOME PEOPLE
The word of “privacy” has a meaning as state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people, taken by Oxford dictionary. Privacy is the condition of a person to isolate him or herself from the society around him or her. A person who takes his or her privacy also can be interpret as circumscribing information about him or herself and therefore reveal him or herself selectively. Privacy is considered positive for people who have risen in the value of individualism. But, not every people have grown up with that value. Some people still think that privacy is negative, at least, because of two reasons.
First, some people would think negatively about privacy is because the assumption that they can be simply like spending time alone without interact with other people. In case of Indonesian culture for example, it would be strange if there is a person who likes to be alone while in its culture people love to get together with other people. Spending time alone or being alone can be regarded as an abnormality. People would feel pity to him or her, assuming that he or she can have no friends in his or her social life. They think that no one would accompany him or her so he or she has to be spending time alone. He or she is considered as reclusive person, which direct to negative behavior.
Second is about extreme application of privacy that he or she chooses to avoid socializing with other people. Again, in case of Indonesian culture which not learns about value of individualism, people will think that he or she is weird. From their point of view, socializing with other people is a need for people as social beings. If someone does not socializing or have friends, then who will help he or she if there is trouble with him or her. For example, if unluckily he or she suddenly got sick and need emergency immediate medical attention, who will help him? Remember that Indonesia doesn’t have a real social security and health department which can handle this situation well.
Privacy can be perceived as negative when people think about privacy but they still use different value of individualism, which have direct association with privacy. The boundaries and content about what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, privacy should share the basic common themes. So, people who don’t learn about individualism value will not think that privacy is negative anymore.
***
PRIVACY MAY NOT HAVE NEGATIVE MEANINGS FOR SOME PEOPLE
When something is private to a person, it usually means privacy. In privacy, there is something within them that is considered special or personally sensitive. For people who have risen in the value of individualism, they really appreciate privacy. Privacy also can interpret as a value that affects many aspects of typically behavior and attitudes. Some people which not have grown up with that value would think that privacy is considered negative. But, if they have learned that value, privacy is not considered negative because of this reason.
Privacy doesn’t mean isolation or loneliness for them. This statement is true because they think that every single person needs a personal space. Personal space should be respected. Most of them have a strong sense of privacy in relation to keep the personal space. This is an aspect of personal courtesy. A person will try hard to protect this personal courtesy. He or she expects that his or her privacy will also be respected by others. Look for an example, if someone chooses to have a quiet Saturday evening at home, this will not be a strange thing for them. This is his or her choice and other people should understand and appreciate. Being alone in home at Saturday evening is not considered a weird thing for them. Another example is about the way of life in Americans home. Parents and children do not enter each others’ room without knocking first. They think they need to give people their privacy, even that they are family.
This emphasis on privacy exists because individual feel that their needs of personal space must be respected. Privacy can be perceived as a positive right when people think about it as the right to control their personal space, information and make it private for each person.
***
Topic: Americans are always willing to help with favors of problem such as education, family, and finances.
I AM WILLING TO HELP YOU, FRIEND!
In some cultures, a friend would spend as much time as possible with someone that have serious problem. They do this as a kind of the way to show their friendship. This is little bit different with Americans. They are always willing to help their friend’s problem, but they still have limitation in helping his or hers.
Americans give spaces to him or her, to solve his or her problem by him or herself first. After that, if he or she willing to have their help, Americans usually say “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” When he or she asked for special request to help him or her problem, they would gladly give a help. They do this because they have high respect with his or her privacy to figure out a problem.
Another limitation Americans give is about refusing some case of problem. Why they refuse it? Simply, this is because many Americans feel uncomfortable when people become too dependent. So they refuse to help something. Do not assume that the friendship is over because they refuse to help something.
Moreover, they don't tell other people about the problems that friend is having. They realized that it will make him or her angry and less likely to trust them again. Trust is important thing for them. So, they do the best to keep secret about the substance of the problem.
In conclusion, it is important to realize that if an Americans behave differently such as giving restriction in their help. They are willing to help their friend, in other hand, foreigner friend should understand for the way they did.
***
Topic: Americans are always willing to help with favors of problem such as education, family, and finances.
I AM NOT WILLING TO HELP YOU, FRIEND!
In any true friendship, a person is expected to show interest and concern in a friend’s problem. This is just the same with what Americans do. Americans are always willing to help their friend’s problem. But sometimes, what foreigner friend thinks about Americans help is less than his or her expectation, so he or she think that Americans are not willing to help them.
First reason is because Americans typical is only doing for a help on specific request. American may say, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” When the foreigner friend does not ask for specific request, they won’t do anything to help. Even to make sympathy call him or her. They will not make small talk or repeat the offers again. If Americans do not receive a specific request from their foreigner friend, they may feel that there’s nothing they can do.
Second reason is that Americans are not willing to help financial problem. Sometimes, foreigner friend doesn’t realize this situation. Because Americans offers friendliness to him or her, he or she thinks that it is able to ask them to help financial problem. For example, Americans with their sense of financial responsibility to their family, feel that helping foreigner friend’s financial problem is excessive, even he almost sure that he or she able to repay the money.
Other reason is Americans think that frequent visit for their friend who has problem is not necessary, while foreigner friend expect to get it. This may not hesitate to a dependence on a friend. Americans do not want to interfere with his or her problem. They prefer to give a friend privacy to solve his or her problem by him or herself.
Cross-cultural understanding about helping a friend becomes important to learn to make harmonic friendship. Neither person (both Americans and foreigner friend) did anything intentionally to end the friendship. Only because of this, misunderstanding expectation between them will lead to end their relationship.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar