Treat Others How You Want To Be Treated

Howdy  Cowboy!

I guess I would have to say that I am the most non-bias, non-prejudice (if there is such a word) person that ever lived. I love life. I love people and I love different.   I seek ways to find similarities everybody.   So to answer the question if I find myself communicating differently with people from different groups and cultures the answer is No.   One time my girlfriend invited me to go line dancing with her.   She went through her explanation of who was going to be there, what type of people and the whole time I was laughing inside.   Little did she know I could fit into setting as long as it didn't pose a threat to my life.   

When she picked me up I strutted outside with my western hat on, my blue jean vest and skirt outfit, cowboy boots, and a lasso.   She was totally shocked.   What she failed to remember what I told her I did earlier in life and that was showing Western-style horses.   When I won Best Costume a lot of other people were shocked as well!   That's how you adapt to other cultures!

Three strategies I have learned this week that will help me communicate more effectively with people or groups would be

1.       Make every attempt to learn something new about a culture you’re not familiar with;

2.      Regardless of your personal thoughts about someone or a culture respect their beliefs and their values just as you would want them to do to you and yours; and

3.      “Treat others the way you want them to treat you.”

Friends or Not

 

FRIENDS OR NOT

What I learned about communication between Kenya Moore and Kandi Burruss from the television show “Real Housewives of Atlanta" was that Kenya is very stand offish towards Kandi.  Her body language shows she rather be somewhere else.  She acts as if she's better than anyone else.
Based on the way Kenya and Kandi are communicating their relationship is very rocky at times.  Kenya constantly rolls her eyes and she keeps cutting Kandi off whenever the opportunity is present or she changes the subject.  We often send nonverbal messages unintentionally – we roll our eyes, laugh, slouch, or blush without meaning to display those behaviors (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012).  Kenya doesn’t like Kandi at all.  They are either housewives in Atlanta or friends to other characters on the show.  But one thing for sure, they’re not best of friends.
Kenya is just uncomfortable with the situation she is in.  She got into a physical altercation and Kandi didn’t intervene on her behalf.  Kandi thought Kenya was in the wrong and that she brought the fight on her own.
My assumptions from what I observed from the two scenarios gave me two things to consider.  The first thing is don’t be too quick to react.  Everyone may not have achieved the same level of communication as the next person but because I knew additional information and I was present I could have spoken up and eased the situation some.  The second thing is with the siblings this whole ordeal could have escalated to something worse but the key is to have an understanding how siblings respond to each other. 
In early childhood we won’t always agree with what we hear nor will we always understand what is being communicated but we must make every attempt to listen with clarity and ask questions to what we don’t understand.  Because I do not watch shows with violence or arguing I believe my assumptions would have been different watching a show I know well. 
References

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.