Navigating Cultural Differences Between East

Navigating Cultural Differences Between East and West

In recent years, the phenomenon known as "culture shock" has become increasingly recognized by the academic community as well as the general public as a result of innovations in telecommunications and transportation. Despite this growing recognition, though, the fact remains that many people still experience culture shock when they first step foot in another country and try to navigate their way through the sometimes subtle but important social practices that characterize other cultures. Certainly, performing the needed research about other countries and their cultures can help pave the way for first-time recreational visitors and long-term immigrants alike, but even the most well-informed travelers can encounter situations where vastly different worldviews come into contact and even clash in unexpected ways. For example, in the "Land of the Morning Calm," a widespread acceptance of Buddhist traditions means that even though life is fast-paced and modern in every sense, there is an underlying acceptance that permeates Korean society that has not found its way into the West.

Besides religious differences, the relative status of men and women in other societies can result in some unexpected and perhaps unintended social faux pas if the rules are not known and understood. This does not mean, of course, that people must tip-toe around in other societies, especially free societies such as the United States and United Kingdom where eccentricities are not only acceptable, they are celebrated, but it does mean that it is possible to unintentionally offend people from other cultures -- sometimes deeply so -- without even realizing it. For example, pointing the bottom of the foot at others is regarded as highly insulting in many Eastern societies, and curling a finger to motion someone to follow is just an invitation to fight. There potential cross-cultural clashes, though, pale in comparison to the differences that exist in what people eat, when they eat it and how they eat it. A loud burp in one setting can be a high compliment, but in others it will be considered enormously offensive. Confronting law enforcement figures over perceived transgressions of their authority is a highly prized tradition in the West, but these confrontations are actively avoided in the East. Likewise, standing for women entering a room is de rigueur in Western cultures, but such practices would be viewed as incongruent with the cultures of many Eastern countries. Then there is the matter of which hand to use and when, because these issues are significant in the East where the right hand is used for contact with others and the left hand reserved for other purposes, but such considerations never enter the minds of people in the West because this practice is not followed.