The Imperatives of Intercultural Communication

Like the book states it, "We live in a rapidly changing global environment where intercultural interaction is a fact of life" (2).

Now I'm thinking to myself... "Why do I have to learn about intercultural communication, I know how people interact with one another." But do I really understand? Do I really know what all is involved within the complexities of intercultural communication. Umm... probably not.

In the book it gives us six reason for why we may choose to study intercultural communication. The first described is The Peace Imperative. This issue asks the question "Can individuals of different genders, ages, ethnicity's, races, languages, and religions peacefully coexist on the planet?" (3). I believe they can if they put in the effort. We aren't animals where we need to fight to survive. People may think so, but me on the other hand, I think we can live peacefully without war and all of this animosity towards different cultures. If we don't have a certain amount of peace, there will be a constant power struggle and this in the end will cause it to be impossible to live with one another.

The second Imperative is Economic Imperative. This is very important for businesses. Mostly larger businesses. I myself, don't have to worry about this really with my current job. We don't deal with businesses that are overseas. Globalization was discussed within this section and it is a word given to businesses that expand into overseas markets to do business. I really don't know that much about this type of imperative and I hope that the more that we discuss more and more cultures and how they coexhist with us, that it will give me a better picture of what all is involved within this section of intercultural communication.

Technological Imperative is the next one discussed. Global village was brought up and it means a world that uses televisions, radios, etc. and when these are used they are used to bring news and information to remote places of the world. Technology is a huge thing now a days. I don't think we could do anything without useing some sort of technology. Almost all of us use a cell phone. We text constantly especially my age group. I send up to 5,000 texts a month and recieve almost the same amount if not more. I find it easier to send quick text rather than call the person. A lot of our electronics are made in other countries. And without these electronics it would be difficult to manage; especially for businesses.

Demographic Imperative are the characteristics of a given population. This one is truely boring to me, so I'm going to leave it at that for now or until my next blog.

Self-awareness Imperative is probably one of the most important to me. I find it important for us to be aware of who we are as a culture so we can teach others and learn from others. If we are are aware of our own culture and are open to learn about others then we can be less judgemental of others. We should know where we come from and what our beliefs really mean and what are values are. If we are educated on our culture then we become more aware of other cultures. We will be more willing to recognize the differences such as different religions, holidays, and clothing along with many many other things.

Lastly is Ethical Imperative each culture has their rights and wrongs. We may not agree with them, but we must live with these differences. Now when I say whats "right" and whats "wrong" those rights and wrongs may be complete opposite of what others think. Some cultures think its right for people to have kids at the age of 15, while others feel that is wrong and one should wait until they are in a stable relationship and in their mid twenties. A really good example was given in the book and this is what it said "the Ten Commandments teach that it is wrong to steal, tell a lie, commit murder..." (17). As a child I was taught that it's wrong to steal, lie, and hurt others. These values or beliefs could be different in other cultures.

So, in the end I come to realize that this is why it is important to be educated in various cultures.