This account is from quite a few years ago now but I think speaks to the ignorance of microagressions. The First Nations people of Canada endured the indignity of Reservations and Residential Schools during the early years of the 20th Century. During my lifetime they were working to reclaim what had been taken from them but were still outcasts in their own country.
One of the 'allowances' the government provided was exemption from sales tax. As a young adult I was unaware of this. I was running in a retail transaction as usual when my First Nations customer quite sharply informed me that he did not have to pay sales tax. He then produced a card with a number that was entered into the system. I apologized for my ignorance and he apologized for the snap. There was an unspoken embarrassment on both of our parts. He left the store to return to his little plot of allotted land.
This token act by the dominant culture went further to marginalize First Nations people as citizens of Canada. What they needed was the freedom to pay taxes, to have equitable education, to have freedom to live where they wanted and enjoy the free social services of our country.
I mention this incident because it was the first time I came face to face and understood the debilitating effects of being treated as different in your own country. It also points out how separated geographically, the First Nations peoples were from my neighborhood so I had very little knowledge and even less contact.
An incident this week fits the category but I am more at a loss to explain. My friend co-runs an organization for Autistic children here in Beijing. Her accountant was meant to pay their taxes by a certain date remembering that the Spring Festival celebrations had to be figured in. The last day of work, my friend checked to see if their taxes had been paid. My friend's next expression was 'You know how Chinese are.'. The accountant had not paid the taxes because she was moving house. To her this was an acceptable explanation. My friend who does not speak Chinese went to the Tax Office, paid the money but the clerk would not stamp her receipt. Apparently it was expected that she give him a red envelope, extra money, for the stamped receipt. My friend did not have this nor was she willing to participate in the activity. She drew attention by raising her foreigner voice and soon the clerk stamped just to move things along.
We need to respect what is important in this country. Yes, the taxes had to be paid but perhaps more follow up in the process, might have helped her understand that the employee felt unable to get to the tax office and make alternative plans. About the act that is essentially bribery, I am not sure. I think the situation was more a learning how to live in this country. However, the prefacing phrase clearly shows that she thinks and obviously thought I did too that this behavior is incompetent.
I think this is a call for us to learn the different definitions of lifestyle, share our own and come to some sort of compromise.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Culture and Diversity at Large
We are beginning Spring Festival vacation this week so had to hustle to catch people before they were off. Everyone responded except one friend who was off home to Poland and didn't have time to respond. Here are the responses in the order received.
Culture
Traditions, people, food
Language, dress, behavior
A big thing including language and history
Everything related with people: language, food, habits, art, music and how they are used. What people carry
inside to live
Over-arching concept encompassing behavior, mentality, custom that has been established and stabilized by
by a group of people. Can be an organization a city, a country, an age group, etc. This distinguishes and
defines this group from others.
Diversity
Other cultures coming in
Culture within a culture, outsiders coming in
Differences
Differences in a community - a good thing
Variations within a category or a big group. There may be commonalities like geography or race but there are
differences.
Comments
Some of these friends would have researched this subject and given an answer that would have been award material. So I was very careful to ask for only 'off the top of the head' answers.
I think the general idea was that culture was all that is our lives. There was nothing overtly said about dominant and subordinate cultures. However one responder who left her home country when she was 16 uses English exclusively. When I asked her about her mother tongue, she said she would have difficulty interacting with it now. She talks on Skype with her mother because without seeing her mouth and body language she has great difficulty communicating. She said that very early on her travel, that has been more than 25 years, she learned that she needs English to survive.
My Chinese colleague who studied French abroad as a University student, said of differences that is was things like religion. The West has it and the East has no belief. This is an interesting statement and one that I hope I can continue with her after the holiday, because China has very deep spiritual roots. The dominant culture, of which she is a member has adopted an atheistic platform but there are still many religious beliefs. There were a few years when days to honor the dead were cancelled by the mainland government because of their spiritual affiliation . These days have been put back on the holiday calendar.
A comment that she made that speaks to dominance I think. Is that she thinks it is best to study in the West but the Chinese will not adopt that lifestyle. They can continue to study long hours to meet the competition to go to a good Middle School and then High School. She concedes that it may be best for Chinese to study abroad but they will keep the values of their country of hard work.
Another interesting comment came from a colleague whose Spanish mother immigrated to Ireland and married her father and they moved and raised their family in South Africa. My friend is fluent in the languages of all these countries. When speaking of diversity, her comment was that it is best that they try to become like the main culture.
I don't know if it is relevant but I also contacted a Canadian friend. She received the email at her office at the start of the week. She didn't know what to say. I know she has close friends from all over the world so I wonder if we could add to her statement that it is just the way we are. Everyone brings their own culture and makes us all that much richer. Or it could just be a Monday morning!
All the other respondents come from my school. As our studies consider how important it is to acknowledge and represent each culture of our students in the classroom, this is topic we need to look at more closely in the days to come.
Culture
Traditions, people, food
Language, dress, behavior
A big thing including language and history
Everything related with people: language, food, habits, art, music and how they are used. What people carry
inside to live
Over-arching concept encompassing behavior, mentality, custom that has been established and stabilized by
by a group of people. Can be an organization a city, a country, an age group, etc. This distinguishes and
defines this group from others.
Diversity
Other cultures coming in
Culture within a culture, outsiders coming in
Differences
Differences in a community - a good thing
Variations within a category or a big group. There may be commonalities like geography or race but there are
differences.
Comments
Some of these friends would have researched this subject and given an answer that would have been award material. So I was very careful to ask for only 'off the top of the head' answers.
I think the general idea was that culture was all that is our lives. There was nothing overtly said about dominant and subordinate cultures. However one responder who left her home country when she was 16 uses English exclusively. When I asked her about her mother tongue, she said she would have difficulty interacting with it now. She talks on Skype with her mother because without seeing her mouth and body language she has great difficulty communicating. She said that very early on her travel, that has been more than 25 years, she learned that she needs English to survive.
My Chinese colleague who studied French abroad as a University student, said of differences that is was things like religion. The West has it and the East has no belief. This is an interesting statement and one that I hope I can continue with her after the holiday, because China has very deep spiritual roots. The dominant culture, of which she is a member has adopted an atheistic platform but there are still many religious beliefs. There were a few years when days to honor the dead were cancelled by the mainland government because of their spiritual affiliation . These days have been put back on the holiday calendar.
A comment that she made that speaks to dominance I think. Is that she thinks it is best to study in the West but the Chinese will not adopt that lifestyle. They can continue to study long hours to meet the competition to go to a good Middle School and then High School. She concedes that it may be best for Chinese to study abroad but they will keep the values of their country of hard work.
Another interesting comment came from a colleague whose Spanish mother immigrated to Ireland and married her father and they moved and raised their family in South Africa. My friend is fluent in the languages of all these countries. When speaking of diversity, her comment was that it is best that they try to become like the main culture.
I don't know if it is relevant but I also contacted a Canadian friend. She received the email at her office at the start of the week. She didn't know what to say. I know she has close friends from all over the world so I wonder if we could add to her statement that it is just the way we are. Everyone brings their own culture and makes us all that much richer. Or it could just be a Monday morning!
All the other respondents come from my school. As our studies consider how important it is to acknowledge and represent each culture of our students in the classroom, this is topic we need to look at more closely in the days to come.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Hypothetical Re-location after National Disaster
This exercise required me to choose three things that would represent my family culture in a foreign culture. I have resided in China for 12 years. I have given away most everything connected with my Canadian home and have rebuilt a life here. This then became more about finding three things rather than leaving so much behind.
The one item that came immediately to mind is a Bible. Not to appear pious or especially religious, I believe that even though I certainly do not have all the answers, that this book and its Author do. I am aware there may be places where this might not be well received in my luggage. I did not carry that thought through to its conclusion.
The second item is a necklace with my nickname engraved on it, given to me at birth. This was given to me by my father's only living relative in Canada and as it happens my favourite auntie and the one I may most resemble. More than that, I think it represents to me my belonging to a family, to the point that they engraved my name in metal.
The third item is The Secret of Childhood (Montessori, 1966). I have come to recognize over the years that if you care for someone's child you have won their acceptance. This little book was my first introduction to the brilliance of Dr. Maria Montessori and I think it encapsulates all that early childhood education should be. This could help me build a niche in the new culture.
If on arrival the items were reduced to one, it would be the Bible that I would hold on to. This is all about moving on with purpose with an able Guide, Refuge and Someone who has my back.
It was with a bit of surprise, I realize how little I have here from home. I have a brewing idea placed there by a friend in Taiwan. This would mean reducing my life to a carry-on and travelling from place to place doing teacher training and supporting early childhood education in remote areas. I find my life here, other than the responsibility of my job, is easily movable. It is all very much a dream and would I be satisfied in a the long term not having my own space, even if only for a year's contract.
I have shared the idea of this exercise with some of my colleagues. It is coming in to the Chinese New Year celebrations so our campuses are getting to see each other more these days. None of these share my Christian faith and I am reticent of sharing it for the fear of seeming pushy. However, this exercise showed me that my faith is the essence of who I am. So with a little temerity I shared this information with my friends/colleagues. The response was their wanting to do the exercise as well and hear what the rest of my blog partners chose. This does provide a light into what is important to us.
Reference
Montessori, M. (1996). The Secret of Childhood. New York, NY: Fides Publishing Group.
The one item that came immediately to mind is a Bible. Not to appear pious or especially religious, I believe that even though I certainly do not have all the answers, that this book and its Author do. I am aware there may be places where this might not be well received in my luggage. I did not carry that thought through to its conclusion.
The second item is a necklace with my nickname engraved on it, given to me at birth. This was given to me by my father's only living relative in Canada and as it happens my favourite auntie and the one I may most resemble. More than that, I think it represents to me my belonging to a family, to the point that they engraved my name in metal.
The third item is The Secret of Childhood (Montessori, 1966). I have come to recognize over the years that if you care for someone's child you have won their acceptance. This little book was my first introduction to the brilliance of Dr. Maria Montessori and I think it encapsulates all that early childhood education should be. This could help me build a niche in the new culture.
If on arrival the items were reduced to one, it would be the Bible that I would hold on to. This is all about moving on with purpose with an able Guide, Refuge and Someone who has my back.
It was with a bit of surprise, I realize how little I have here from home. I have a brewing idea placed there by a friend in Taiwan. This would mean reducing my life to a carry-on and travelling from place to place doing teacher training and supporting early childhood education in remote areas. I find my life here, other than the responsibility of my job, is easily movable. It is all very much a dream and would I be satisfied in a the long term not having my own space, even if only for a year's contract.
I have shared the idea of this exercise with some of my colleagues. It is coming in to the Chinese New Year celebrations so our campuses are getting to see each other more these days. None of these share my Christian faith and I am reticent of sharing it for the fear of seeming pushy. However, this exercise showed me that my faith is the essence of who I am. So with a little temerity I shared this information with my friends/colleagues. The response was their wanting to do the exercise as well and hear what the rest of my blog partners chose. This does provide a light into what is important to us.
Reference
Montessori, M. (1996). The Secret of Childhood. New York, NY: Fides Publishing Group.
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