Cultural Discontinuities

1. This section discussed two potentially conflicting ideas: accepting and valuing cultural differences and accommodation without assimilation. How do these ideas relate to this dilemma?

• In the story, the character is invited to an awards ceremony at a local church of Pacific Islanders to honor students from their school. Many things happened throughout the ceremony that were normal for the Pacific Islanders, but totally foreign to the guest. It made the guest really uncomfortable, but s/he struggle to remain quiet as to show respect and acceptance of their cultural norms. By doing so, s/he is trying to accommodate their differences, but it's putting a great amount of strain on her/him because s/he doesn't know what to do in the situation.

2. So, what would you do in this situation, both short-term and long-term?

• Short-term, I would probably just sit through the rest of the meeting and try to concentrate as much as possible. Later, I might talk to the host of the meeting and several parents and just ask them about their culture regarding the behavior of the children during the meeting. I could do home and do some research about their culture. If I was invited to another event, I could speak with the coordinators about compromising on the handling of the children. Or I could choose not to attend another similar event (and learn how to politely decline). I could possibly suggest, upon another similar invitation, to create an all-together meeting if other similar events are also taking place in the community. And maybe with an area just for the children.