DANGER! Culture Shock

OK, in class we talked a bit about the idea of Culture Shock. Remember, this is the idea that a person can be rather surprised when moving from one environment to another that has different sets of values, traditions, and so on. Chris Bawer gave us a nice example of experiencing culture shock when he visited Germany and the general lack of diversity. But, as I mentioned in class, the idea of culture shock isn’t limited to just different countries. We can experience culture shock here within the United States, within Ohio, and even within Columbus.

I talked about my experience growing up in a suburban, middle class white suburb of Cleveland. But at the same time I worked in my Dad’s store which was located in a poor, urban neighborhood. I feel as though this exposure to diversity and other cultures and communities at such a young age has, in a lot of ways, prepared me for things later in life. But imagine the culture shock people can have as they move from one community (e.g. the suburbs) to another community (e.g. the ‘ghetto’ or the ‘farm’). Has anyone ever experienced culture shock before? Tell me about it! What sorts of things did you learn? Did this sort of culture shock help break stereotypical views of certain communities or groups of people? Or did your experience only reinforce the stereotype? And, maybe more importantly, why do you think values and ideas, practices and traditions differ from one community to another? How did things get to be the way they are? Again, don’t be afraid to examine the relationship between living in Westerville versus maybe living in a poor urban area.