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James P. McDaniel
Professor Taylor
Communication Amongst Cultures
12/12/14
Final Reflection of my cultural identity
In my first paper, I discussed where I come from and how that has
impacted the way I view the world. Also my ethnic heritage was another big component
not only in the first paper, but the cultural artifact presentation and my analysis essay.
Another component of my cultural identity paper was stereotypes, according to
Communication Between Cultures, “ stereotyping is a complex form of categorization
that mentally organizes your experiences with, and guides your behavior toward a
particular group of people.” In my cultural identity paper, I discussed some of the ways
the Irish are stereotyped, such as aggressive behaviors, and excessive drinking.
Stereotypes are a half-truth; they were made from a generalization of a group. In the
media we can see how stereotypes form a bias for viewers. We may use stereotypes to
enable us to respond rapidly to situations in which we may have had a similar experience
before. But by using stereotypes “we can infer that a person has a whole range of
characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have.” (McLeod,
Saul)
One thing I did not discuss about in the assignments or in class is
empathy. For me I am a very empathetic person. I first try to understand people’s
emotions and I use my communication in response. Communication Between Cultures
defines empathy as, “the ability to recognize and understand another person’s perceptions
and feelings, and to accurately convey that understanding through an accepting
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response.” In the beginning of the semester we read an article The Dalai Lama, which
focused on empathy. In the article it discussed how all of the world’s major religions at
their core stress love and compassion. If that truly is the case then why is their so much
violence in the world. The violence isn’t just coming from Muslim jihadists as portrayed
in the media, but really is coming from western nations like the US, which is a
predominantly Christian nation. I find it paradoxical on the amount of violence, just
because of a different belief. I discussed in my cultural identity paper how I am agnostic
and follow secular humanism, which is being moral and ethical without a belief in a god
or religions. However, I do go to church for major holidays. For me the use of church and
religion is cultural. I was ascribed at birth to my religion (Catholicism); I didn’t have a
choice on what religion I wanted to believe in.
By following the principals through Catholicism and my own
experiences growing up I developed a keen sense of empathy.
Personally, I feel the major reason for my own empathy is with my
mom and her condition. My mom has a rare neurological disease, Cerebella Ataxia. It’s a
degenerative disease that progresses, making you lose function of your motor skills. It’s
similar to Lou Gehrig’s disease. Growing up I saw my mom go through these changes
and it really hurt me at times. But out of it I realized that everyone in life has their own
battles they are dealing with, sometimes we cannot overtly see them. Through this, it
made me realize that really life is a struggle, and can cause pain. However, life is also a
present and something that needs to be appreciated each day. Instead of being dour and
critical of the world, I really tried to find the beauty in everything. In many ways I feel it
contributed to my benevolent attitude on life.
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Because of my empathy, I have also been compassionate especially
toward people who are sick. For example growing up I had a neighbor who was a retired
English professor, when his wife passed away it really had an impact on his life. He ate
less and less, and also drank and smoked. But my neighbor and I developed a unique
friendship, and I would go out of my way to help him out with things that he wasn’t able
to do. Also we would get into really good philosophical questions about life, religion,
politics, film, and many other areas. It was last January when he passed away from liver
failure. It was a tough time for me, but I knew that he lived a good live, and had a
positive impact on other people’s lives, including my own.
The things that I have experienced in my life would make you think
that I would be severely depressed and unmotivated in life. Really it is the driving force,
which makes me accomplish more and expand myself. I feel that through my experiences
I can understand someone’s problems that they are going through and hopefully I can
communicate with them in a way that makes them feel at ease.
I wish more people could learn to be empathetic, then there wouldn’t
be as much violence and tension in the world.
I also have a humorous side. I am can be quite sarcastic and I have a
dry sense of humor. Humor is a way of dealing with internal problems, without humor I
would bore myself and become depressed. I’ve noticed that particular cultures such as
Jewish Americans and Irish Americans are some of the most prevalent in entertainment
and comedic fields. Part of this is the amount of pain and suffering each group
respectively has gone through. Although these two cultures seem radically different, they
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are similar in the fact that both dealt with persecution, a lost homeland, exile, and a
global diaspora.
With both my experiences and my unique outlook on life, I hope I can
help others in life and truly make a change. Being compassionate and empathetic is
contagious, when others see amiable behavior they will almost always follow.