Culture Shock...

The activity we did yesterday in class was really cool. I was so oblivious to the fact that there was going to be a twist, so it was really unexpected. But, as soon as the new group members were at our table, I understood. It was frustrating not being able to talk to them and explain the difference of rules of the game. I now see how this is a metaphor for all the cultures in the world. We all have different rules and social norms that are foreign and crazy to other cultures. I experienced this cultural difference when I traveled to Israel in the summer of 2008. It was the first time I was out of the country, except for Mexico and Canada. I completely felt culture shock, which is the immediate shock of a new and different culture. For example, Israelis are very fast-paced, fast talkers, and they are very blunt and straight-forward, but not in a bad way. Our tour guide was exactly like this. I was very shocked, surprised, and taken aback by their personalities and that someone would act like this. But, over time, I got used to him, and grew to understand him and enjoy his company. Through this understanding, I think I used cultural relativity. I believe that sociology would definitely help people become more aware of cultural differences and how different people live different lives. For example, in the incident with the Danish woman leaving her baby outside in New York City, I think that if the police who arrested her or the judge in the court were sociologists, the outcome would be very different. They would be able to understand that that is how they live in Denmark and that is common in Danish culture. Overall, the difference of cultures and way of life creates the diversity that we have in this world.