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Unit3CulturalDiversityReadingIDifferentLands,DifferentFriendshipsComprehensionquestions1.WhyisitcomparativelyeasytomakefriendsintheUnitedStates?BecausefewAmericansstayputforalifetime.Witheachmove,formingnewfriendshipbecomesanecessityandpartoftheirnewlife.2.Dopeoplefromdifferentcountriesusuallyhavedifferentexpectationsaboutwhatconstitutesfriendshipandhowitcomesintobeing?Yes.Thedifficultywhenstrangersfromtwocountriesmeetistheirdifferentexpectationsaboutwhatconstitutesfriendshipandhowitcomesintobeing.3.HowisfriendshipinAmericadifferentfromfriendshipinWestEurope?InWestEurope,friendshipisquitesharplydistinguishedfromother,morecasualrelationships,isusuallymoreparticularizedandcarriesaheavierburdenofcommitment,whileinAmericatheword“friend”canbeappliedtoawiderangeofrelationshipandafriendshipmaybesuperficial,casual,situationalordeepandenduring.4.Inwhatcountrydoesfriendshiphavemuchtodowithone’sfamily?Andinwhatcountrydoesitnot?InGermany,friendshiphasmuchtodowithone‘sfamilyasfriendsareusuallybroughtintothefamily,whileinFranceitdoesn’tas,forinstance,twomenmayhavebeenfriendsforalongtimewithoutknowingeachother‘spersonallife.5.Whatisfriendshiplikewhenitiscompartmentalized?Forinstance,amanmayplaychesswithafriendforthirtyyearswithoutknowinghispoliticalopinions,orhemaytalkpoliticswithhimforaslongatimewithoutknowingabouthispersonallife.Differentfriendsfilldifferentnichesineachperson’slife.6.WhatarefriendshipsusuallybasedoninEngland?Englishfriendshipsarebasedonsharedactivity.Activitiesatdifferentstagesoflifemaybeofverydifferentkinds.Inthemidstoftheactivity,whateveritmaybe,peoplefallintostepsandfindthattheyparticipateintheactivitywiththesameeasyanticipationofwhateachwilldodaybydayorinsomecriticalsituation.7.Doyouthinkfriendshipsharessomecommonelementsindifferentcultures?Ifyoudo,whatarethey?Yes.Thereistherecognitionthatfriendship,incontrastwithkinship,invokesfreedomofchoice.Afriendissomeonewhochoosesandischosen.Relatedtothisisthesenseeachfriendgivestheotherofbeingaspecialindividual,onwhatevergroundsthisrecognitionisbased.Andbetweenfriendsthereisinevitablyakindofequalityofgive-and-take.8.WhatdoyouthinkisthetypicalChineseconceptoffriendship?IsitsimilartoordifferentfromanyoftheWesternfriendships?ItseemsthatthetypicalChineseconceptoffriendshiplaysgreatemphasisonpersonalloyaltyandalsohasmuchtodowithfamily.ItmaybesimilartoGermanyfriendshiptosomeextentandquitedifferentfromotherWesternfriendships.ReadingIIComparingandContrastingCulturesComprehensionquestions1.HowisthemainstreamAmericanculturedifferentfromtheJapaneseculture?Americansbelievethathumannatureisbasicallygoodandmanisthemasterofnature.Theyarefuture-orientedand“being”-oriented.Theirsocialorientationistowardtheimportanceoftheindividualandtheequalityofallpeople.However,theJapanesebelievethathumannatureisamixtureofgoodandevil.Manisinharmonywithnature.Theyarebothpast-orientedandfuture-oriented.Andtheyareboth“growing-”and“doing-”oriented.Theygiveemphasistoauthoritiesandthegroup.2.Canyoufindexamplestosupporttheauthor’sviewoftraditionalculturesindifferentvalueorientations?Forexample,thetraditionalIndianculturebelievesthatmanissubjugatedbynatureanditisbeing-oriented(whichcanbeexemplifiedbyitscastesystem).Also,traditionalChinesecultureispast-oriented,foremphasishaslongbeengiventolearningfromtheoldandpast.3.WhydoAmericanstendtoequate“change”with“improvement”andregardrapidchangeasnormal?Concerningorientationtowardtime,Americansaredominatedbyabeliefinprogress.Theyarefuture-oriented.Theybelievethat“timeismoney”andhaveanoptimisticfaithinthefutureandwhatthefuturewillbring.Sotheytendtoequate“change”with“improvement”andconsiderarapidrateofchangeasnormal.4.Whatdoes“ElectricEnglishman”meanwhenitisusedtodescribetheAmerican?Asforactivity,Americansaresoaction-orientedthattheytendtobehyperactive.That’swhythattheyhavebeendescribedas“ElectricEnglishmen”,whoalwayskeepthemselvesbusy.5.Howwouldyouexplainthefactthatcontradictoryvaluesmayexistinthesameculture?Astimechangesfasterandfasterandthereismorecontactbetweencultures,itismorelikelytofindcontradictoryvaluesexistinginthesameculture.Thisisespeciallythecaseinasocietythatisbeingtransformedfromatraditionaloneintoamodernone.Forexample,intheJapaneseculture,somepeoplemaystillbeverypast-orientedandsomeareratherfuture-oriented,andeventhesamepeoplemaybesometimespast-orientedincertainsituationsandsometimefuture-orientedinothersituations.6.Whatcanwegetfrommodelsofthiskindaboutculturaldifferences?Modelsofthiskindarequiteusefulingivingroughpicturesofstrikingcontrastsanddifferencesofdifferentcultures.However,suchamodelonlycomparesculturesonsomebasicorientations.Itdoesnottelluseverythingabouteveryconceivableculture.Wehavetorecognizethatmodelsofthiskindareover-simplificationsandcanonlygiveapproximationsofreality.7.Doculturalvalueschangeastimechanges?Yes,thevaluesmaybeintheprocessofmarkedchangeduetorapidmodernizationandglobalization.However,theyhaveawayofpersistinginspiteofchange.Theevolutionofvaluesisaslowprocess,sincetheyarerootedinsurvivalneedsandpassedonfromgenerationt