Send us your e-mail for  free newsletter:

Multicultural Moments - a periodic newsletter with brief items of note on our multicultural lives (Newsletter #16.02.09).  See prior editions in our Archives.    

Welcome to this edition of Multicultural Moments.  My life has been filled with multicultural moments, and lately reminders have emerged, as well as new entries.

RFE & The Berlin Wall

At this 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall, I've been thinking about my experiences working at Radio Free Europe (RFE) in Munich, Germany.  The radio operation was comprised of five stations manned by exiles from behind the Iron Curtain (personified by the Berlin Wall), as well as German nationals, UK residents and Americans.  The five stations broadcast to Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and Romania.  Multiple opportunities existed for personal dialogue with people of varied cultures, and it was here that I first became intrigued with the similarities and disparities of our multicultural world.  Long a student of interpersonal communication, I recognized that cultural characteristics needed to be addressed for effective worldwide connections; traditional training techniques were not taking these into account.  Facilitating cultural transitions continues to be my rewarding and exciting challenge.

Cultural Nuggets

Speaking of cultural traditions, a few came to my attention recently so I thought I'd pass them along to you:

►The drumbeats of American Indians symbolize the heartbeats of the people.

►According to a Turkish proverb, sharing a cup of coffee commits one to 40 years of friendship.

►In "The Good Earth," a Pulitzer Prize winning book written about China in 1931, an elder woman advises a young woman:  "Look to your husband.  You have no duty to any other."  How much has changed?

►Are you a hugger?  Lately in the U.S. it seems that more and more people are hugging, even in the workplace where sexual harassment issues may be a concern.  Nevertheless, it goes on and the tendency seems to be growing.

►In this age of environmental concerns it's worth noting that our grandparents were "greener" than we have become.  The further we go back into history, the more we see that recycling was a way of life, living from the fruits of one's own labors.  "Waste not, want not" was a common maxim, and people were frugal.  What have we learned?

Cultural Question

Have you ever considered how much you are a product of your own cultural background?  Often we are unaware of our own cultural instincts until we find ourselves in a different cultural situation−then those instincts come to the forefront and, perhaps for the first time, we consciously define them.  I had many such insights while at RFE in Germany (see above).  Among my self-revelations were my tendency to be informal (others were more reserved), my tendency to be direct and to the point (others often revealed little until I got to know them better) and my lack of initiative in greeting people unless I was addressed first (frequently I was pleasantly surprised when strangers greeted me with a "Guten Morgen" on my daily walk to work.)  What are some of your cultural instincts?   And what have you learned in adapting to other cultures?  Responses will be posted on our next blog.  Let me know at jas@StarkeyGrp.com, and thanks!  This is how we all learn!

"Rather than settling on any one of the cultures in which I grew up, I now choose to explore many more cultures and find elements to love in each."

Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist & Creator of the Silk Road Project

The New Global Tribes

Marketers have defined new global "tribes" forming around the world who are interconnected through technology and social networking.  Among these are:

●Teenagers with similar tastes in fashion and music

●Working women juggling careers & families

●Baby Boomers

By focusing on similarities vs. differences in these groups, business opportunities emerge.  "Historically we used to be focused on discovering the common hopes and dreams within a country, but now we're seeing that the real commonalities are in generations across geographical borders," says James Haskett, P&G.  Among companies successfully practicing this new strategy are P&G, Estee Lauder, and a Mexican conglomerate.

Chicago News

One of the reasons I enjoy living in Chicago is its global perspective "right at home."  Some examples:

▲The new director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Italy's Riccardo Muti, states: "In this multi-ethnic society, we have to find a common language that will bring people together....Music is at once the most elevated and the simplest of the arts, because it doesn't have words.  Words can be misunderstood or can convey ideas that don't correspond to what the words actually mean.  Music doesn't have this problem; it speaks directly to one's feelings."  He plans a musical community outreach incorporating schools and youth programs.  To hear classical and folk music 24/7 streaming from the Internet, try Chicago's own WFMT at http://www.wfmt.com/main.taf?p=4,5,8.

▲Two of Chicago's subway stations now display Haiku, a form of Japanese poetry.  The poems were written by students from Columbia College and Jones College Prep.  This art display is part of the Chicago Transit Authority's program to develop partnerships with local businesses and community organizations.

I've long observed that the arts are the avenue to our humanity, even revealing the future as no other medium can.  This has been true all through history, although few have paused to consider the messages.

▲My alma mater, Northwestern University, recently announced a branch campus located in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar.  Joining five other U.S. universities, they will offer degree programs in communication and journalism.

▲Dinner can be a multicultural experience, too.  Some neighborhood groups are organizing dinners where participants from different cultural groups (including age and gender) gather together, enjoy ethnic dishes and converse around topics designed to help everyone get to understand each other better.  Recent topics have included:

Δ How do you define family?

Δ What is your ethnic identity and how does it affect where you live?

Δ What is one thing that makes you who you are?

Δ How does food play a role in your ethnic identity?

Δ Do women have to be the cooks?

Δ How do you get prejudice out of the heads of kids?

...and on and on.  The conversations frequently take on lives of their own and people become immersed in sharing their lives while learning about each other in new and meaningful ways.  To learn more see: http://acrossthetable.org/

Global News

An excellent source of global news is Global Post, an Internet site with current postings of world news stories.  They are supported by several of the leading world news organizations (see their mission statement http://www.globalpost.com/mission-statement).

A Tribute

The passing of French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss reminds us how much we have learned about the similarities between so-called primitive societies and modern ones.  Widely considered the father of modern anthropology, including theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, he has been regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology.  Among his contributions:  he introduced concepts about common patterns of behavior and thought, especially myths, in a wide range of human societies.   Let us continue to learn.

We welcome your comments...real stories are always the best.
  Let us know what topics you would like to see covered.
  Forward this to others.

Blog Responses to our Newsletters:

■"Thanks for another excellent newsletter.  I wish more people would read it; the information and insights are not only valuable but also much needed.  I will make it a point to suggest it to as many people as possible."  MW

■"Great to hear from you and to view your latest newsletter.  I'm preparing for a trip to Kenya."  WMc

■"I go back and re-read it to be sure I got it all."  RR

■"Thanks for the newsletter.  I found it very interesting reading.  May be of more interest to me since I relocated from the Chicagoland area and am now living in London, England."  MA

■"Thank you for the informative newsletter.  Appreciate the tips."  JAB

That's it for now.  Do let us know your thoughts and what you would like covered in our next edition.  Write jas@StarkeyGrp.com.

We continue to speak, train and consult on multicultural issues (see ..\Client\Clients.htm Contact us for help with your organization or for personal counseling.

Multicultural  Strategies                
Keynotes-Seminars-Training-Consulting-Coaching-Products

Judith A. Starkey, President
The Starkey Group, Inc.
3180 N. Lake Shore Drive, #17G
Chicago, Illinois 607657-4867 USA
Phone:  773 348 0421
Fax:  773 348 3683
E-Mail:  jas@StarkeyGrp.com or StarkeyGrp@aol.com
Website:  www.StarkeyGrp.com

We are pleased that we continue to get requests to excerpt all or portions of our newsletters.  For permission to reproduce this newsletter, contact jas@StarkeyGrp.com.

To receive Multicultural Moments via e-mail, be sure to notify your e-mail service.  Adding our e-mail to your address list will assure receipt through spam filters.  If you're not on our mailing list, contact us now to get your free copy.

We respect your privacy and will not reveal your identity without authorization.

Copyright © 2011 The Starkey Group, Inc.  All Rights Reserved. Originally published 2009.