Racial Stereotyping

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Racial Stereotyping
Globalization has reduced the world into a global village. Cross-cultural interaction has been enhanced due to advanced technology in the transport and communication sectors of the world economy. The period required to traverse from one location to the next is significantly reducing as each day passes due technological revolutions’ influence on global interaction. Globalization has hugely impacted how people live in the society; each person has been accorded the opportunity to conduct business and socially relate with individuals from any global community. Even though the impact of globalization on cultural interaction has positive impacts; it is not uncommon to have several negative effects like cultural conflicts. The paper discusses the cultural conflict with a specific focus on racial stereotyping as a cultural conflict. The paper aims to determine how racial stereotyping affects the social lives of individuals, people’s emotions, and their interaction with various cultural environments. A brief description of a personal experience with racial stereotyping as a co-cultural difference that can lead to conflict is also included. The paper has utilized various scholarly articles highlighting co-cultural differences to describe the various co-cultural groups, norms, and values that are in conflict.
Almost each person who has experienced the effects of globalization has an experience of racial stereotyping that affected either their social lives, emotions, or their interaction with several cultural environments.

After a business trip to a Muslim country, a woman described her experience as not exciting. The reason being that some men declined to offer her a handshake. Her description of her experiences highlights the impact of racial stereotyping on her social live, emotions, and interaction with her environment in the context of Muslim culture. Even though cultural understanding is crucial to avoiding co-cultural differences due to racial stereotyping, some cultural groups, values and norms in specific contexts can lead to a misinterpretation that can lead to co-cultural conflict. In the business world, women have to show agility, resourcefulness, and resilience to be successful. One of the main challenges faced by businesswomen is traversing the cross-cultural boundaries. A majority of cultures in the world have no concept of how to handle liberal women as their partners in business. Most women in Western countries are dynamic and are beneficiaries of gender equality and equity. However, most societies have social hierarchies stating the position of women in the society. African and Asian countries have conservative cultural values and norms (Browne, N.p). The case experienced by the woman while in a Muslim country for business is an example cross-cultural conflict and how it impacts social lives, emotions, and our interaction with the environment.
Cultural conflicts define who we are, and there’s no wrong culture except for the differences in race, religion, values, and norms. Racial discrimination is prevalent in many countries across the world, in America, a majority of whites have the perception that racial stereotyping is an issue of the past. However, studies indicate that how a person is treated is workplaces, schools, emergency rooms, and even courtrooms depend on one’s race. The song ‘Accidental Racist’ by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J depicts various aspects of racial tensions still present in America (Markus and Conner, N.p). The lyrical content depicts racial stereotyping, for example, the sagging of pant by black Americans is often judged by white people as not good. The reaction a black American receives from a white man when he is seen sagging can immensely affect their social lives, emotion and how they interact with their environment in the presence of whites.
My personal experience of racial stereotyping happened while at a social event with an African-American friend. One of the guests dropped his wallet underneath his seat at claimed that my friend had stolen the wallet. The extent of emotions the man aroused out of my friend almost led to a fight. It took the intervention of security to calm matters down. Emotions form a significant part of Human Psychology. Emotions prevail in all human beings irrespective of their cultural background. Therefore emotions are evolved responses developed over a period. When people depict emotional responses, there are various aspects involved. There is always a triggering factor, and there must always be a hidden appraisal of the trigger. This happens concurrently with an individual’s feelings; and these are linked to the motivational states as one’s body prepares to react to a particular situation, the emotions are revealed and a decision is made on what course of action to take both immediate and planned (Prinz, N.p). Racial stereotyping like in my friend’s case can heighten an individual’s emotion, the way a stereotype is presented is also significant in this context. There are cases of racial stereotyping that does not necessarily end up in a cross-cultural conflict. Most comedies revolve around racial stereotypes, but they capture an audience even from the referred cultural group of individuals. Furthermore, the incident affected how my friend acts in environments with whites. When attending social events; he tries to take positions next to other African-Americans in the function showing just how much the racial stereotype that black Americans are criminals affected his social life.
In conclusion, cross-cultural conflicts should not necessarily have to lead to conflict. While we coexist in the society, it is important that we appreciate each and every individual irrespective of their race, religion, and culture. Racial discrimination between certain groups of people like whites and blacks date from slavery. While we cannot rewrite history, to monitor the effect of racial discrimination in our social lives, emotions and our interaction with the environment we have to put ourselves in the shoes of others from different cultural backgrounds and look at situations from their perspective. Let’s us walk a mile in someone else’s shoes and their skin before affecting their social lives emotions and how they interact with the environment with racial stereotyping.
Work Cited
Browne, O’Brien. “Woman At Work: Intercultural Complexities — Are You Too Dynamic To Succeed Globally?”. The Huffington Post. N.p., 2014. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.
Markus, Hazel and Alana Conner. “8 Cultural Conflicts That Make Us Who We Are (NEW BOOK)”. The Huffington Post. N.p., 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.
Prinz, Jesse. “Culture And Cognitive Science”. Seop.illc.uva.nl. N.p., 2011. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.