My 7 year old learned the N-word a few weeks ago, and was immediately told that it was bad, 1.) Because he would get beat up if he used it (explanation from my dad) and 2.) It was just a bad word, “Like the F-word” (explanation from me). I was left with a fear from…
DetailsWith over $600 billion in annual income/spending power at stake, advertisers more and more are embracing the importance of using images of diversity in advertising campaigns. Sometimes it’s the strategy, as advertisers purposely create several versions of an ad to target different markets (think McDonald’s) and sometimes it’s part of the story line, as with…
DetailsWith an American mom and a Brazilian dad, you’d think our child would spontaneously be a model of behavior in multicultural settings. A dinner conversation this week, however, reminded me that while setting a good example is important, a parent’s job is much more complex. You can’t assume your child will learn how to be…
DetailsCall it “How to win friends and influence people,” “Getting to Yes“, or call it cross-cultural communications, but it’s all the same thing–how to communicate to come to agreement or understanding with people who are different from you to achieve your objective. In business, no matter how you slice it, it all flows back to…
DetailsMy friend Rich wrote on his Facebook Wall that he had gained the first 5 pounds of autumn. Pretty innocuous news that you would think would go unnoticed. What ensued, however, was an unprecedented, lively conversation, involving people from across the country who didn’t even know each other, basically coming together to make fun of…
DetailsWhen looking at metrics to support training for communicating to people from different countries, it’s easy. There’s a very clear cut set of rules. You learn specific customs (e.g. don’t show the bottom of your shoe when sitting with legs crossed in Pakistan, exchange business cards with two hands in Japan, etc.); you go to…
DetailsThe first time I went to Brazil to meet my in-laws, over 20 years ago now, everyone was walking around saying “Oy.” In the yiddish of my Jewish culture, “Oy” is what all of the old people say every time they get up….”Oy, my aching back…” Oy, my sciatica…” I associated it with people in…
DetailsThere’s been a lot of discussion lately about Joe Six Pack’s race. NPR was speaking to voters about whether he is white, black, or brown. Macon D on his blog, “stuff white people do” came up with a list of 68 euphemisms for ‘white,’ and Joe Six Pack was on the list. Wikipedia identified the…
DetailsOkay, now I’ve said it, so what’s next? Traditional diversity trainings and rules of political correctness dictate you should suppress that instinct to notice race or be declared a racist. The fact is that categorization is an innate survival response dating back to the era of the hunter/gatherer: Edible, non-edible? Male-female? Friend-foe? Rather than suppress…
DetailsIt would seem impossible for anyone to deny the close, interconnectedness of all peoples around the globe, given the immediate domino effect of crashing economies around the world that continues, following the initial crises in the US. For me, it was Iceland going bankrupt just three days into the crisis that hit this message home. …
Details