Cultural Dissonance Unfamiliar Sense of Disharmony

Question: Discuss about theCultural Dissonance for Unfamiliar Sense of Disharmony. Answer: Introduction: An uncomfortable and unfamiliar sense of disharmony, discomfort, conflict, or confusion that people come in contact with due to the change of the cultural environment is known as Cultural Dissonance. Such changes are more often unexplained, unexpected, or beyond understanding due to the number of cultural dynamics. This experience can be maddening, intriguing, painful, and frustrating all at the same time. It is felt because of the difference in values, behaviors, and worldview that is deep-seated in the people associated. Cultural dissonance can be experienced anywhere, when someone is visiting a big city, or a rural city, from one country to another country, in a movie hall, the universities, etc. In the essay, my experience regarding cultural Dissonance is shared (Daenekindt and Roose, 2014). I was very happy to receive my interview call letter from Queenslands biggest metal company. But was not prepared what I faced here. I was a Chinese, but my learning and lifestyle was all Australian. Completing my studies with a good grade I started my search for a job. The interview went fluently, and I got a job. I was placed with other experienced employees, so I could learn the companys process from them. There were from Chinese origin (Shilkofski and Shields, 2016). Most of the staff was friendly out there and at break time people like to hang out together. Except those Chinese people who prefer to be aloof from others, and remain in a single group. After two weeks of my hard working job experience, I experienced something that I would never like to feel again. One of the girls from the Chinese origin invited me for a dinner with a few colleagues to know me better. I also loved the idea of being a part of the company in leisure time (Bailey, 2012). Reaching the dinner destination things went well for few minutes and then, the disaster struck. One of them asked me from where I came from China. I was totally unprepared for such kind of questions as I never been to China. And I really dont know a lot about China as my upbringing was basically Australian. I told them that I am more of an Australian rather than a Chinese and I have actually never been to China. So they asked me what culture I follow at my home. I answered that we celebrate both Australian and Chinese culture. Due to my answer as if the entire glow from their faces went away. They literally stopped talking in English and started talking in the Chinese language that is Mandarin (Flaskerud, 2007). Not knowing the language I requested them to please switch on to English as I am not able to understand them. But the answer was a straight NO as according to them I am not the part of their community, and I have betrayed my origin by not learning the culture and language of China. I really felt frustrated and maddening. How my culture affects my skills at work? The way things were going was not good. It was like they were blaming me for being Chinese but not following the culture of China. I was shocked to learn that in the 21st century also we have such short-sighted and narrow-minded people, who like to differentiate between people by their origin. This is totally racism which I was facing by the cultural difference (Lahire, 2008). My first thought was to get up from there and go away as these people were not worth of my time and attention. But I not being a giver; I decided to teach them how wrong they are in what they are doing. I stayed back took out my smart phone and downloaded an application that helps in translating all the languages into ones native language. I write my thoughts into the application, and it gave me the translation (Hanquinet, 2016). I started speaking broken Chinese to my colleagues and told them how wrong they all are and how badly they behaved with me. I told them that it is good that they like to pursue their native culture but displeasing others culture is not good at all. If they really want to encourage their native culture then rather discouraging me by not talking to me and talking in a language which I dont understand, they should try to give a beautiful picture of the origin they are coming from. This way they will be able to increase my interest also in the Chinese origin fro m where my ancestors are coming. What they were doing was actually making their origin look bad to me. If this is the way people are treated in this culture then, I was grateful for not being a part of it (Korotayev, Issaev and Zinkina, 2015). I dont know it was my attempt on broken Chinese or my words that they actually started listening to what I was saying. My words may have left a good impact on them because they all suddenly felt miserable for their doings. One of them who invited me got up and said sorry from everyones side. She said that they all never realized what kind of behavior they are presenting to me, and how bad it will make their culture look. And yes, all this was said to me in English. I forgave all of them and the evening after that went uneventful. But from this experience I learned a lesson that it doesnt matter how much educated and well-behaved you are, people with narrow minded thought and who believes that culture is the only thing that is important will come in your way to success. But should not run from this kind of experience but tell them how mistaken they are (Hong and Song, 2014). This is true that it is the responsibility of a person to develop its origin and pass it on to it future generation so that the culture of the origin can be maintained. But neglecting the people coming from other origins, and degrading people those who are of the same origin but follow other origins culture do not make an origin a better one. If one really wants to appreciate its own culture, then one has to display its positive side and the beautiful things that culture maintains. This is going help in developing that culture remarkably. Facing cultural dissonance is actually one of the worst things a person can experience (Hanquinet, 2016). References Bailey, E. (2012). From Cultural Dissonance to Diasporic Affinity: The Experience of Jamaican Teachers in New York City Schools.Urban Rev, 45(2), pp.232-249. Daenekindt, S. and Roose, H. (2014). Social mobility and cultural dissonance.Poetics, 42, pp.82-97. Flaskerud, J. (2007). 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