I. Introduction (310 words) ………………………………………………………………... 1
II. Cultural Systems (200 words) ..………………………………………………………… 2
III. Cultural Value Orientations (602 words) ….…………………………………………...... 2
IV. Elements of Communication (367 words) ..……………………………………………... 4
V. Works Cited ...…...………………………………………………………………………. 6
1
Introduction
For the purpose of this paper, I have chosen to write about a fictional figure since I do not
personally know an unbeliever who is from a significantly different ethnolinguistic macro-
culture than myself. This figure, whom we will call Anthony, is a 25-year-old male who was
born and raised in Mexico most of his life but was brought to America in his teenage years.
Because he and his family are originally from Mexico, they are very fond of their family heritage
but are grateful that they have an opportunity to chase after the ”American Dream” here in
Austin, Texas. For the most part, they still adhere to their cultural roots by observing Día De Los
Muertos (which is the Day of the Dead), throwing Anthony’s younger sister her quinceañera
when she turned 15, and, my favorite part, cooking plenty of Mexican food! Anthony’s native
language of Spanish is how we became such good friends; we met in high school in a Spanish
class. Because I knew very little Spanish, he helped me with my homework while I helped him
brush up his English, though he was already mostly fluent. After high school, Anthony decided
not to go to college, but to live with his family in Austin so he could train to become a contractor
like his father. He has always been a hard worker but enjoys a fun night out with his friends too.
Because we had a class together, I started to see him pretty regularly, but we never shared much
with each other about our lives at first. As we became closer, I learned that Anthony and his
family are Catholic, but Anthony only attends church on Christmas Eve and Ash Wednesday
when his parents force him to. He was always open to the conversation of religion, but never in
such a vulnerable place as the classroom.
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Cultural Systems
Since Anthony spent most of his life in Mexico and later came to America, he has only
ever experienced a capitalist economy, not a socialist. Mexico is known for its “efforts to sustain
families and communities…even as they periodically challenged capitalists,” (Tutino). Anthony
has helped his dad with his contracting business since the age of 14 to earn extra spending
money to buy things like candy, games, and cool clothes.
Just as Anthony has always been close with his father, he has had a tight relationship with
his entire family as well. Before moving to America, Anthony had a kinship household – one that
is “composed of three or more generations” (Livermore, pg. 86) such as his abuela
(grandmother) and his bisabuela (great grandmother). However, when his family moved to
Texas, they left their grandparents behind, becoming a nuclear family.
Despite being hundreds of miles from his Mexican roots, Anthony and his family still
find it crucial to honor and observe their ancestors. Therefore, though Anthony had a formal
education in Texas at the high school we attended together, he still received a bit of an informal
education by reflecting on his family’s history, especially on the Day of the Dead!
Cultural Value Orientations
In Anthony’s family, several cultural values can be seen. The first is known as having a
cooperative orientation and can be seen when one emphasizes “nurturing, supportive
relationships as a better way of getting things done,” (Livermore, pg. 110). Anthony works hard
every day, like his father, so he can help financially support himself and his family so that he
may be able to adequately provide for his kids’ futures. However, much of cooperate America
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operates in the opposite orientation of cooperative, which is known as competitive. In a
competitive orientation, one works towards a goal so that one may receive achievement and
success. Though both orientations are concerned about the outcome of their work, a cooperative
orientation is much more focused on others rather than themselves, much like Anthony.
Going along with this idea is the value of short-term-oriented cultures. Compared to a
long-term-oriented culture, Anthony and his family are much more focused on short-term values,
meaning that they “look at what has happened in the recent past and make decisions that will
lead to quick results,” (Livermore, pg. 114). In class, Anthony would assess how his studying
skills reflected his grades and would adjust his method of studying accordingly so that he may
improve his grade going forward. Similarly, as Anthony learned many skills from his father, he
began to recognize what was effective and what was a waste of time. When he made these
assessments, he would adjust going forward so that he may be able to perfect his craft.
Since Anthony has the availability to govern his own work schedule, he is able to make
time for his personal life and work-life with much fluidity. This type of living is known as a
polychronic time orientation. Rather than a monochronic lifestyle, where one has a job that is
completely independent of their personal life, Anthony can decide for himself when he would
like to take on another contracting job and when he would like to take a break to spend time with
friends and family. “Interpersonal relationships are highly valued in polychronic cultures. Time
is less tangible, and emphasis is placed on the involvement of people and the completion of
transactions rather than on schedules,” (Duranti).
The fourth type of cultural value is known as individualism. Anthony displays an
individualist’s behavior by always striving to succeed above those around him, regardless of how
much his success may put a target on his back. Since I first came to know Anthony, he was never
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one to settle for being average; he would be upset if he received a “B” or even an “A-“ because
he knew he could do better, regardless of what others may say. Unlike collectivism, Anthony
never had a problem sticking out like a sore thumb. He thought that “being singled out with
rewards for excellent work is a strong motivator,” (Livermore, pg. 101).
The fifth and final type of cultural value is known as affective orientation. “People with
an affective orientation talk loudly when they’re excited, and they love the art of arguing and
debate,” (Livermore, pg. 127). When reading this description, the first thing that comes to mind
is Anthony’s love for music. Whenever there was music playing, he would always dance and
sing along; the minute the music stopped, he would shout and demand to the chorus once more.
Though some would call him emotional or dramatic, I knew that he just couldn’t help himself,
for he knew what he loved and would raise his voice not only when he was joyfully singing, but
when he was rebuking in protest as well.
Elements of Communication
In regard to how Anthony spoke, though he was always considerate, he would not
hesitate to demand for what he wanted, such as his constant request to “Turn the music back on!”
Though his tone was never loud, rude, or disrespectful in class, there were several occasions
when the teacher was a bit upset with his demand, seeing that she had hierarchy over the class.
Anthony soon started to pick up on social cues like this, but not without a few runs of trial and
error.
When Anthony wasn’t barking orders, we would always joke that he could not hold a
conversation without using his hands. I remember his mother telling us that if she were to cut his
arms off, he could never say another word. I’m certain that Anthony gets this quality for his
mother because whenever she was on the phone, she had to put the phone on speaker so that she
5
could talk with both hands. This is a good quality to have though because Mr. Yirka states that
“A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University
and TiCC Tilburg University, all in The Netherlands, has found that hand gestures used by
people when speaking can influence how their words are being heard and interpreted by others,”
(Yirka). This could be seen when Anthony would get upset; his hands would begin to flail and
point to convey the severity of his anger. In fact, once when he was telling a story about his
family back home, his hands flung so hard and fast, he hit me right in the face! It didn’t hurt and
Anthony apologized but I will never let Anthony forget that moment.
Because of this, I tend to now stand a bit farther away from Anthony when he is talking
than I had before. Anthony would always want to be in the midst of our conversation and would
quite literally be should-to-shoulder with our friends so he could cling to every word being said.
Though Anthony is certainly a bit more expressive and outgoing than some of my other friends,
he is a wonderful friend, and I wouldn’t want him to be any other way!
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Works Cited
Duranti, Giancarlo. Everything about Time - Monochronism - Polychronism ...
https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/everything-time-monochronism-polychronism-
orientation-6902.
Livermore, David, Leading with Cultural Intelligence: The Real Secret to Success,
Second Edition. (American Management Association, 2015)
Tutino, John. “It's Not Mexico That's the Problem. It's Capitalism.” History News Network,
https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/167617
Yirka, Bob. “Using Hand Gestures While Speaking Found to Influence How Words Are Heard
by Others.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 28 Jan. 2021, https://phys.org/news/2021-01-gestures-
words-heard.html.
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