· Assignment 2: Cultural Self-Assessment Read the chapter in Lynch and Hanson which most closely resembles your own ethnic heritage. If you do not see your own culture represented you may use your own as long as you include relevant citations. Then read a chapter about another cultural group which interests you. Please think critically about what you are reading and incorporate your thinkings about the bias of the readings into your work. This is a cultural self-assessment so be sure to reflect on your own cultural experiences while answering the questions below.
In a 4-7 page paper, APA formatted, compare and contrast the two cultural groups on the following:
· Beliefs, values, and practices, especially those related to causation, disability, and family
· How do both cultures address family and disability or delays?
· What do you think would be the hurdles and the fact you would take in addressing a disability in both cultures?
· What would be the best communication tools to reach the family?
· Any other factor(s) which interest you
· Describe your personal response to the chapter’s description of your own cultural background
EXAMPLE: But INSTEAD, UKRAINE YSE PLEASE UZBEKISTAN
Ukrainian and African American Culture: A Comparison
The United States at present is a society undergoing tremendous demographic shifts. In addition to becoming older as the Baby Boomer generation reaches retirement age in droves, the United States is also becoming more diverse; give current demographic trends, it is projected that the country will be a majority/minority nation by 2050, where no one racial group has more than fifty percent of the population. Given this statistic, it is clear that cross-cultural communication and understanding will be increasingly important in the coming decades. This paper will compare the Ukrainian culture to the African American culture, looking at ways the cultures intersect, as well as how they differ.
Causation, Disability, and Family
There are several notable areas of comparison between the two cultures, including causation, disability, and family. In terms of causation, both cultures have a deep religious influence with both having a majority of individuals practicing Christian beliefs (Lynch et al, 1992). Due to this, it is common for both cultures to attribute causation for events (both good and bad) to God, and see them as a struggle to overcome. Disability is another area where there is commonality between the two cultures. Frequently, there are charges of ableism in the African American community towards those who are disabled (Lynch et al, 1992). For Ukrainians, a lengthy history of placing disabled children in underfunded, overcrowded state institutions (particularly in the Soviet era) is manifested today in the tendency for Ukrainians to view a disabled person as someone to separate from the community. As it applies to the notion of family, there is some divergence between the two communities. African Americans have a much higher rate of placing children in foster homes, as well as single parent families compared to Ukrainians, who tend to structure their family in the traditional nuclear format (Lynch et al, 1992).
Addressing Family and Disability
Perhaps the most interesting basis for comparing these two cultures is related to the treatment of disabled members. As noted prior, each community has been criticized for their treatment of disabled members; African Americans can exhibit signs of ableism and shunning, while Ukrainians tend to shuffle off their disabled members to institutions that are rarely effective at helping the disabled member live a full life. On a deeper level, it is possible to argue that this treatment stems from systematic mistreatment of each community on the macro level. The Ukrainian community was frequently mistreated by the Soviet Union, denying them the resources to care for disabled members of their community (Lynch et al, 1992). This is similar to what has happened in America with the African American community, with structural racism resulting in unequal healthcare outcomes (including disabilities) for African Americans, overwhelming their community’s ability to care for the disabled (Lynch et al, 1992). In this way, each community has a spotty record of addressing disabilities, and each would benefit from evolving relative to that treatment.
Hurdles in Addressing Disabilities
There is no question that there are hurdles for each community as they attempt to address disabilities within the community. For African Americans, the greater levels of poverty and broke families make it harder to muster the resources to effectively treat disabled members. The treatment of the disabled is notoriously expensive, particularly in America, and communities that lack resources will always struggle to implement the best treatment plans. Ukrainians, in comparison, struggle with a historical tendency to view the disabled as someone who should be separated from the community rather than integrated and cared for (Lynch et al, 1992). This mentality takes time and education to change, and is unlikely to evolve quickly. When working with families of either culture, these hurdles need to be taken into account, as they will not be easy to overcome.
Best Communication Tools for Each Family
It is important to carefully select which tools will be most effective in communicating with families in each culture. African American families are often structured nontraditionally, given the rate of single parent families. As such, all forms of communication tools can be effective from word of mouth to social media. What is most important is developing trust, regardless of what tool is chosen. Trust can be gained by holding honest, brave, and consistent conversations where the family begins to develop trust with the communicator (Lynch et al, 1992). Once the family trusts, they will be more likely to listen and implement suggestions. Given the struggles the African American community has endured, developing trust is far more important than selecting the most perfect communication tool. For the Ukrainian community, given the tendency to be stuck in Soviet era thinking regarding treating disabled members, it is crucial to provide objective, scholarly, and accurate information that they will respect as expert. By communicating using expert data and resources, the chances of convincing the Ukrainian community to reconsider their views on disability treatment are greatly increased (Lynch et al, 1992).
Interesting Factors
For the author, the most interesting factor regarding the African American and Ukrainian communities is the unfortunate similarity with which historical struggles have led to the communities mistreating their own members. For African Americans, a lack of resources due to centuries of mistreatment ensures that little is devoted to the treatment of the disabled; in a way, the community tends to prioritize strength, and views a disability as a kind of weakness (Lynch et al, 1992). The struggle the African American community has experienced has hardened many members towards their most vulnerable, resulting in ableism. Similarly, the horrific experiences the Ukrainian people have faced at the hands of the Soviet Union has resulted in the Ukrainian community being stuck in a backwards mentality towards the treatment of the disabled. While the Ukrainian community statistically has greater access to resources in the United States, it is common for them not to access those resources in the most effective and efficient way possible for the treatment of the disabled. Each community, in their own way, continues to let the negative experiences of the past influence their treatment of the disabled in the present.
Author’s Perspective on Chapter’s Portrayal of Ukrainian Community
In general, I think that the chapter’s portrayal of the Ukrainian community was accurate and useful for those who are trying to better understand the community. In particular, it was important that the chapter discussed the impact of the Soviet occupation on the history of Eastern European culture as well as the ways that it continues to impact that community today. As anyone of Eastern European descent can attest to, the intertwining of Soviet history and Eastern European is very deep and it is impossible to understand one without the other. I would recommend reading this chapter for those interested in a foundational knowledge of the Ukrainian people.
References
Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (1992). Developing cross-cultural competence: A guide for working with young children and their families. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
