Thread: Understanding Immigrants - The Salvation Army War Cry

Understanding Immigrants

The Salvation Army War Cry, November, 2013




America is increasingly becoming the United Nations of the World.
People from all nations, cultures and religions can be found in our buses, workplace, schools and cities. Understanding new immigrants is a rewarding intercultural experience that widens one’s worldview and changes one’s ethnocentric attitude towards immigrants.

Learning cultural differences helps us understand why our immigrant neighbors act in a certain ways and dress differently. Some years ago a Nigerian student, who was on his way to Nyack College, was picked up at Kennedy Airport by a young female Christian student wearing makeup and dressed in pants. Her appearance struck the Nigerian student, who was taught back home that Christian women should not wear makeup or dress in pants; hence he concluded that this young woman was not a Christian. It is interesting how the Nigerian student judged this young lady through his own cultural lenses.

The fact that most Americans look at immigrants through their own cultural lenses often leads to prejudice. We tend to judge people according to what we consider normal in our own culture and assume that all people need to do things according to our culture. Unfortunately, our cultural misunderstanding and prejudgment of others leads to discrimination.

Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners and most Hispanics come from what sociologists often call group-oriented cultures. People belong to an extended family and tend to make decisions in collaboration with family members. Immigrants have a great sense of solidarity which helps them survive in their new land. They are willing to give up their rights to privacy in order to live together in crowded apartments while looking for job opportunities. They branch out as doors of opportunities unfold.

They often form their own organizations and churches in order to help first generation immigrants establish themselves. Creating friendship and talking to your immigrant neighbors is, perhaps, the best way for learning about their cultures. Reading books about them and watching documentaries about their countries gives you a better cultural understanding about them.

Helping immigrants adjust to their new culture is crucial for their survival in the new culture. In my previous job as social worker, I met several clients who have been in the U.S. for over 30 years and could barely speak English. They used a few English words and a lot of gestures to communicate their needs. New Immigrants who first arrive and reside in their ethnic communities often have difficulty learning English and adjusting to the American culture. However; those who come as international students or live in predominantly American communities get adjusted faster and have less difficulty finding jobs. Inviting them to your home and church, or taking them to sporting events and others performances, help open-minded immigrants adjust quickly to their new culture and became better equipped to find jobs.

Listening to new immigrants’ stories and concerns brings us closer to them. One afternoon, as I was preparing to visit a client, a social worker called me to refer a female client from Nigeria whom he found deceitful. My initial interview with her took about an hour, because she was vague in telling me what her problem was. I later found out that her brother-in-law had raped her while her older sister traveled to Nigeria. This shameful situation forced my client to leave her sister’s home in search of her own place, even though she could not afford it.

As soon as she left my office, I called the American social worker that referred her to find out why he thought the young woman was deceitful. His reasons for making such an assessment were the following: 1. She did not look him straight in the eye while telling her story. 2. She spent his precious time stalling instead of being straightforward.

As I analyzed this incident, I came to realize that the American social worker just did not understand his Nigerian client’s culture. First, this woman came from a culture where she would be considered impolite for looking at older people straight in the eye while addressing them. Secondly, while sex talk is not considered a taboo in the United States, it is shameful in her culture to describe a sexual encounter or rape to an older person or even mention the word sex publicly. Thirdly, when describing a shameful experience, a delicate or embarrassing situation, or trying not to hurt someone’s feelings, many Africans would “beat around the bush” or speak indirectly.

Through careful observation, we can learn more about the non-Western immigrants’ trend of thought.Instead of judging immigrants according to our own cultural norms and values, we must endeavor to invest time in understanding why they communicate through certain facial expressions or gestures that may appear strange to us.

Numerous studies have indicated that body language constitutes about 70% to 90% of communication. According to Kramer on the TV show Seinfeld, “94% of our communication is nonverbal, Jerry.” Kramer’s estimate resembles those of anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell (65%) and of psychologist Albert Mehrabian (93%). Though these statistics may appear exaggerated, it is obvious that a great percentage of human communication is nonverbal. Therefore, observing an immigrant’s facial expressions, tones of voice, gaze, gestures, hand motions, and general postures helps disclose information that one may not be able to obtain via verbal communication.

So, as America continues to make positive strides to eradicate xenophobia and subsequently embracing individuals from around the world, there needs to be on-going discussions and tutelage on the importance of multicultural understanding and the vanguard role we play in this historical integration. The United States remain the most attractive nation for immigrants. It’s no wonder that more and more people seeking refuge and safe haven over here more than anywhere else. Perhaps this is so because from our country’s inception our founding fathers declared this to be the land of liberty and justice for all.

Consequently, it is important that we keep our hearts and doors open for legitimate entry, because in showing courtesy to foreigners and strangers, it is quite possible that we could be entertaining angels unaware.
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By Captain Daniel Diakanwa, a corps officer in New Rochelle, N.Y..

www.thewarcry.org/2013/11/01/understanding-immigrants/
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Helpful Hints for Effective Communication

EYE CONTACT: In some cultures, people do not always maintain eye contact during a conversation. They may find intensive eye contact intimidating. An immigrant's failure to maintain eye contact before a judge or boss is not necessarily an indication of dishonesty, shyness, or lack of assertiveness.

FACIAL EXPRESSION: People in some cultures often use facial expression in their communication style. Each subculture has its own facial expressions for happiness, sadness, anger, hatred, and other nonverbal expressions. It is extremely difficult to accurately read or interpret the facial expression of friends or clients from different regions. However, if you take time to observe a recurrent facial expression and try to associate it with a word or phrase often repeated before or after it, you could figure out its meaning. For example, if facial expression X is usually preceded or followed by statements such as "I don't think so" or "Maybe not" or "I am not sure," that expression will most likely mean the same thing when expressed without words.

TOUCHING: While certain types of touching may be offensive to those of European heritage, it may be acceptable in many non-European cultures. For instance, when people of the same sex hold hands while walking, North Americans will most likely tag them homosexuals, whereas this behavior is normal in other cultures.

PERSONAL SPACE: It is important to understand that the space people maintain from each other during conversation varies between cultures. Several studies indicate that Latinos and Arabs like to stand very close to each other when talking. while Americans prefer to stand three to four feet apart.

SMILING: While smiling is a common expression among North Americans, it is not always a free expression [or freely expressed] among those from other cultures.

The Salvation Army War Cry, November, 2013, p. 13.

Sorry but no. When in Rome do as the Romans do.

The supporting society should not have to accommodate them they need to learn to fit in or go where they are comfortable. JMO

Two things from the son of an immigrant:

1) They came here, we didn't go there. It's their job to figure out how we do things. Earlier arrivals used to assist later ones, because everybody expected that immigrants would have to learn to function in American society. The idea that Americans should have to speak their language would have been considered insulting.

2) Poor people are not necessariily more attached to the extended family than are the rich, but in the past it would have been difficult for them to live any other way. Public assistance continues to change that. Some poor Americans live in a pubicly funded apartment, while older relatives live in another publicly funded apartment in the same housing complex.

We should, of course, not permit immigrants to be exploited. But that is a very practical matter. If we let immigrants be exploited, the exploiters might begin to think that they can exploit Americans, as well.

As we approach Thanksgiving, let's remember how grateful immigrants used to be, to be allowed to come here. And let's expect future immigrants to be grateful, as well.
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Americans first in this magnificent country

American jobs for American workers

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