Lesson 3

Activity III

When have you experienced cultural differences?

- When my family and I go to Los Baños Laguna and stay there for 1 week. We encountered
different people with different cultures and beliefs. They also have different accents. I was 15
years old that time and I want to make friends with the other kids. I tried to approach them
and play with them. As I want to fit in, I spoiled some jokes to make them laugh. That joke is
quite popular in Quezon Province so I assumed that they would get it. But it seems like they
got annoyed on what I've said. My mate one said " you're weird, don't play with us again."
I've got hurt in what she said. All I want is to be their friends even for a short period of time. I
don't understand why they get annoyed by what I had said. I runned to my uncle's house
where my family stayed. I told them what happened and my uncle said " because of the word
that you used" he said that the kids there didn't understand our words like " lantong" so
maybe they assumed that if they don't understand my words I was a weird kid.
That is my first time going out of Quezon so I didn't know what is applicable or not. That day
I realized that every place has a different background, story, culture, language, accent and
beliefs. In order to solve the problem, I go to them and explained my side. I even explain
what the meaning of the word I used in my previous joke which is "lantong" means crazy or
hyper. They finally understood my joke and in a short period of time they became my friends.

Another experience is I came from a private school in Quezon Province which is Northern
Quezon College Incorporated. Our differences became visible because we have our own
way of doing things, our own manner of speaking and even how we present ourselves. One
of the examples is my classmates that came from the Mountain Province, the Ifugaos. If we
look on the personality side, Ifugao people tend to present themselves as musculine, strong
and aggressive as possible. I think their culture made them that way. On the other hand, we,
the Tagalogs, tend to be more gentle and polite as a person. And that's one difference that I
noticed.

How did cultural differences and differing ways of doing things according to culture become
visible. List some of these.

It seems to me that our country is multicultural, which means people and traditions from
many other countries and cultures are noticeable. More likely than that , you’re going to meet
many people and experience many situations that are unfamiliar to you. In addition every
country has its own cultures and beliefs. Here are some example that is noticeable:

• The way we and other groups dress. Their fashion and clothing are the most noticeable for
me.
• Body language and gestures- it's a way of communicating but if you have a different culture
it may lead to misinterpretation.
• Language and accent, every country has its own medium of what they used in
communication.
• Behaviour and perspective in gender roles. Examples are the Philippines and the US. Our
behaviour is different from them mostly is the way they think and interact with other people.
• Tattoos and earrings, some tribes used tattoos and earrings to represent themselves and
for me it is very unique and artistic.
• Our food is different from the others. Every place, region or country has delicacies.
How is it possible that there are groups of people still enjoying each other's company despite
their differences? It is because polite communication exist. Just be open-minded and ask
questions to get more information, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction to anything you
don’t agree with. Developing your understanding with other cultures let you have more
meaningful interactions with those around you. You’re building your respect and empathy for
other people. This makes you less likely to treat someone differently, just because they are
from a different culture or ethnicity.

Assessment III

Why is generalization dangerous and how do you avoid it?

- I must say that generalization is all around us. It is set by the people. Society tells us what
is acceptable or not. What to think and how to behave. If we talk about men, they are all
visual. If we talk about women, we are more empathetic than men. Outgoing people are loud
while shy people are quiet. On and on our generalizations go. Generalization is dangerous if
people do it in a wrong way. Example is when a teenager goes outside and wants to buy
some drink and chocolates. It is late and she's walking alone. He heard some footsteps
behind her back. Out of fear and confusion she looked back and saw a man who was full of
tattoos. Her heartbeats fast and her hands are shaking because of what she knows is
tattooed men are dangerous or criminals. They are the one who do bad things and hurt other
people. But the truth is anyone can be a criminal, even the clean one. Because of what she
thinks that all tattooed people are dangerous she started to run on the other side of the road.
Even the tattooed man didn't do any suspicious act. Sadly some vehicle appears that hits
her and runs. The tattooed man who the girl feared came and called an ambulance. In my
example, I just want to explain my point about generalization. Not all the set of our society is
right nor wrong. It still depends on the situation because we didn't know every single person
on earth. Sometimes what we think of other people is wrong and how we behave and
interact with them leads us in a harmful situation. It becomes dangerous if it can lead you to
erroneous conclusions about specific individuals or even entire groups.

To avoid generalizations start getting familiar with types of things. Don't make an
assumption, criticize the idea not the person. Stay away from generalization by avoiding
stated or implied all or never assertion. Support statements with research or answer the
question, "according to which researchers?" . Be aware of your own biases and how these
may be expressed in writing and in life.
And also be aware of people's feelings. Respect them, respect each other. Accept the fact
that we are all different. We have different perspectives and beliefs that we applied on
ourselves. Think before you act.Lesson 3

Activity III

When have you experienced cultural differences?

- When my family and I go to Los Baños Laguna and stay there for 1 week. We encountered
different people with different cultures and beliefs. They also have different accents. I was 15
years old that time and I want to make friends with the other kids. I tried to approach them
and play with them. As I want to fit in, I spoiled some jokes to make them laugh. That joke is
quite popular in Quezon Province so I assumed that they would get it. But it seems like they
got annoyed with what I've said. My mate one said " you're weird, don't play with us again."
I've got hurt by what she said. All I want is to be their friends even for a short period of time. I
didn't understand why they got annoyed by what I had said. I runned to my uncle's house
where my family stayed. I told them what happened and my uncle said " because of the word
that you used" he said that the kids there don't understand our words like " lantong" so
maybe they assumed that if they don't understand my words I am a weird kid.
That is my first time going out of Quezon so I didn't know what is applicable or not. That day
I realized that every place has a different background, story, culture, language, accent and
beliefs. In order to solve the problem, I went to them and explained my side. I even explain
what the meaning of the word I used in my previous joke, which is "lantong" , means crazy or
hyper. They finally understood my joke and in a short period of time they became my friends.

Another experience is I came from a private school in Quezon Province which is Northern
Quezon College Incorporated. Our differences became visible because we have our own
way of doing things, our own manner of speaking and even how we present ourselves. One
of the examples is my classmates that came from the Mountain Province, the Ifugaos. If we
look on the personality side, Ifugao people tend to present themselves as musculine, strong
and aggressive as possible. I think their culture made them that way. On the other hand, we,
the Tagalogs, tend to be more gentle and polite as a person. And that's one difference that I
noticed.

How did cultural differences and differing ways of doing things according to culture become
visible. List some of these.

It seems to me that our country is multicultural, which means people and traditions from
many other countries and cultures are noticeable. More likely than that , you’re going to meet
many people and experience many situations that are unfamiliar to you. In addition every
country has its own cultures and beliefs. Here are some example that is noticeable:

• The way we and other groups dress. Their fashion and clothing are the most noticeable for
me.
• Body language and gestures- it's a way of communicating but if you have a different culture
it may lead to misinterpretation.
• Language and accent, every country has its own medium of what they used in
communication.
• Behaviour and perspective in gender roles. Examples are the Philippines and the US. Our
behaviour is different from them mostly is the way they think and interact with other people.
• Tattoos and earrings, some tribes used tattoos and earrings to represent themselves and
for me it is very unique and artistic.
• Our food is different from the others. Every place, region or country has delicacies.
How is it possible that there are groups of people still enjoying each other's company despite
their differences? It is because polite communication exist. Just be open-minded and ask
questions to get more information, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction to anything you
don’t agree with. Developing your understanding with other cultures let you have more
meaningful interactions with those around you. You’re building your respect and empathy for
other people. This makes you less likely to treat someone differently, just because they are
from a different culture or ethnicity.

Assessment III

Why is generalization dangerous and how do you avoid it?

- I must say that generalization is all around us. It is set by the people. Society tells us what
is acceptable or not. What to think and how to behave. If we talk about men, they are all
visual. If we talk about women, we are more empathetic than men. Outgoing people are loud
while shy people are quiet. On and on our generalizations go. Generalization is dangerous if
people do it in a wrong way. Example is when a teenager goes outside and wants to buy
some drink and chocolates. It is late and she's walking alone. He heard some footsteps
behind her back. Out of fear and confusion she looked back and saw a man who was full of
tattoos. Her heartbeats fast and her hands are shaking because of what she knows is
tattooed men are dangerous or criminals. They are the one who do bad things and hurt other
people. But the truth is anyone can be a criminal, even the clean one. Because of what she
thinks that all tattooed people are dangerous she started to run on the other side of the road.
Even the tattooed man didn't do any suspicious act. Sadly some vehicle appears that hits
her and runs. The tattooed man who the girl feared came and called an ambulance. In my
example, I just want to explain my point about generalization. Not all the set of our society is
right nor wrong. It still depends on the situation because we didn't know every single person
on earth. Sometimes what we think of other people is wrong and how we behave and
interact with them leads us in a harmful situation. It becomes dangerous if it can lead you to
erroneous conclusions about specific individuals or even entire groups.

To avoid generalizations start getting familiar with types of things. Don't make an
assumption, criticize the idea not the person. Stay away from generalization by avoiding
stated or implied all or never assertion. Support statements with research or answer the
question, "according to which researchers?" . Be aware of your own biases and how these
may be expressed in writing and in life.
And also be aware of people's feelings. Respect them, respect each other. Accept the fact
that we are all different. We have different perspectives and beliefs that we applied on
ourselves. Think before you act.