For this assignment I went to the Philadelphia Inquirer to find an article with statistics to analyze. I found an article entitled "Child-welfare challenges for the next Pa. governor". The whole first paragraph of this article is statistics concerning the welfare of children in Pennsylvania. The statistics mentioned are: during the last year 120,000 Pa children received welfare services, more than 3,000 children were victims of child abuse, and over the past eight years more than 350 Pa children died as a result of child abuse.
With regards to the first statistic that last year 120,000 children in Pa received welfare services, my first question would be who collected this data? If the data was collected by the office that handles the distribution of child welfare services, I would deem it credible. But what is the margin of error here? Is it possible that there are some children receiving welfare not accounted for in this number?
The second statisitc raises a few more questions for me. Unlike the first statistic, I am not provided with the information to determine when 3,000 children were victims of child abuse. Again, I do not know who collected the data to determine this number. In the article it also states that "many more children experienced domestic or sexual violence that fell outside of the official definition of child abuse", so how do we account for those children? What is the official definition of child abuse and what categories are not included within the definition? This would be critical information to know when assessing this statistic. I'm sure that in this case the margin of error is extremely high, considering that not all instances of child abuse are reported.
Finally, addressing the statistic that over the last eight years over 350 children died from child abuse raises a few more questions for me. I feel that this number should be more concrete considering we are analyzing death records and cause of death. How was this data collected? Did the author of this article research all the child death records for the past eight years in all of Pennsylvania? What determines "death as a result of child abuse?" I think that the margin or error in this case would be much higher because the number is not very concrete, and it seems to me that more research could have been done to provide the public with a more accurate statistic.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Intercultural Differences
When it comes to language whether it be verbal or non-verbal, from culture to culture meanings vary. When you are talking to someone from another culture you have to keep these differences in mind. Without taking this into consideration you risk dealing with major communication ramifications.
A professor of mine once told me he had a friend that visited Australia and was working there for some time. This friend had set up a meeting with a mayor of a town at one o'clock. My professor's friend waited and waited for hours until the mayor finally showed up much closer to three o'clock. Here in the United States we have a very strict interpretation of time. In Australia coincidentally, time has taken a much more laid back approach. Before you venture out of your country it would be a good idea to do some research on the chronemics differences of your destination.
Another difference in cultural language I have heard about is territoriality. Ironically the same professor told me a story about a friend of his that went to Egypt for a vacation. In Egypt there are many merchants that roam the streets looking for someone to buy their cloth, jewelry, perfume etc. My professor's friend was out touring the pyramids when she came across one of these merchants. The very persistent salesman was probably two inches from this woman's face trying to sell things to her, which in our culture is a serious invasion of our body territories. The merchant also violated what is normal in our culture by nearly following this woman back onto her tour bus and stroking her hair, rubbing her back, and fondling her in these various ways. Needless to say this woman was extremely uncomfortable, especially with the violation of touch. In the Egyptian culture this is a very normal gesture and is just the way their merchants try to sell things to tourists. Researching all of these qualities and more would be extremely advisable for someone taking such a leap out of their own culture and into another.
I believe that by being knowledgeable of some cultural differences is crucial, especially because we ourselves have become such a diverse country. By understanding norms of other cultures, it is easier to avoid disrespect and embarrassing situations for yourself and others.
A professor of mine once told me he had a friend that visited Australia and was working there for some time. This friend had set up a meeting with a mayor of a town at one o'clock. My professor's friend waited and waited for hours until the mayor finally showed up much closer to three o'clock. Here in the United States we have a very strict interpretation of time. In Australia coincidentally, time has taken a much more laid back approach. Before you venture out of your country it would be a good idea to do some research on the chronemics differences of your destination.
Another difference in cultural language I have heard about is territoriality. Ironically the same professor told me a story about a friend of his that went to Egypt for a vacation. In Egypt there are many merchants that roam the streets looking for someone to buy their cloth, jewelry, perfume etc. My professor's friend was out touring the pyramids when she came across one of these merchants. The very persistent salesman was probably two inches from this woman's face trying to sell things to her, which in our culture is a serious invasion of our body territories. The merchant also violated what is normal in our culture by nearly following this woman back onto her tour bus and stroking her hair, rubbing her back, and fondling her in these various ways. Needless to say this woman was extremely uncomfortable, especially with the violation of touch. In the Egyptian culture this is a very normal gesture and is just the way their merchants try to sell things to tourists. Researching all of these qualities and more would be extremely advisable for someone taking such a leap out of their own culture and into another.
I believe that by being knowledgeable of some cultural differences is crucial, especially because we ourselves have become such a diverse country. By understanding norms of other cultures, it is easier to avoid disrespect and embarrassing situations for yourself and others.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)