Ibunka!_Unit11 / OSF 11

11 Interacting with Strangers

One Step Further ACTIVITIES

Here are some more responses from the Ibunka Survey on the topic of interacting with strangers. Let’s examine them for underlying cultural trends. We can see that the language in many responses hints at two basic patterns.

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SURVEY

LOOKING FOR PATTERNS

CULTURAL PATTERN A: Interact with strangers ΖQ VRPH FXOWXUHV ZKHQ SHRSOH ȴQG WKHPVHOYHV ZLWK VWUDQJHUV LQ D SXEOLF VSDFH WKH\ WHQG WR VPLOH DQG PDNH VPDOO WDON WR IHHO PRUH FRPIRUWDEOH 7KLV XVXDOO\ IHHOV TXLWH ȊIULHQGO\ȋ HVSHFLDOO\ WR SHRSOH ZKR DUH QRW IDPLOLDU ZLWK WKDW FXOWXUH +RZHYHU VLPSO\ VPLOLQJ RU FKDWWLQJ ZLWK VRPHRQH GRHV QRW PHDQ WKDW D UHODWLRQVKLS KDV VWDUWHG

CULTURAL PATTERN B: Ignore strangers ΖQ RWKHU FXOWXUHV ZKHQ SHRSOH ȴQG WKHPVHOYHV ZLWK VWUDQJHUV LQ D SXEOLF VSDFH WKH\ WHQG WR LJQRUH WKHP QR VPLOH QR VPDOO WDON ΖQ WKLV ZD\ HYHU\RQH IHHOV PRUH FRPIRUWDEOH 3HRSOH GRQȇW FRPPXQLFDWH ZLWK VWUDQJHUV ZKHQ WKHUH LV QR VSHFLȴF UHDVRQ EHFDXVH IRU WKHP FRPPXQLFDWLRQ PHDQV WKH ȴUVW VWHS WRZDUGV D UHODWLRQVKLS 7KLV FDQ IHHO ȊFROGȋ WR SHRSOH ZKR DUH QRW IDPLOLDU ZLWK WKDW FXOWXUH

Read through the Ibunka Survey responses below. Highlight in one color the words and phrases that hint at Cultural Pattern A: Interact with strangers DQG LQ DQRWKHU FRORU WKH SDUWV WKDW UHȵHFW Cultural Pattern B: Ignore strangers. You can work and discuss this in pairs or small groups.

.S YMJ : 0 NY NX fairly HTRRTS YT FHPST\QJILJ TYMJWX FSI ^TZ RNLMY J[JS XF^ NYƍX a XTHNFQ J]UJHYFYNTS 9MNX HFS GJ ITSJ \NYM F XRNQJ F STI TW J[JS G^ XF^NSL MJQQT \MJS you enter an elevator, or if you join a queue FSI ^TZ RFPJ J^J HTSYFHY \NYM XTRJTSJ . In XZUJWRFWPJYX TW XMTUX NY NX [JW^ HTRRTS KTW YMJ HMJHPTZY FXXNXYFSY to start talking to you and it rarely feels HTSYWN[JI 9MNX NX XTRJYMNSL . XTRJYNRJX RNXX FGTZY YMJ :0 In Japan, . MF[J KTZSI YMFY F QTY TK UJTUQJ F[TNI GTYM J^J HTSYFHY FSI XRFQQ YFQP , unless you're XTRJ\MJWJ \MJWJ FQHTMTQ NX GJNSL XJW[JI %ULWLVK PDOH WUDQVODWRU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 1 Usually, on the street I would not address people I didn't know. So I wouldn't mind not YFQPNSL YT XTRJTSJ J[JS NK \J \JWJ NS YMJ XFRJ XUFHJ KTW F longish amount of time. But if XTRJTSJ FIIWJXXJI RJ ƳWXY YMJS . \TZQI WJUQ^ YT YMJR PNSIQ^ %HOJLDQ IHPDOH UHVHDUFKHU OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 2 1JYƍX XF^ .ƍR NS FS JQJ[FYTW \NYM F XYWFSLJW FSI \JƍWJ GTYM MJFIJI YT YMJ YM ƴTTW If I am in a good mood and the person looks WJHJUYN[J , I would probably make a brief general HTRRJSY TS YMJ \F^ ZU 9MFY NX VZNYJ F QTSL YNRJ YT GJ NS YMJ XFRJ XUFHJ FX XTRJTSJ FSI not FHPST\QJILJ them. . RNLMY FY QJFXY XRNQJ TW RFPJ GWNJK J^J HTSYFHY YT XF^ ^JX MJWJ \J FWJ ^TZ FSI RJ \J FWJ NS YMJ XFRJ XUFHJ LTNSL YT YMJ XFRJ UQFHJ $PHULFDQ PDOH IUHHODQFH MRXUQDOLVW KDV OLYHG LQ -DSDQ 3

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4 When I meet HTRUQJYJ XYWFSLJWX , I am rather neutral, but I smile and say a greeting when . RJJY F KFRNQNFW KFHJ NS R^ SJNLMGTWMTTI TW FY \TWP J[JS NK . ITSY PST\ YMJ UJWXTS )UHQFK IHPDOH WHDFKHU DUWLVW OLYHV LQ -DSDQ 4

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