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| This is an example of seeing things that are uncommon from where you're from, even if it is literally another planet. |
From chapter 12 in Fred Jandt's book he talks about culture shock ( on page 292) and how is affects many immigrants in new countries. There are 5 stages in culture shock: honeymoon period, culture shock, initial adjustment, mental isolation and acceptance and integration. When I was younger I went to Europe on vacation for about three weeks with my family. The culture there is very different than ours here in the US. I was able to see how other people live and what they value. I realized that things don't move as fast in the sense that people aren't as rushed there as they are here. Also when I went each country still had separate currency, so everyday we were in a different country and we were constantly changing currency and it got pretty confusing and annoying. I also experienced a smaller dose of culture shock when I moved to Redlands from Fontana. I had grown up in Fontana and was 14 when we moved. So I left all my friends and had to start fresh at a new high school. In Fontana I stuck out since there were not as many white kids in my schools. So I was use to being different than everyone else, even though I loved my friends and got along with everyone. So when I moved to Redlands and started at REV ( Redlands East Valley High School) my first day I realized that I blended in more then usual. It wasn't a bad culture shock, but it was different than how I had grown up. Culture shock can happen to anyone who visits a new place or for me who moves 20 minutes away and feel like you're in a different world.
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| These are all popular "slang" verbiage used in everyday talk that is common knowledge to most Americans. |
In Jandt's chapter 14 page 354 he talks about argot which is a specialized vocabulary of a subgroup, such as jargon, cant and slang. Jargon refers to a more technical language that professionals use, such as doctors and lawyers. Cant is more used to talk about truck driver language, or nonprofessional language. Slang refers to gangs, drug dealers and prostitutes, also refers to how teenagers talk to each other. I work in a restaurant so I feel we have a certain jargon spoken that only our employees would understand. For example we use the term "bump and run" when we need to run food in the kitchen, or "table touches" just means to check on your table to make sure everything is going well, or to greet your table for the first time and get them started. We also call our costumers "Guests" and our employees are "Team members". Another example is when our managers say "full hands in" that means that we have to grab any dirty plates off of tables and bring them into the kitchen. One last example is the term "sidework", this refers to what you must do before leaving, such as what you have to clean or restock before you get to clock out. We have many other terms that are used daily in our work environment that would not make sense to new comers who have no knowledge of the way we do things.
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| This is a fun illustration of the typical "rough" image of the Chicken-Haulers. |
In chapter 13 page 200 of the Fong and Chuang's book they talk about the speech community of Chicken-Haulers and High Liners on CB radios. There are many speech communities out there whether its through your job, sports, a sorority or fraternity. Within each subgroup there is a different way of communicating with different meanings for words and phrases. Many truck drivers use the CB radio as a way to communicate with one another while driving long distances across the United States. Many truck drivers that drive along the I-40 are called Chicken-Haulers and are considered to be unprofessional with there CB radio talk. While the drivers who drive on I-90 are called the High Liners and they tend to talk more professionally across the radio and find it insulting to be asked if they are a Chicken-Hauler. I think it is funny to think that truck drivers can have rivals depending on their speech community. But if you think about it, every subgroup has its competition or rival, whether its sports or work. There is a constant competitive nature and longing to be in one speech community or another.
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| This is the symbol for the Chicken-Haulers. |
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| This is the Deadhead symbol showing light and dark colors, which can also symbolize the yin and yang from the ancient Chinese culture. |
In chapter 16 page 242, of the Fong and Chuang's book they speak of the term Deadhead. The deadhead community is a great example of people wanting to be associated with a certain type of people or certain image. The Deadheads are extreme fans of the rock band Grateful Dead. In this subgroup they have a speech community and a loyalty to the band and the other fans. The Deadheads carry a certain stereotype that suggests all members are potheads and hippies that are free spirits and tree huggers. Since this is the case some Deadhead members will try not to show their true loyalty to the band, since they don't want to be thought of in the stereotypical way. By looking at the way Deadheads dress and speak you can see that they see life as a way to live in the moment and not think about the future all the time, which is a great way to look at life. Not everyone can see it that way since most of us worry about the future and certain deadlines or appointments or any future events. The Deadhead community often show their loyalty by wearing the band logo of a skull with a lightening bolt through it.
The last topic I will cover will be on the idea of third culture kids. This is what Jandt's talks about in chapter 12 on page 294 of his book. Third culture kids are kids who grew up in many different countries. Living possible 6 months to one year at a time or shorter and associating themselves with many cultures. This in a way allows third culture kids to create their own culture and therefore creating a subgroup within their many other subgroups of cultures. Third culture kids have a higher interest in traveling and wanting to learn new things and new languages. They can also be more accepting of new cultures since they are so use to having to adjust, so change comes more naturally to them than it would to someone who was not a third culture kid. I for one have only lived in three houses my entire life. I have traveled to many states, Mexico, Europe but not for more than three or four weeks at a time. So I don't feel I am one with any other culture than being a southern Californian. Although I would love to travel more one day, I would love to visit Australia, Spain, Egypt, Rome and many others. So hopefully one day I will get a sense of what the third culture kids have experienced their entire lives.
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| While some third culture kids consider themselves as having a piece of culture from every inch of the earth. |
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| Third culture kids can sometimes not be sure what culture to identify with. |
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