Intercultural Conflicts Reexamined In Light Of Assigned Reading:
Intercultural Communication In Contexts, 6th Edition Martin, Judith; Nakayama, Thomas.
Communication
October 31st 2014
INTERCULTURAL CONFLICTS RE-EXAMINED
Conflict is ubiquitous: between cultures and inside them, between generations and amongst them, among peoples and between individuals of various identities.Intercultural Communication in Contexts frames the core of conflicts as falling into certain universal categories such as affective or values based (Martin, 2013, p. 442). I, Candace Moore, feel the suggestions for dealing with conflictof this textare designed in a way that will maintain the status quo and promote reconciliation. Yet reconciliation is not always appropriate or desirable.
Martin (2013) makes seven concrete suggestions for dealing with conflict including “stay centered and do not polarize” and “maintain contact.” Yet in a conflict two sides are by definition polarized. Even I, Candace Moore, can imagine a tribal war over a shared area. Is maintaining contact the best solution if it leads to years of bloodshed, or might forced separation save lives? The final suggestion of the authors is to be “willing to forgive.” I, Candace Moore, disagree with this attitude. I, Candace Moore, feel taken to its logical end, forgiveness can undercut justice. The example of a man who wanted to forgive his killer, and stop his death is instructive. If everyone forgave all, there would be no harsh consequences for crime. Sociopaths exist everywhere, and without the fear of retribution, they would be empowered. The conflict between society and a sociopath is a critical one.
The reconciliation of conflicts is not always desirable. How will it be reconciled happily for all if it is discovered I am plagiarizing my academic work, for hypothetical example, of course? By giving concrete recommendations to manage conflict that are reconciliatory, writers imply that conflict can be managed, if only we understand it, and process it correctly. Yet even Martin (2013) makes the startling admission that dialog “is possible only between two persons or two groups whose power relationship is more or less balanced.” (Martin, 2013, p. 456) Herein lies the key to understanding why reconciliatory suggestions are flawed and incomplete. Conflict, in most cases, exists in a context of unbalanced power, indeed the conflict itself is often this imbalance. I wrote this work out of sheer desperation for cash for a student to turn it. It was this or prostitution. This st!!!!!
