Interview with a Native of Texas
For this assignment, I decided to interview my mother's co-worker and a long-time family friend Paula Miller. She was born in Houston and lived there her whole life. We began by discussing her overall attitude towards tourists and people of foreign cultures. She said that she generally feels positive towards foreigners in the city, including immigrants, tourists or transplants. I also asked Paula to share a story about an encounter she had with a foreign tourist. She told me about a time when she and her friend met a Korean tourist at a bar and decided to have a walk with him around the city. Paula said that the whole experience was enlightening and she had a great time learning about Korean culture and traditions. However, when I asked her if there's any nationality she particularly dislikes or feels uncomfortable around, she was rather hesitant to give me the answer. Paula admitted that the recent world events made her reconsider her attitude towards tourists and immigrants from Muslim countries. She said that the western society has the right to treat Muslims with caution and a certain level of distrust.
This interview made me think about intercultural communications and the attitude towards foreigners in our country. I learned that even if a person condensers himself welcoming to tourists and immigrants, it is possible that he or she might still hold prejudice against people of certain religion or ethnicity. In my opinion, a lot of it is due to the fact that politicians and mass media are often sending the wrong message when it comes to controversial topics like immigration. Me and Paula agree that the general political trends of globalization and bringing nations together should be reflected in casual intercultural communications and interactions. However, some people need time to adapt to the changing social environment and learn how to accept people of foreign cultures and …
