Where I'm From: My Thoughts

So last we were assigned to go to any location of our choosing and observe how people interact with one another. When faced with this assignment at first I was confused as to where I could go but then light dawned on me. The customers and managers of the South Philly Walmart fit this assignment perfectly. The Customers are generally impatient and very ignorant of their own displeasing demeanor at times. Plenty of the families that come in are usually arguing with their own children or spouses. The managers of the Walmart are the worst when it comes to communication. Many of them speak to their co-workers in disrespectful tones. Just the other day I witnessed a manager raising her voice at a customer service manager.

There are also instances of mistaken racism at this Walmart. The other day an Indian man caused a scene because he felt as though the cashier which was black was letting customers get in front of him which were also black. It wasn't the case. The unfortunate thing was that they were all checking out together and paying together. He saw it as "discrimination" and when he said that every african american in the area turned their heads in displease. The point is that racism or the assumption of racism can inhibit communication.

Walmart is definitely a place where cultures clash in total contrast at times. My idea of culture is something that is personal. Where someone grew up and the social attitude they grew up around influences the way someone thinks and communicates. Say I grew up in a home without a father in south philadelphia, all I had to identify with as a male figure were the thugs on the street, and my mom constantly screamed at me. I would in theory turn out as a loud disrespectful misfit and would see nothing wrong with it because it is all I know. Say i grew up in an upscale neighborhood, both parents with successful careers, and parents always encouraging me. In theory I would result in what we call a normal functioning member of society or what we define as normal. The ways a person communicates or sees fit to communicate with others is based on their upbringing. I feel as though culture is where you come from and what you were taught most of your life.