Cultural and Diversity Characteristics Map

CUR/518 Version 1

University of Phoenix Material

The Cultural and Diversity Map of Larry Wolverton

Men are physically stronger

than women. Women can
endure longer periods of
discomfort than men. Men are
more primal and competitive
in nature. Women are
naturally more compassionate
and caring.

Raised in prejudiced home in fifties and

sixties with a real Archie Bunker for a
father who treated people well to their
face and called them the N word
behind their back. This behavior was
acceptable in the home and small town
community environment at the time. This
was in Michigan, not the Deep South.

Historical

Biological

Allies are
equal. Enemies
are not human.
Enemies are
who the
leaders say
they are.

ME

Military

All people are equal in the sight of

God. Women are subservient to
men being created out of the rib
of a man to provide him a
companion. Eve led Adam into
trouble, so men can blame
women for their troubles. Men are
easily manipulated by women.
Children are inherently evil, being
born of woman, and need to be
forgiven for their natural sin
through baptism.

Cultural

Religious
Training

American values and

practices are better than any
other countrys cultural values
and practices.

Personal

Educational

Work Place

All people are prejudiced against other people to a

degree (for one reason or another) and biased for
those who look and behave as they do. Caring
professions require workers to set aside their own
feelings and treat everyone with respect and care,
anyway.

All people are equally

deserving of respect
and can teach me
something valuable.

There are cultural traits that

influence how each individual
behaves both within their
home culture and in a new
culture. Understanding and
appreciating culturally diverse
environments requires making
an effort to listen and ask
questions.

Cultural and Diversity Characteristics Map

CUR/518 Version 1

Reflections on the Cultural & Diversity Map

As I view my responses to the lessons taught in each of the scenarios represented in
this map, I can see just how much I have diverged from the course I was set on in several of
those environments.
My understanding that American culture and practices are better than any other
countrys culture came out as I was visiting my current wife at her home in the Philippines. I
viewed the language as simplistic because their language was very phonetic in
pronunciation. Initially I also had thoughts that the people were also simpler than most
Americans since they lived more simply and had neither reliable running water nor electricity.
I was the quintessential Ugly American. Fortunately, I kept those thoughts to myself and in
the time I came to know the people as only different in time orientation and priorities in life. I
found the Philippine culture more sophisticated than I had thought and much more intelligent
than myself for the most part. Real life exposure to other people and cultures erode false
understandings.
My home environment lessons and my military lessons combined one day when I
brought my Japanese fianc of five years home to meet my parents. My dad answered the
door and took one look at my fianc and exclaimed A Jap! and immediately slammed the
door shut our faces. As people of the Bahai Faith we realized we would never get his
permission to marry and that ended a beautiful relationship, remained friends for a while then
drifted apart. Even before that event, I have strived to be the exact opposite of my father and
sought out the contact of people of other races and attempted to understand our similarities
and our differences. I hold close to my heart a credo of everyone I come across in life can
teach me something of value.
Since that first experience in the Philippines I started a global transcription company
and became immersed in a global business environment where I had to evaluate how things
would be done in several cultures, Philippine, India, Pakistan, and American cultures in a
seamless manner and to a standard of high quality English language transcription.
Globalization has opened the minds of many to new ways of thinking about other cultures
and the good companies have created an inclusive culture where the diversity is not only
appreciated but used to drive greater innovation and accommodation of differing customers,
too.
When you value people for who they are as people, it is hard to see them as anything
other than a person like yourself. Dehumanizing other people and their cultures makes it
much easier to fight and kill them. It is also a lack of personal value that drives us to fear or
ignore others different than ourselves.