INTRODUCTION:

Ever since America came into being, she has struggled with issues of racism and race discrimination, one of the few black marks on an otherwise great nation. Opinions have been noted and studies have been made on this subject. Davis and Smith elucidated one of the most shocking such studies in 1990. This extreme finding showed that between 40 to 56 per cent of whites (native Americans) share the misconception that African Americans and Hispanics “prefer to live off state welfare” and “are prone to violence”. [Davis and Smith, 1990]

In this paper we are going to be discussing the cultural differences between Latin Americans and Native Americans – or Hispanics and whites. While there are several such differences, an important point to be noted at the outset is that there is no cultural gap that cannot be bridged by understanding and mutual respect. The main reason that explains the many differences between the way whites and Hispanics perceive and behave with one another is – misconception. A misconception about a group or a race in particular is always a dangerous thing. It closes our minds off to what we would otherwise clearly see. Yes, there are bad apples in every bushel, but that does not mean that all the apples have gone bad. As Faye Lee, a concerned Japanese-American writes: "How anyone can try to make generalizations about an entire continent of people, plus all the Asian Americans and the infinite permutations of people's differing experiences, is beyond me."

If we bear this in mind, then there really aren’t that many differences between different races, culturally, ethnically, financially, politically or otherwise. Human beings are all unique so we cannot expect to find two people exactly the same. However upon close inspection we find that, in truth, differences between people within any nation or culture – not only America and not only Latinos - are much greater than differences between groups. Education, social standing, religion, personality, belief structure, past experience, affection shown at home, and myriad other factors affect human behavior and culture.

Often we hear and subconsciously absorb statements that generalize a particular group, and in a while we don’t even think twice about questioning such a statement – we believe it to be true. With regard to Hispanics, examples of such generalizations are: Hispanics need less personal space, they make less eye contact, touch each other more in normal conversation, and are less likely to participate in a meeting. Generalizations are often dangerous, and especially when accompanied by recommendations such as: Move closer when talking to Hispanics, make more physical contact, don't expect participation, and the like.

According to Aaron Pun, a Canadian ODCnet correspondent: "In studying cross cultural differences, we are not looking at individuals but a comparison of one ethnic group against others. Hence, we are comparing two bell curves and generalization cannot be avoided." And of course we have to take into account the human tendency to generalize. The most basic of examples comes to mind – the sky is a variety of colors – red, orange, purple, Prussian blue…the list goes on. But if you ask even a five-year-old child what color the sky is – he will look you in the eye and confidently declare – The sky is blue. Sure it is, some of the time, but not always, right? But try as you may, you wont convince the kid. It’s natural for the human mind to group and classify things, and there’s absolutely nothing wring with that. The danger comes when we act on some of these generalizations, especially when they are based on faulty observation. Acting on generalizations about such matters as eye contact, personal space, touch, and interest in participation can have serious negative consequences. As a matter of fact, in several Indian kingdoms, to look into the eye of the king was certain death, for he would perceive that you were challenging him and decide to take your head with him for his afternoon nap.

Much of the differences in culture have to do with superficial details such as preparation of food, music, social behavior and what each culture considers politeness. As an example, a mid-west farmer found that his workers did not show much interest in a specially prepared end-of-season meal. But, when the farm operators provided the meat and delegated the actual preparation to the workers themselves, who prepared it, as they liked, the celebration meal was a grand success. Similarly, a dairy farmer found out that his Mexican employees were not too excited about ground beef as a bonus, which is what his American workers preferred. Instead, they preferred the cow's head, tongue, brains, as well as other cuts of meat that were not ground up. [Encina, 1997]

It is extremely vital that Americans learn about the cultural differences between them and the Latinos and how to get around them, for according to demographic predictions, by the year 2050, over fifty per cent of the population of the United States will have some Hispanic/Latino heritage.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HISPANIC AND AMERICAN CULTURES:

FAMILY VALUES:

Traditionally, the most important social unit of the Hispanic society and culture is the familia. This term does not just include a father, mother and children. Hispanics, unlike Americans, generally live in what are known as ‘joint families’. All the relatives of a family live in one house, under one roof. Hispanic children are brought up in such an environment, and are taught by their elders the importance of the family, above all else. Family ties are very strong, and despite the size a Hispanic family is very close knit indeed. [ Rodriguez , 1995]

Family values form an integral part of Hispanic culture. From a young age, children are instilled with the values of respect for elders and for authority. They are taught to understand the importance of honor, their native tongue of Spanish, as well as good manners.

When Americans travel out of their hometown, they stay in a hotel. However when Hispanics travel, to stay with relatives is a common practice. There are great family get-togethers and much merriment at the times of holidays, birthdays, baptisms, first communions, graduations, and weddings. In the majority of Hispanic families, the father is the head of the household and the mother’s duty is to look after the house and the welfare of its residents. Americans feel a certain shame in acknowledging their monetary problems to others and do not like to ask for financial help unless there is no other way out. However in Hispanic families it is the duty of every individual of the house to chip in and do his or her bit in times of money crunches, unemployment, ill health and other important issues.

To understand the basic family unit of the Hispanics is to have understood a good deal about their culture. Holidays are a big affair because the whole family will pour in. If a parent is scolding a child, it is more than likely that an uncle or grandparent will drop in his two cents of advice. To assist one’s family in their time of need is to be in their debt for allowing one to ‘keep the family afloat’, not the other way around, as in most American homes.

RELIGION AND RITUALS:

The average American goes to church once a week, says his prayers, then comes home to his family. But what does religion really mean to him? Does it have a deep impression on his everyday acts? The answer to this is a clear negative. He is likely to consider his lawyer before consulting God. However in the Hispanic world, religion plays a very significant role, as it has through the centuries. The church gives spiritual meaning to the Hispanic culture. It influences community and family affairs far more than it does outside Hispanic society. Over 90 percent of the Hispanics are Catholic, though other faiths are gaining ground. As a matter of fact, the local patron saint’s feast is celebrated on a grander scale than the head of a family’s birthday! Contrast this to the American society. Church once a week, a social get together, and that’s about it. Americans do not consult their priests when a son of the household comes of age, nor when he gets his first job, nor when his son first starts to walk. The priest is as much a part of a family as is the father – he is their spiritual mentor, God’s representative on Earth, and as such enjoys a position of much importance.

However in non-formal surroundings, when family and friends surround them, their etiquette is completely different. In Hispanic culture it is generally fashionable to be late – if a function is scheduled to begin at 8:00 guests will begin drifting in at 8:45 . They greet each other with an embrace and a kiss if they are close friends or family. Conversation is in Spanish; fast, loud, fluent and boisterous, with ample use of body language and hand gestures to drive in their meaning. Especially when guests are present, the meal is followed by the sobremesa, a time to linger and talk over an after-dinner drink. [Sanjur, 1995] An interesting point is that when food or additional servings are offered to Hispanics, they tend to accept only after it is offered a second or third time. [Gessler, 1998]

Since these races are minorities, they do feel a certain sense of hesitation or even fear. Let us deal with a few specific examples here. In East Africa, if a white manager speaks to one of his black subordinates, the man will just stare at the ground and mutter dully, ‘Yes, sir,’ no matter what the supervisor tells him. However that very same man becomes a fountain of energy, vitality and ideas when he is amongst his own people – not because he is opposed to white people or harbors any kind of resentment against them – but because he is among people whom he understands and who understand him and his culture. He feels at ease.

In order to demonstrate exactly how different people misunderstand these motives differently, let us return to Hispanics, and discuss a class of adult male Hispanics, being taught first by a white man and then by a Hispanic woman. Both discover that their pupils seem to listen attentively enough, but don’t clear any doubts or ask questions of any kind. The first will perceive that the lack of participation is somewhat inherent in the Hispanic population due to his ‘understanding’ of Hispanics; the latter will assume that they are not responding because she is a woman. This teaches us that paying attention to customs and cultural differences can give someone outside that culture a better chance of assimilation or acceptance. It’s not impossible – if that someone is prepared to understand that the Hispanics are essentially raised with different ideals, live in different worlds and abide by a different set of values. If we allow ourselves to accept that, then we would be able to have that class of Hispanics laughing and eagerly involving themselves in the lesson.

NONVERBAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC CULTURES:

Let us now take up the discussion of nonverbal differences between the two cultures of the whites and the Hispanics. (There are actually several subcultures among the Hispanics i.e. those from Chile , Spain , Brazil , and etc. but we assume them to be one) Non-verbal differences are not those regarding food or festivals or dress, rather those of eye and hand communication, physical contact, interpersonal distance, etc. Previously we had discussed the example of the Indian kings, with whom one had to be exceedingly careful with non-verbal culture gaps.

Let us now discuss this with regard to scientific studies conducted on Hispanic and American cultures. I shall quote the specific example of Michael Argyle, in 1988. In this study Argyle states several studies based on nonverbal communications and culture [pages 57-61, Argyle, 1988]. According to this study, Latin Americans face each other, touch and make eye contact more than the average American, and that Latin Americans stand closer to each other than North Americans. However the same study showed that ‘middle class Americans actually touched quite a lot’, more than they are aware of. Gregorio Billikoph Encina, a Professor at the University of California and a Chilean, states that such non-verbal culture differences really depend upon an individual’s perception. He cites an example of a time when he was alone in an almost entirely American or Anglo-Saxon town in the US . On several occasions he recalls feeling like his personal space was being invaded, and expressing wonder to himself at how American men could stand their proximity! This from a Hispanic man who is supposed to stand closer than the average American! And he is not alone – other immigrants from Mexico and Iran recall feeling the same way! This serves as an eloquent example to show us that such nonverbal differences are merely perceived, because one is of a different culture than the other.

With regard to another non verbal difference, that of eye contact, Professor Encina makes the following commentaries. “I now live in California and have been married for over 20 years to a Californian (of Northern European descent). It is sort of funny because my wife now realizes that I need to have eye contact while we talk. If she is reading, she has learned that I stop talking if I don't have eye contact with her. I have had several people tell me, when I stop talking because I no longer have eye contact, "Keep talking, I'm listening." My kids still give me a bad time about the year my mother came to visit and we drove to Yosemite National Park . They were all panicked because I kept looking at my mother as I drove. They felt I was not looking at the road enough and thought we would drive off the mountain. I have a very high need for eye contact.”

However, this need for eye contact is merely an expression of an inherent instability in a person, a need to know for sure that the other party is paying attention and is focused. Often our being among a group of people from a different race can make us feel this way and we therefore need to understand and recognize the importance of such nonverbal methods of communication to bridge the cultural void. It is basically a measure of how safe one feels around the other.