Did you know that in many Asian societies it is disrespectful to look someone in the eyes when you are talking to them? In other countries you greet someone by kisses on the cheek. There are many customs that high context cultures experience that low context cultures just do not integrate into their society. In America(A very low context culture) it is normal to be more individualistic and take pride in tasks over relationships. People want to be independent here and make their own ideas a reality. They want their voices to be heard and their opinions to be taken account.
You have to take account however, for these societal differences that separate these cultures. In a high context society you aren’t going to voice your thoughts to the CEO of the company you work for and tell them how you think things should be run, because it just is not culturally acceptable. That's why I feel like I am gifted this birth given opportunity to be who I want to be in America. I have a voice and so does every other person in my culture. I can stand up for what I believe and what I support and other cultures sadly can’t always.
Speech styles also different in the way an individual articulates themselves and what you say to someone in one culture can mean the complete opposite in another, or even mean nothing at all. Each person's identity is based off of a collectivist culture in high context societies. The needs and goals are based off of a group and not an individual. It is through this interconnectedness of people that helps structure that specific society. These differnces in culture are so drastically different that it creates a creates a cultural shock when you attempt to conform to another societies culture.
For more information on high and low context culture visit: https://youtu.be/qKViQSnW-UA
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