Category: Culture

Introduction

I once attended a different church than my regular assembly and observed some unfamiliar practices from the entire congregation. The most noticeable one was the detailed glances indicating the evident discovery of a new person or visitor. The session was mainly a Thanksgiving service and much of the activities involved singing in worship and referencing the bible verses. One common notable scenario that was uniquely involved in the practice.

The fraternity considered the bible as sufficient regulation for basing devotion and practicing faith. Various churches related to the one I attended and have similar claims. One such similarity is the lack of denominational status, which contradicts a lack of belief over the separation between owning to saved status in comparison to receiving the Holy Spirit. In considering my usual congregation, being saved and receiving the Holy Spirit are two different occurrences. According to my church, the Holy Spirit exists within the inner being, when a person becomes Saved (About, 2009).

From this new church, I could note a huge distinction between presentations of the Holy Spirit roles as opposed to the distinctive roles from my church. Some of these emphasized roles included the issue of followers speaking in tongues, lay hands on other followers who wanted to be saved, and the power of healing. The new church also emphasizes reading of the bible, fellowshipping, fasting, and praying. The church also had various strict rules such as maintaining total silence during preaching time as opposed to the background auditory confirmation responses that my congregation allowed, optimistically encouraged, and practically supported.

Multicultural experience

My church may have some diversifications from the single common style of devotion especially during worship, but the experience in the new church I attended affected my societal facilitation greatly. It was easy to note that majority of the dwellers noted I was a visitor. From my point of view; attendance is affected by social factors such as preconceived notions. The reaction also affected my engagement and behavior influence to find and accept change.

Although the experience was definitely, a revelation of the minor details I missed from my congregation, one of the things I noted during the next worship visit at my church involved the decorations and symbols. The name of the church was not haphazard or randomly placed. It appeared and remained at a specific location. The cross sculptures were also specially placed at each corner, with each towering high enough where everyone could spot easily from various locations in the church.

This was purposeful and strict arrangements that lacked in the church I had visited. I also noted that the program at my congregation had a consistent arrangement for undertakings of all services. The church service began with a prayer session followed by worship in form of songs and later the sermon and closing stages prayers. I was also able to notice that invited speakers preceded some of the sessions sermons. The activities were quite normal and everyone stayed next to or in their sits during the activities such as praise and worship singing. Most of the songs were familiar and everyone seemed comfortable regardless of the social-cultural differences.

One evident difference I could not miss was the confirmation responses that people from my congregation give. As the sermon is delivered, the congregation responds enthusiastically by shouting Yes or Amen, as opposed to quietly listening to the message. The experience of attending a different congregation showed me the importance of the response style and placed a better understanding of my faith.

The strong reaction in agreement by the congregation at my church showed that people had an interactive way of expressing inner affirmation. The faith at my church indicates that renewal of the notional in the mind renews the spirit. The verbal interactive form of confirmation is also effective in keeping everyone in line with the proceedings.

When I had visited the new congregation, one of the critical measures I almost failed to achieve was to avoid verbal responses. I had responded with a verbally notable Amen, before remembering the conditions when some people glared at me. It feels suspicious when one is not able to shout a response in affirmation. Practicing silence during such an occasion was disheartening. According to Myers (2008), a group comprises two or more people and they ought to interact as long as they have spent few moments together and can engage contentious issues.

The church is a group of people and must be in a position of providing information, provide solutions to challenges, and assist each member to realize his/her goals. There is no influence if people are not able to engage in interaction (Shelton, 2007).

Conclusion

By attending a worship service in a different congregation, I was able to garner a positive learning experience. The ability to facilitate interaction socially is important and substantial for the worship service as well as other social gatherings. By lacking resistance to the verbal confirmations, I learned that the organizational culture puts forward the adjustment mechanisms for behavioral practice if people can have positive apprehensions overreactions.

For instance, if the verbal response to a sermon is beneficial, the organization ought to adjust and cater to the needs instead of posing ethical hindrance. Social facilitation of dominant responses is support by individual perspective and participation.

References:

About: What we believe. (2009). Web.

Myers, D. (2008). Social Psychology (ninth Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Shelton, J.E. (2007). Are we a melting pot? How religion and race differenceimpact beliefs about the American nationality. Conference PapersAmerican Sociological Association, 2007 Annual Meeting, 1-36.

The purpose and manifestations of societal activity demonstrate the link between culture and religion. Religion is a fundamental way people experience and comprehend the world if culture describes how people perceive and comprehend the world. Furthermore, religion cannot become a self-contained historical entity or indifferent to various social changes; it is understood as a concrete substrate that informs cultural expression. However, religious manifestation and purpose can influence cultural engagement, with culture serving as a vehicle for people to communicate the meaning and aim that religion provides. This essay examines how religion shapes human culture and explains why there have been so many religions across history and space.

In a society where young people must deal with a constantly shifting social and political environment, religion is most inclined to play an essential part in identity development. In essence, religious affiliations transcendent significance contributes to a young persons identity formation and overall well-being (Kogan et al., 2019). The abundance of alternatives available to present youth is likely to result in despair, pessimism, and uncertainty without the perspective offered by religious concepts, the worldview it gives, and its function in forming and directing conduct. Therefore, religion may provide definitive solutions and opinions on elusive aspects of life that may be more interesting and relevant for a young person.

Religion shapes values and ethics through various channels, providing a solid conscience for many people worldwide. It influences how people perceive the globe and act in response to it, encourages routines like going to church and praying, and creates a matrix of social relationships (Penelhum, 2019). Therefore, this specific strategy aids in a persons character development. Additionally, religion is a socializing tool that aids in developing virtues such as compassion, tolerance, respect, and peace. Ethics and values help people realize that their actions have an impact on themselves and other people (Penelhum, 2019). As a result, this increases credibility, fosters leadership, enhances decision-making, and yields long-term benefits crucial to the advancement of human culture.

Religions are a form of social cohesion and an evolutionary adaptation. There are many ways to achieve cohesion, which explains why numerous other religions exist. Most of the worlds 8 billion inhabitants practice a religion of some form, ranging from enormous global churches to minor spiritual customs and localized sects (Penelhum, 2019). No one is truly sure how many different religions exist in the world. Humans had to foster collaboration and understanding among new acquaintances as they transitioned from small hunter-gatherer groups to vast agrarian cultures (Kogan et al., 2019). Believing in a self-righteous God and religion were societal responses to these difficulties. This way of life has brought about many religions in the universe throughout history.

In conclusion, with the large portion of cultures around the world, religion plays a significant role in peoples daily life. Over eight out of every ten persons in the globe identify as religious. Nevertheless, it is also noteworthy that an increasing percentage of people claim no religious allegiance. Every human civilization contains beliefs about the extraordinary; thus, it is crucial to comprehend these notions. Whether or not people perceive themselves to be spiritual, religions and other worldviews impact cultural identity. Simultaneously, other facets of culture and identity, human history, perspectives on other religions, and attitudes toward those perceived as different will affect how believers view that religion.

References

Kogan, I., Fong, E., & Reitz, J. G. (2019). Religion and integration among immigrant and minority youth. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(17), 3543-3558. Web.

Penelhum, T. (2019). Reason and religious faith (1^st ed.). Routledge.

There is no secret that public administration in UAE has suffered major changes over the past few years due to the need for the state to create stronger ties with the neighboring states, as well as the states partners in politics. As a result, the state has witnessed an impressive increase in diversity and the following alterations in terms of its culture, ethics, business principles, etc. While some of the changes have been carried out comparatively easy, other alterations have demanded rather painstaking efforts, and some are yet to occur.

The culture clash and the following conflicts, which can be witnessed with an increasing frequency in the state at present, are to be viewed as not merely minor issues that will sooner or later resolve itself, but as a manifestation of a major problem emerging as a result of the UAE society facing the need to adapt towards the ethics and moral principles of the UAEs political and economic partners. In other words, an impressive culture clash can be observed within the realm of the UAE public administration and is to be resolved as soon as possible so that the residents of the state could either continue complying with the laws and regulations inspired by the traditional values or reconsider the current legislation principles, therefore, making the state more open to the influences of other cultures and suggesting tolerance as the basis for relationships with foreigners.

Indeed, a brief overview of the current situation will reveal that the present-day cultural principles that the UAE public administration is guided by are rather rigid. It would be wrong to claim that the modern public administration strategy is fully alien to the concept of tolerance  the admittedly evident vestigial concept of personal freedom and the right to be different still exists in the Emirates. Nevertheless, some of the regulations that are currently considered principal to the coordination of the UAE public life are still far too restricted in terms of interpersonal relationships.

The above-mentioned issue, in its turn, can be viewed as a major impediment to not only personal but also business-related interactions between the residents of the UAE and the people representing other cultures. In this relation, the role of women in the UAE culture in general and the code of conduct dictating very specific attitudes towards women deserve to be mentioned. Recent studies show that the representatives of the UAE business world have become increasingly more accepting of the idea of women in business, as well as the idea of different roles for women in other cultures; nevertheless, a rather biased attitude towards female partners is, unfortunately, far too common for the UAE to gain a more significant status as a partner in economy and business. While the aforementioned issue concerns culture and traditions rather than the actual coordination of the UAE public sphere, the public administration realm has admittedly huge power over the attitudes towards female employees, as well as the standards of conduct for women. Therefore, the public administration rules need to be altered towards a more accepting view of the elements and features of other cultures.

It should be noted that the gender issue is only one of the numerous dents in the current public administration approach adopted by the authorities of the UAE. Apart from the specified concern, the lack of tolerance towards other elements of foreign cultures can be observed. For instance, the present-day public administration sphere could use some improvements in terms of democratization in general. At this point, the efficacy of monitoring as a tool for maintaining adherence to new principles deserves to be mentioned.

The aforementioned concern is related directly to the process of modernization, which is also a hot-button issue for the current public administration sphere in the UAE; according to the recent study, the given processes have been taking place in the Islamic setting in general and the UAE setting in particular, yet with little to no effect. In other words, the present-date public administration principles require a major upgrade so that they could incorporate the ideas allowing for the acknowledgment of the rights of people belonging to other cultures. The given task is admittedly tricky, as a range of the elements of other cultures is in sharp conflict with the basics of the Islamic culture; as a result, the implementation of the above-mentioned approach in the UAE is quite complicated.

On a more general level, the issue in question can be identified as the problem of power within the UAE public administration sphere. Though culturally predetermined and justified, the current state of affairs within the UAE public administration domain needs to be addressed so that the state could evolve economically and politically by developing relationships with other countries. Seeing that the latter process is only possible once the premises for cultural conflicts are removed, it is imperative that the current public administration principles regarding the attitudes and hierarchy based on gender should be removed and that more tolerant views towards gender differences should be incorporated into the present-day domain of the UAE public administration.

It should be kept in mind, though, that the specified changes are challenging to the UAE public administration not politically, financially or economically, but socially for the most part. Based on cultural beliefs and the Islamic philosophy, which are by no means inferior to any other cultures or philosophies, these principles, nevertheless, are implanted into the identity of most of the UAE residents and are taken for granted by the latter. Consequently, a rapid switch towards the concept of public administration based on a set of entirely different cultural principles is most likely to result in protests among UAE residents.

Therefore, it is suggested that the current UAE public administration domain should be altered slightly towards accepting more tolerant views concerning gender issues. For instance, the attitudes towards women in power should be switched to more accepting. After all, In a democracy, the administration must be constructed in such a way that it serves the people through their elected representatives (Bertelli, 2012a, p. 1), and the interests of women in the UAE society seem to be underrepresented greatly. Though the introduction of democratic principles into the public administration of the state is one of the numerous steps towards becoming successful in the global economy (Bertelli, 2012b), it is a major foot forward in the cultural evolution of the UAE and its residents. Though the problem in question presupposes dealing with a rather delicate cultural issue and locating a compromise between the UAE culture and the global standards, it will lead to impressive improvements in the political and economic status of the Emirates.

Reference List

Bertelli, M. (2012). Introduction. In M. Bertelli, The political economy of public sector governance (118). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Bertelli, M. (2012a). Methodological foundations. In M. Bertelli, The political economy of public sector governance (1934). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Obama presidential debates are highly discussed in the United States because it is an important event for each U.S. citizen who has the right to vote and attend the elections. The debate between candidatures  Obama and Romney  underlines specific rhetorical and cultural approaches to engaging into discussion and introducing their viewpoints on specific issues related to politics, economics, and social organization.

In order to define cultural underpinnings and issues of the debate, I will focus on the analysis of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in which Barack Obama is invited as a guest. The program relies on both humorous and political issues, as well as unveils certain important cultural dimensions of the presidential elections.

The critical examination will allow to define the modern attitudes to gender and sexuality, as well as how they are treated at the threshold of the presidential election campaign. In particular, although the program is dedicated a variety of issues, including social vision, cultural background, traditions and celebrations, and religious views, Barack Obama still manages to interpret all these topics in the light of the upcoming elections.

Although the show does not cover fully the essence of political situation, as well as the content of presidential debates, it still focuses on the Obamas attitude toward cultural, economic, and social issues. Specific attention requires his position concerning the gender roles distributed in American society. His religious and social beliefs, therefore, reflect his general opinion on the role of women and men.

While tracing the interview, both Leno and Obama focus on very interesting issues that are beyond politics. This is of particular concern to their discussion of womens capability of doing decisions, and Obamas views on health care and military system that are directly associated with discussion of gender and social role.

While discussing Obamas attitude to rape, specific emphasis is placed on the role of male politicians in making decisions about womens health care issues. I plan to discuss all these issues in much detail to define what cultural and national undercurrents are highlighted in Obamas speech.

The TV program is associated with discussing various issues that are not confined to any political and religious outlooks. Nevertheless, because Obama was invited to the show during the election campaign, the most of the topics covered strongly correlate with this situation.

With regard to the above, the target audience is the U.S. citizens who are interested in voting and participating in presidential races. Regardless what topics have been discussed, should it be family issues, economic situation, Obamas personal life, all these topics were centered on attracting more audience who is concerned with the election campaign.

Within the context of gender stereotypes analysis, Ott and Mack state, the competing interpretations of gender in contemporary society give rise to confusing, often contradictory message about various roles of men and women (p. 193).

However, despite the presence of patriarchal system of power ensuring restricted representation of women, Obama still emphasizes the right of women to decide on the type of treatment, as well as other decisions that concern their health. Judging from the Presidents position, the equality between men and women is a serious problem for politicians.

I have also noticed that most of the issues related to over discussion of gender are concealed by general political statements related to such urgent problems as tax rates, unemployment, and security welfare in the United States. Social interaction is closely associated with gender stereotypes, even though they are veiled with general discussions about social structures attributed to contemporary life.

Making connection of the importance of womens decision with the politics of the current government, Obama recognizes that most of politicians releasing reforms, acts, and other regulations are males. Therefore, in order to intrude into issues related to female health, the president strives to solve this problem at legislative and political levels.

The availability of basic health is important and, therefore, the Supreme Court should have a direct impact on the analysis of the issue. While discussing the capability of women to make important choices about their health, Obama stresses that this aspect should also relate to family issues, which once again refers to the presidents conservative outlook on womens place in society.

The very recognition and emphasis already testifies to the presidents constantly changing patterns of considering women and their limited access to politics. Therefore, it is purposeful to judge that Obama has concealed views on gender that are confined to the conservative position of roles of women as housewives, but not as feminine activists taking part in various social, cultural and political measures.

The influence of media on representation of gender is tangible. I agree with Gills statement about media coverage: rather than reflecting reality&the media are involved in producing or constructing particular versions of reality in order to make them real and persuasive (44).

The focus on distortion and bias challenges the accuracy of comprehending the real state of affairs, as well as leads to a deviated form of political action that refers to bad stereotypes. Finally, the media approach provides no distinction between degrees of meaning. In fact, it only addresses the content representation ignoring the fact that woman can symbolize a range of meanings, such as comfort, sexuality, stability, and conservatism.

All these aspects could be highlighted in the television program episode. Specifically, Obama does recognize the existing distribution of gender role due to the actual emphasis on the male politicians and womens capability to make decisions.

The place of womens in politics is heavily argued because there exist evidence stereotypic framework that is imposed on Obamas speech in the show. Certainly, media has a potent impact on the Presidents elaborations on this issue. Because he realizes that has great responsibility because he exposes his family as an example that other Americans should follow.

For instance, when he talks about family related issues, Obama mentions his wifes contributions constantly and refers to her role as a wife. Therefore, this is an additional media stereotypes affecting Obamas ideology.

Although the attitude to gender and sexuality in contemporary society is represented in various contexts, the Presidents still adheres to a heteronormative, objective perspective. I believe that Obama articulates ideas in a reserved, unemotional way, which allows him to maintain an image of an ordinary man that most voters believe he is. Such a position, therefore, is premised on standardized assessments of functions performed by males.

Due to the fact that the contemporary society recognizes the masculinity and femininity are different aspects that should be considered as opposites, Obama takes the role of a heteronormative position as the one opposed to homosexual stereotypes, which once again signifies Obamas negative rather than neutral attitude to homosexuals.

There is also an assumption that males heterosexual orientation should be associated with unemotional, restrained, and objective evaluation of various issues (Fourie 306). In contrast, homosexuality is more connected with greater emotionality, which is attributed to a negative connotation.

The connection between gender and sexuality is evident, but little consideration is done concerning its representation in political sphere. In fact, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno produces new perspectives which allow to uncover Obamas actual view on sexuality and gender.

Although the speech did not specifically relate to the discussion of gender issues, there are still contextual and rhetorical signs uncovering certain angles of the aspect. It should be stressed, however, that gender and sexuality are constructed through the prism of identities.

The changing patterns also testify to the shifts in perceiving and evaluating the role of gender and sexuality. This is of particular concern to role models, as well as to how they are covered in media.

The media reflects on the relationships and situations from various social angles, specifically when it comes to the discussion of gender equality. In this respect, I agree with the point that women have the formal right to most things that a man can do, and vice versa: situation where this is not the case become wellpublicised courtroom battles (Gauntlett 4).

Due to the fact hat even personal relationships has undergone democratic influence, marriage is analyzed beyond social, cultural, and political environments. In the television program under analysis, there is a kind of devaluation of such values because the anchor employs humorous approach to treating both marriage and politics.

Therefore, discussing issues relating to gender seems to be as natural and as discussing such common aspects as tax payment and employment rates.

Overall, because the television program episode does not overtly discuss gender issues, its format allows to address the contemporary problems and introduce a handful of opinion on it (Ross n. p.). Although Obama is considered here as president whose view on gender should be neutral, its attitude to gender issues could be explained from the position of male gaze.

This is of particular concern to his obligations with regard to the roles and responsibilities he takes in life. Although his position in political life is identified, Obama still recognizes the existence of opposition between masculinity and femininity.

At the very beginning of the show, I have noticed that Obama talks about his family from the perspective of the American Dream stereotypes that restrict his view on society in general. Further considerations taken by the guest of the show are connected with the discussion of womens capabilities and rights. From this viewpoint, Obama is more interested in representing the feminist view on the problem of womens health and security.

In conclusion, the analysis of the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno proves that media employs powerful rhetoric tools to influence public opinion. Media coverage also creates new stereotypes concerning the role of gender and its connection to sexuality.

Although, the episode at issue does not address directly the issues of gender and sexuality, the speakers are concerned with the problem of gender equality. Their personal views on family issues and the place of women in society are also uncovered during the discussion.

Works Cited

Fourie, Pieter J. Media Studies: Media History, Media and Society. US: Juta and Company Ltd, 2010. Print.

Gill, Rosalind. Gender and the Media. US: Polity, 2006. Print.

Guantlett, David. Media, Gender, and Identity: An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2008. Print.

Ott, Brian, and Robert Mack. Critical Media Studies: An Introduction. US: John Wiley & Sons. 2009. Print.

Ross, Karen. The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media. US: John Wiley & Sons. 2011. Print.

The American political culture has gone through a series of interesting and fundamental changes between 2004 and 2012, a major one being a shift in voter turnout and use of social media. The victory of Barack Obama, an African American president reflects the mind of the voter who wanted a change from war, growing oil prices, unemployment and an economy which showed no signs of revival.

In Barack Obama, the new American political voters saw simplicity and optimism for a better America and a hopeful future for the new generation. Needless to say, the Hispanic population, the African Americans played a pivotal role in creating history by electing an African American president, Barack Obama.

Obama was able to connect with the young voters and attract Hispanic votes like no president before him (Lister par. 6). His simple slogans promising hope and a constant call for a change appealed to the Americans who were tired of the Bush administration.

The Americans seemed fed up of George W. Bushs presidency which centered on the Middle Eastern wars and a period of high recession in an economy which was struggling and showed no hope for improvement. With a high federal deficit the Americans were looking for a change from the problems they had been facing through the Bush regime.

New social media played a crucial role in the political polarization and dynamics of the 2008 election results (Zakaria par. 9). The Facebook fundraising campaign by Chris Hughes attracted more than three million donors, proving to be a Masterful operation, leaving Obama with a spending capacity of four to one against McCain (Lister par. 6). The funds made it easy for Obama to target TV airtime as well as online ads.

Young Americans voted in huge numbers to make their choice showing the change technology and social media had brought about in communication. With easier means of communication, Obama, with his simple yet assertive speeches appealed to the American voters instantly.

His call for hope and change appealed to the people who were looking for a change (Presidential Campaign Slogans, par. 50) in severe contrast to the Bush administration which sidelined the social welfare of its people and centralized foreign policy matters. Overlooking important economic matters such as the tanking stock market, the weakening banking sector and the lack luster of the real estate proved to be the deciding factors of the 2008 elections.

Obamas victory and re-election is largely based on a high black turnout and large Hispanic vote. With Latinos amounting to the fastest growing minority, making up 16% of the nations population (Rodriguez par. 2), Obama won with a huge majority. In the 2008 elections too, Latinos accounted for 9% of the electorate and with 19.5 million eligible voters, Obama secured 67% of the Latino vote (Rodriguez par. 4).

With the growing majority of Latinos and nearly 24 million Hispanics eligible to vote the Latinos made their mark on election night as they voted over Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney (Rodriguez par. 4).

Works Cited

Lister, Richard. Why Barack Obama won. 2008. Web.

Presidential Campaign Slogans n.d. Web.

Rodriguez, Cindy. Latino vote key to Obamas re-election. 2012. Web.

Zakaria, Fareed. Why political polarization has gone wild in America (and what to do about it). 2011. Web.

Introduction

The concept of materialism has been extensively been studied by different scholars and researchers. This concept has mainly been studied as a marketing tool which different advertisers use to woo customers to buy their products. Materialism can be defined as an attitude or perception concerning the possession of various things in a persons life. Materialism is generally learned via socialization or it can be acquired depending on the environment, which a person is located (cherrier et al 12).

Materialism can also be propagated via other different channels. The marketing strategies of various companies can help in portraying a certain product as classy and therefore help in instilling the mentality of materialism on the population. The media can also be used to propagate the materialism through the different programs and ideologies which it tries to instill on the people so as to achieve a specific goal.

American materialism

Americans are generally richer than other people in the world. They have so much wealth and attach special importance to the possession of material things. This makes the Americans to sometimes be referred to as the most materialistic society in the world. The Americans spend large sums of money on things which other people would consider not worth to spend such large sums of money.

They generally derive pleasure and attach significant importance to the possession of these materials (Colorado Para 5). The luxury materials which the Americans invest in are houses, luxury vehicles and entertainment and communication gadgets. The Americans usually use this equipment only for pleasure.

The materialism is generally instilled in the citizens as they are growing up. They are shown that for one to be successful on must have a well paying job, a nice car, a house and a family. The Americans therefore strive to achieve this as by achieving they would consider themselves as being successful. Their social status would also improve due to the achievement of the above possessions (Lockett Para 1)

The government has also been termed as materialistic due to the large sums of money it spends on ventures which are not very important. Despite having a large debt, the American government spends large sums of money on the Iraqi and the afghan war.

The war does not warrant the spending of such amounts of money since the money can be used in various other activities which be beneficial to the citizens and the economy in general. The amount of money spent on the wars makes some people to term the American government as materialistic.

The effect on the American culture can also be felt by other countries. Americans has moved to other parts of the world due to globalization. The internet and the media also show so much of the American content or use the views of the Americans. This makes the people of the countries where the information is shown to develop the traits, which are portrayed by the mass communication methods.

How the American materialism affects Kuwait

During the gulf war, the American army intervened to protect the annexing of Kuwait by the Iraqi government under the leadership of the late Saddam Hussein. When the war ended many Americans were left in Kuwait. These American citizens exert profound influence on the culture of the people of Kuwait by introducing the culture of materialism (Schaap-Jones Para 5).

Entry of the Americans into Kuwait led to the establishment of various American companies in various parts of Kuwait (Schaap-Jones 2010 para 5). These establishments generally promote materialism as they are mainly associated with the social status of different people and tend to show their customers that they are of a higher social status if they visit the establishments.

Before the coming of the Americans the Kuwait culture used to religious based and the citizens of the places were generally not materialistic. These people did not pay attention to the materialistic things. They mainly attached significant importance to religion and culture (Schaap-Jones Para 1).

.The constitution of Kuwait is very liberal. It gives the citizens of Kuwait so much freedom. The freedom allows the citizens to be liberal in their religious and social activities. The freedom offered by the constitution allowed the propagation of materialistic values as the governments could not inhibit the citizens from performing specific actions which would be termed as propagating materialism since the freedom of the citizens was entrenched in the constitution (Schaap-Jones Para 2).

Prior to the development of the satellite television networks, all the television stations in the Arab world were controlled by the government. The governments usually imposed strict regulation to control the content of the television stations. However economic liberalization which started due to the American influence immediately after the gulf war, allowed the setting up of the satellite television stations.

These stations usually employed the western methods of broadcasting which promoted the materialism. The promotion of the materialism is sometimes referred to affluenza (Harmon p 1). This is what has happened in Kuwait. There are several satellite televisions which air their programs in Arabic but mainly propagate the western ideas.

Materialism encourages people to work harder so as to be able to maintain their desirable lifestyles. This has therefore made the Kuwaiti women to seek employment so that they can be able to afford the luxurious lifestyles which they crave. By so doing the women are also becoming the major source of livelihoods of different families.

This will ultimately result in social tensions in the comparatively conservative Kuwaiti society. This is because the women were traditionally meant to stay home and take care of the family whereas the men were the breadwinners of the family (Cherian Para 10).

American imposed materialism has also come up with advantages. Materialism has emphasized the benefit of acquiring high quality education which is usually provided in the private institutions of leaning. Materialism has therefore encouraged the young people to enroll to different private educational institutions so as to attain the high quality education (Schaap-Jones Para 7).

Conclusion

Most of the citizens of Kuwait see that the increased materialism of the society has a bad influence on the society. Most of the people who are of this view are mainly the old people who would like to be conservative. However the younger generation sees no problem with being materialistic as materialism enables them to acquire gadgets and tools which make their lives more enjoyable. The Kuwaiti population is therefore becoming more and more materialistic and the levels of materialism may be higher for future generations.

Works Cited

Cherian, Sunil. Im jealous of Kuwaiti mothers. Kuwait Times. 2010. Web.

Cherrier, Helene et al. The globalizing Arab world: impacts on the consumers level of materialism and vanity. N.d. Web.

Colorado, Ray. Understanding America. Understanding America. 2001. Web.

Harmon, Mark. Arab youth TV viewing & affluenza. Arab media & society. 2008. Web.

Locket, Terrel. American Materialism. Bukisa: Share Your Knowledge. 2010. Web.

Schaap-Jones.The Effects of Globalization on Kuwait. 2010. Web.

Introduction

Diplomacy as a tool of community diversification is a major ingredient that can be used to build amazing human relationships in a multi-cultural environment. The use of diplomacy dates back to the very olden days and it is presumed to be as old as the development of the human race (Freeman ix).

The term diplomacy is generally used to describe the efforts undertaken by a government to carry out its foreign operations and enhance its national interests to the advantage of its citizens. This is largely accomplished through communication with the foreign countries. Others define it as the profession of persuasion while for some c using art, musical performances, exchange programs, educational programs among to mention but a few.

A dynamic working relationship with other states is very important to the development of any nation whether socially or economically. No single nation is able to progress well in isolation. For most nations, the easiest thing to do is apply violence to influence decisions of other states or people to their favor.

Common sense dictates that this only brings about poor associations with others. A good use of diplomatic tactics will play a major role in alleviating any challenges being faced by the society today. The core of any diplomatic assignment is to perpetuate peace and not war. Numerous benefits arise from the use of convincing power rather than engaging in war. This is what is strongly advocated the diplomatic community.

For a very long time, the U.S. government has used diplomacy to meet its obligations both at home and internationally. The use of peaceful engagements has been greatly favored over war or the application of any form of force. This explains why President Barrack Hussein Obama is stopping at nothing to reach out to those assumed to enemies of development. The way diplomatic skills are used will determine whether or not a nation will advance economically.

For any nation, diplomats are their voice in the foreign lands. They are a resource at the center of any peace making missions between the states they serve and others. They would use any approach but war while dealing with any conflicts that arise. Diplomats with a wide range of skills and knowledge certainly give a state a very competitive advantage. At times, diplomats will work alongside spies and warriors to give advice and safeguard the interests of their states and help contain any rivalry by replacing it with cooperation.

Besides doing their best to protect the interests of fellow citizens abroad they will also assist to support international trade, investments and cultural exchange programs that are geared towards improving the economy. Relations nurtured by diplomats become very relevant when all that is left is for states to opt for war. Clearly, the work of diplomats is very critical to the wealth, power and growth of any nation throughout the world.

Background on Diplomacy

Official recognition of the use of public diplomacy by the U.S. government happened during the starting years of the 20^th century. It was around this time, during World War I, that President Woodrow Wilson formed the Committee on Public Information to go ahead and circulate information overseas. This was later to be followed by a series of restructuring of foreign policies (Epsten 5).

As a result of the terrorist attacks, the U.S. government increased funding of its diplomacy activities. Many people, however, still want to see the U.S. government further increase their spending on diplomatic missions. Others have argued that as the world becomes more and more of a global village, it is important to really get alarmed about the attitudes of foreign populations towards America rather waste valuable time solidifying the U.S. military strength.

Public diplomacy activities of the U.S. government influenced the outcome of World War I and II, and helped to bring to an end the Cold War. Currently, the U.S. administration is employing the use of public diplomacy to fight terrorism acts by persuade the Muslim and Arab communities to think differently.

Despite all that has so far been done to strengthen foreign ties, there is a strong feeling that nations can do much better. According to the 9/11 Commission, to reach a deeper understanding between societies and to build long-term relationships and trust between the government officials, public diplomacy must be made a dialogue and not a monologue.

Washington DCs Diplomatic Community

Diplomats in Washington DC highly value the benefits that result from networking and are doing their best they can, to create links that can later be used by fellow country men to advance their operations whether business or otherwise.

Diplomatic Connections, is news network that exists to facilitate the operations of the diplomats in Washington, DC. Business people have been able to grow their business by tapping on to the strengths of the diplomatic community and this is thanks to Diplomatic Connections (Diplomatic Connections LLC 1).

Diplomats and the business community within Washington, DC believe that diplomacy is a very precious marketing tool for themselves, businesses and fellow country men. The work of Diplomatic Connections in Washington DC is highly praised. Feedback received from the public shows that a lot has been done by the organization to help bring the business and diplomatic communities together. Individuals have been able to discover business opportunities and even gone ahead to venture into new grounds.

Social events have proved very helpful in as far as adapting to a new way of life is concerned. One can get to know who to approach when in need of help. The events have also served as marketing point for business making them known to the diplomatic community. Service providers also get a chance to interact with diplomats and international organizations and trough these forums; they are able to discuss and come up with solutions for any challenges faced.

Cultural Adaptation to Work and Community

A major challenge when moving to live in a foreign land is settling down and becoming part of the local community. Many times it is quite difficult for one to figure out the starting point in the journey to understanding the new setup. It is for this very reason that reliable diplomatic relations become a necessity.

With the help of diplomats, settling into a foreign land should happen with little or no stress at all. When it comes to working in a foreign land, many nations want to ensure that visitors have all the necessary documents before they can allow them to live and work in their land. Advice and guidance from the embassies should come in quite handy at this time in ones life abroad.

Culture shock is a very common occurrence in a case where one enters foreign soil without prior preparations of what to expect. Thorough initiation into the sometimes strange culture is therefore a mandatory thing to do as one takes a move to a foreign state; one completely unfamiliar to them. Time should be taken to gather as much information as can be practically possible about where they are going.

Most embassies will request that any citizens from their countries be formally registered and stay in constant communication with the embassy. This is to ensure that incase of anything happening, contacts can be used to get in touch and offer help where needed. Embassies are also better placed to organize social events that bringing different people together with the aim of facilitating exchange of ideas and information. One can take advantage of such opportunities to gather valuable information that can later help them fit in well.

Influence on Local Community

Common to all states is the responsibility to take care of its citizens. Governments therefore have a major task of ensuring that its citizens live in a healthy and peaceful environment and that they are able to realize their dreams. Poor relationships with other states are thus considered to be hindrances to the achievement of goals set by a nation.

Without strong relationships with foreign states, a state and its people remain enclosed in their territory and end up missing opportunities to prosper. Good diplomatic tactics will create an enabling environment to meet the needs of citizens both at home and away from home.

Diplomacy at the local level will to a great extent help to nurture not only the need, but also the appreciation of inter-personal and inter-cultural dealings that later act as avenues of promoting socio-economic progression, conflict prevention, and a greater desire to be inclusive. It also helps to enlighten citizens on the need to be part of the diplomatic process locally.

Warm interactions in the end encourage the sharing of ideas leading to enhanced economic development. People are able to move between groups, exchange ideas and get exposed to opportunities to learn new ideas that later help to improve life, work and even the entire community. The local community will also gain knowledge on co-existing with those they perceive to be different from them.

Some diplomats living and working in the U.S. have involved themselves in diverse engagements so as to popularize their countries to the U.S. Part of what has been done by diplomats to market their respective countries and culture to the foreign missions include; show casing their culture through well organized events, establishing educational centers and organizing exchange visits. To a large extent, all these are meant to expose the American citizens to foreign countries and their way of life. The local people get a chance to learn more about these nations.

The expected result of such undertakings is to lure the local population into wanting to visit and probably do a further discovery on their own. The main idea is to bring their nations closer to the Americans citizens have a rich interaction with their cultures. With this in mind, you will find a good number of diplomats in Washington, DC trying out different options that will lead to them having a strong presence in the U.S.

Counter Balances, Racism / Stereotyping

Stereotyping has to do with the presentation of messages that associate people with character and values that are often held as undesirable, inferior or even risky. With these kind of behaviors one can expect a discouragement to the development of powerful diplomatic relationships.

Those affected by such acts are mostly looked down upon and even worse, they get separated from the rest of the community. Fitting into the local community becomes a real challenge as they have to often try to prove that they are not what the majority think they are.

Colored people have in many occasions been on the receiving end just because they are different from the rest. They are thought of as being inferior to others and at times due to their color; they have been identified with crime while others have been considered to be perpetrators of violence.

Another terrible association that affects the black race is poverty. The black community is often viewed as poorer. This, more than anything else, only creates negative mind-set and creates animosity among different groups of people.

Counter balances on the other hand require that the statesman clearly determines the kind of being dealt with opponent and the peoples national concerns before looking for ways of advancing his or her own state. The balance of national concerns is a key concern in measuring the importance of each of the matters in contention.

Among other things, it assists in measuring the probable resistance from each side to make any compromise. It regulates willingness to negotiate and also defines the threshold of defiance (Freeman 14). A major task of the diplomat will then be to try and harmonize the competing national interests without applying any force. It requires coming up with a solution that will favor the diplomats state but at the same time, be acceptable to the other party.

These arrangements are also meant to be tolerable to other states that may not party to any agreements reached. The diplomats will have to apply a wide range of knowledge and skills while relying on the full backing of their nations to come up with the best solution to the issues at hand. Another thing to probably think about here is the presence of counterintelligence. It is always prudent for a state to protect itself against any spying while spying on other foreign states.

Conclusion

From alleviation of the possibilities of war to the establishment of a strong financial base for the country, the importance of the role played by the diplomatic community cannot be overemphasized. Every nation would like to create an enabling environment to encourage its citizens to work hard for the benefit of the country.

A sound knowledge of the art of diplomacy will certainly go a long way to create a very healthy environment in which men and women from different nations and backgrounds will manage to explore their full potential. A nations good reputation will be a major boost for the different dealings of its people that involve neighbors. Investment in diplomatic relations is therefore very significant to the growth of every nation.

Works Cited

Diplomatic Connections LLC. Washington, DC: Diplomatic Connections LLC. 2010 Web.

Epsten, Susan B. U.S. Public Diplomacy: Background and the 9/11 Commission Recommendations. CSR Report for Congress. 2010. Web.

Freeman, Charles W. Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy. Wasington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2007. Print.

The world is a very diverse environment filled with a multitude of different people, opinions, religions, and cultures. Understanding how others think and what they want has been the basis of diplomacy since its very invention. Cultural diplomacy is an old notion as well. The early travelers, explorers, teachers, and artists could be considered the first informal cultural diplomats, as they fostered connections between the European culture and those in the Far East and West. However, the nature of diplomacy changed over centuries. In the past, it used to be an instrument of coercion. Many nations used to fight for supremacy, resources, beneficial trade agreements, and land. The concept of hard force was a common tool of promoting national interests. The knowledge of foreign cultures served only to seek out weaknesses in thinking patterns and predicting the opponents next move. Nowadays, cultural diplomacy, based on mutual advantage, cultural, and political exchange, dominates the field. Soft power is considered to be the trademark of the 21st century. The purpose of this paper is to identify the concept of cultural diplomacy and understanding what modern-day politicians and diplomats may do to enhance cultural and political ties between the countries.

The common definition of cultural diplomacy entails it to be a set of actions aimed at utilizing and adopting new ideas, values, traditions, and other cultural aspects of a country or a region in order to strengthen political and economic relationships, facilitate socio-cultural friendship and cooperation, and promote national interests (What is cultural diplomacy? n.d.). Cultural diplomacy can be practiced on all levels  between governments, business organizations, and even on an individual level.

Cultural diplomacy has proven itself to be very effective in the 20th century, which was the time of great political and economic tensions. Particularly, cultural envoys and exchanges between the USA and the USSR during the 1970s and the 1980s managed to significantly alleviate the tensions between the two superpowers. These exchanges were important as they showed the populations of both countries the face of the enemy, letting both sides know that both capitalist America and communist Russia were made of people going about their ordinary lives, and none of them asking for war. This was very important, as both countries were moving towards escalating the conflict, particularly after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

There are many avenues open for strengthening cultural, diplomatic relations between countries. In the age of communication, information, and the Internet, foreign countries are not viewed as mysterious lands inhabited by people with dog heads. Almost everything about a nations culture, traditions, outfits, and political opinions is now on open access. Organizing art events, cultural exchange programs, student programs, and diplomatic meetings without the cold and impersonal formalities are standard practices in cultural diplomacy (What is cultural diplomacy? n.d.).

Since the approach emphasizes mutual gain and understanding, it revolves greatly around interpersonal relationships between numerous individuals of different countries, connecting to one another on all levels. During these meetings, diplomats should show knowledge and understanding of cultures and their heritage, promote global peace and stability, propose economic ventures that would lead to mutual gain, and emphasize global peace and stability. One very effective way of conducting cultural diplomacy is through the creation of a Culture Day  a holiday dedicated to a foreign culture, during which the populace becomes acquainted with art, songs, national costumes, and cuisine of another nation. Such practice becomes more common around the world and brings about international understanding and diplomacy to a whole new level (What is cultural diplomacy? n.d.).

References

What is cultural diplomacy?(n.d.). Web.

For a long time, the world has been characterized by various political conflicts and disputes. The Palestine and Israeli conflict stands out among all the other conflicts mostly due to the fact that it has been inexistence for a long time. It is multifaceted as it is a result of many factors such as control of Jerusalem, border disputes, security, freedom of movement of Palestinians, water rights and settlement of Israel, to mention just a few.

The conflict has generated a lot of violence which has been a mater of international concern and various actions have been taken against both parties in an attempt to reduce or eliminate it. The problem worsened after the Oslo peace records collapsed in September 2002. There may have been many factors that may have led to the failure of Oslo, but most studies illustrate that culture played a great role in the same.

This is due to the fact that it influences the preferences and the strategies of various political leaders, determines domestic politics as well as affecting the perception, behavior and intentions of the parties involved (Wittes pp. 7). Palestine and Israel conflict is a far much complicated issue. Therefore, this essay shall discuss cultural aspects of the same, laying more focus on Palestine.

Political culture is defined as attitudes towards the political system and its various parts, and attitudes towards the role the self in the system (Wittes pp. 5). It is easy to conclude that differences in political culture contribute greatly to the conflict. However, this does not apply while focusing on Israel and Palestine as the two have never been cultural strangers.

Nonetheless, their cultural understanding towards each other not only contributes to the conflict but hampers the negotiation process. For instance, Palestinians believe that Israel came about due to crimes which were committed by Hitler. Therefore, they believe that they are not supposed to shoulder the responsibility that was as a result of the Western colonial era.

Additionally, Palestinians view themselves as victims of the Nkaba which took part in the year 1948 and 1949 and they have continued to harbor bitterness especially due to the loss that was incurred during that particular period. Palestine continues to hold Israel responsible for the loss and have much trouble with the stand of Israel of not allowing the refugee from Palestine to return back to their homeland.

While Israel is not ready to accept anything that questions their existence as a Jewish State, Palestine is not ready to accept anything which was unacceptable initially as studies of Wittes (pp.10) illustrate. For instance, changing the Palestine Liberation Organization was not easy and it took quite some time.

On the same note, it is important to mention that, due to the same issue, politicians from Israel were not ready to discuss the issue of refugee return publicly. In addition, Palestine emphasizes too much on some key principles like the right of self determination as well as the fact that a territory ought not to be acquired by war at all costs.

Such issues increase the sensitivity on both sides and it becomes quite difficult to carry out any negotiation. Each country believes that it is politically superior to the other and due to that, none is ready to give in during negotiation aimed at resolving the conflict (Goldberg Para 2 % Al-Masri Para 6 ).

Religion has also had a great role to play on the conflict between Israel and Palestine despite the fact that there are only three religions in the region which are inclusive of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Since Jerusalem city is significant to the three religions, conflict arises since both countries seek to retain Jerusalem for religious purposes.

Palestine has been claiming all the parts of Jerusalem that were not initially part of Israel before 1967. United States proposed a plan which was aimed at resolving the Jerusalem conflict in the year 2000 and 2001.

The plan had proposed that the Jewish parts of the city were to be retained by Israel while the Arab parts were to be retained by Palestine. Although both countries had accepted the proposal, the summit failed and the conflict was not resolved (Oren, Bar-Tal & David pp. 134).

Ethnic aspect of Palestine and Israel contributes to the conflict greatly and hinders some attempts aimed at resolving the same conflict. Israel consists mainly of Jews while Palestinians consist mainly of Arabs and the two ethnic groups have got different political views and principles. For example, Palestinians believe that they have suffered greatly from Israel violent attacks and continue to be victims up to date.

On the other hand, study of the history illustrates that Arabs from Palestine have been conducting various violent attacks not only in Israel but also in other places especially after the establishment of Oslo records. Palestinians believe that they only get involved in wars as a result of Israelis aggression.

Study has indicated that despite the fact that the conflict is an international concern, it might persist unless a sound intervention is sought. It is not possible to underestimate the contribution of various programs and summits that have been established.

Nevertheless, it is important to take into consideration the cultural contribution to the conflict since various studies have demonstrated that ethos contributes greatly to the same (Yaalon pp. 149). Each party has got its own society beliefs that are a major hindrance to resolving the conflict. Any peace mission should be aimed at changing the beliefs of every society especially concerning the goals of the conflict.

Therefore, cultural beliefs ought to be changed to focus mainly on peace building. Lastly, it is important to create a change that will allow for establishment of trust, respect as well as sensitivity of each partys needs. Such a step is very important as it can give room for negotiation which can eventually lead to reconciliation.

Works Cited

Al-Masri, Hani.  Palestinian and Arabib Media and the Issue of Refugees. Stocktaking Confrence on Palestinian Refugee Research. Otawa, Canada, 2003. Print.

Goldberg, Effrey. No Common Ground. 2009. Web.

Oren, Neta, Daniel Bar-Tal and Ohad David. Conflict, Identity and Ethos: The Islrael Palestine Case. Psychology of Ethnic and Cultural Conflict. Print.

Wittes,Tamara, Cofman. How Israelis and Palestinians negotiate: a cross-cultural analysis of the Oslo peace process. Washington: US Institute of Peace Press, 2005. Print.

Yaalon, Moshe. A New Strategy for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Jerusalem Issue Briefs 2 September 2008. Print.

Stereotypes are knowledge structures incorporating assumptions regarding specific qualities and features linked to particular social groups. They usually have negative connotations and fail to reflect the truth about individuals from diverse, multicultural backgrounds. Since stereotyping means implicit biasing against people based on their gender, race, and other characteristics, it adversely affects ones attitudes toward others and interferes with the establishment of trustful and constructive relationships.

The problem of stereotyping is particularly significant in multicultural societies and in those professions that imply interactions with multiple individuals on a daily basis. Therefore, biases held by police officers in the United States decrease the effectiveness of law enforcement, one of the critical components in the criminal justice system, and minimize the opportunity for building efficient police-community partnerships. Due to this, there is a need to find and implement effective ways to decrease the degree of police stereotyping.

Overall, the rate of open discrimination by police officers has significantly declined over time, and there is no doubt that a vast majority of them strive to be fair when treating citizens. Nevertheless, Coon (2016) notes that the role of hidden multicultural bias in influencing decisions is frequently overlooked in police departments. One of the main reasons for this is staff members limited personal experiences of interacting with ethnically and racially diverse individuals (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2016).

The unfamiliarity with distinct cultures automatically contributes to stereotyping because, with its help, the human brain aims to reduce cognitive gaps. However, police stereotyping produces such issues as racial disparities in various law enforcement activities. For instance, evidence provided by Weir (2016) and Cole et al. (2016) reveals that African Americans and Hispanics are stopped by police officers more frequently than White individuals.

Moreover, statistical data demonstrate that the level of Black civilians involvement in police shootings across the country is much higher, whereas the likelihood of being shot by an officer for an unarmed Black person is greater by 3.5 times (Weir, 2016). Such an adverse situation creates mutual tensions among civilians and police personnel and makes it difficult for racial minorities to trust the police. In its turn, the lack of trust decreases the chance that an individual will refer to police officers when witnessing a crime or after becoming a victim of a crime.

In response to the abovementioned problems, many police departments launched diversity programs. In general, diversity training aims to foster more productive, respectful, and positive intergroup interactions and decrease discrimination based on multicultural characteristics. Nevertheless, the outcomes of such an approach have been controversial so far. For example, the findings of the study by Zimny (2015) reveal no difference in institutional and overt racial prejudices and stereotyping before and after a short-term diversity training carried out in one of the Midwest police academies.

Notably, the inefficiency of curriculum design and delivery methods could be the primary factor that contributed to poor outcomes in that setting. As Zimny (2015) concludes, to lead diversity education to success, there must be devotion to multicultural training at the institutional and organization wide-levels. In other words, police departments and academies must integrate diversity values into their corporate cultures and show persistence in striving to implement them in practice. However, the realization of effective diversity programs may be complicated because it requires a significant amount of time and money, yet it is valid to presume that police administration often prioritizes other problems during decision-making regarding investments.

Diversification of personnel within the agency is another potentially effective solution to the matter of police stereotyping. Coon (2016) states that there is an evident lack of multicultural diversity within the police force. At the same time, it is observed that minority residents tend to prefer a police force that is racially balanced, yet it can be a challenge for agencies to attract minority applicants (Coon, 2016, p. 116). Possibly, representatives of minority groups may often not want to be involved in the police because they have hostile attitudes to it and maybe afraid to be regarded as traitors by their similar others.

According to Weir (2016), one of the ways to improve this situation and also circumvent biases is the police-community collaboration. For instance, it is suggested for police departments to organize meetings, surveys, focus group interviews, and other activities as part of community policing to enhance the patterns of officers interactions with the neighborhood residents (Weir, 2016). Expected outcomes of such an initiative are the development of mutual understanding between police personnel and communities where they serve and a consequent increase in trust.

Overall, stereotyping is one of the major barriers to police effectiveness because it induces tensions and hostility between officers and civilians and thus interferes with their smooth collaboration. The main difficulty with stereotyping is that many people are often not even aware of their own multicultural biases and do not see how they covertly affect their decisions and relationships with others.

To minimize the likelihood of negative consequences due to implicit police stereotyping and to reduce racial disparities during law enforcement activities, it is pivotal to engage officers in long-term diversity training, improve the multicultural composition of the workforce, create supportive and inclusive corporate cultures and, more importantly, enhance police-collaboration with a purpose of developing mutual trust. It is valid to conclude that the best solutions are those that address the root of the problem, namely, the lack of multicultural experiences. Thus, by providing team members with more opportunities to consciously interact with racial-minority individuals, it will be possible to increase their cultural competence and avoid negative outcomes.

References

Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., & DeJong, C. (2016). Criminal justice in America (9^th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Coon, J. K. (2016). Police officers attitudes toward diversity issues: Comparing supervisors and non-supervisors on multicultural skills, values, and training. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 18(2), 115-125.

Weir, K. (2016). Policing in black & white. Monitor on Psychology, 47(11), 36.

Zimny, K. (2015). Racial attitudes of police recruits at the United States Midwest police academy: A second look. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences, 10(1), 91-101.