Direct and Indirect

Today is the last class of Ethnicity and National Integrity Strategic. My docent is Mr. Eric H.. He asked the students whether there's a comment about the class. Among the topics we got such as stereotyping, prejudice and genocide, minority, etc. I said: ethnic conflict can be caused of miscommunication and different of culture or habit. That's what we didn't talk in our class. I think cultural communication is also important for us to learn. For example, in my own story I live with exchange students which most of them from Europe. This morning, one of them mentioned to me that I was childish, hypocrite, disrespect, etc as I didn't tell directly to the person but rather writing on blog about my own thinking or about what I got. Of course, I was surprise but not shock when I heard it. Anyway, the point is then miscommunication and different culture or habit can cause ethnic conflict to violence.

Later on, he said: It can be yes that miscommunication and different culture or habit can cause ethnic conflict. But related with your story, you face two different cultures. The one is direct, while the other one is indirect. The direct one glorifies that telling directly to other person is honesty. It's a part of respect and being not coward. But who said that you are not honest and disrespect. The problem is you live with the culture which shapes you as you now. In your culture, in Java, telling directly to the person is impolite. You can't say directly 'I don't like you. do you mind?' We've never taught to say directly when there's something wrong. The one which I don't agree then if you accept what they said if you are a coward, hypocrite, disrespect, etc. You can tell that by not telling directly to the person, in Javanese culture or 'Eastern culture', it means that it's our way to respect other people. During in your life (25 years old), you are being taught like that. So, direct and indirect culture can't be meet. And also, who can guarantee if you mention directly, they will accept it? (My boyf also mentioned the same)

Well, I don't tell directly but rather writing on blog b'coz I think it's not my business to tell anything about it and also I don't have any interest on it. I just knew and write it down on my blog according to what I got. And beside that, I don't have any problem with my housemates. It's their life.