Rabbi Arthur Segal: RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Regionalism and Cultural Diversity

HILTON HEAD ISLAND-BLUFFTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

SEMINAR

January 14, 2009

11:45 AM

RABBI DR ARTHUR SEGAL

KEY NOTE ADDRESS

Good morning!

I would like to welcome everyone here today to what is an excellent seminar on Regionalism and Cultural Diversity.

I would like thank all of the Regents , especially Eric and Natalie, and the entire Leadership class, for the kind invitation to be your key note speaker this morning.

Its good to see many long time friends here today, and some new folks that I hope will become friends as well.

Now, normally at 11:45 in the morning, I am starting to get sleepy and hungry, thinking of lunch.

So I know from having been around many Regents and Leadership students, that Regents can be tough if you are caught using your cell phones, or texting, or gosh forbid falling asleep during a class.

Well just in case any of you do fall asleep, I will provide you with the top five excuses that you can use if a Regent comes by you to tap you on the shoulder to awaken you:

Number Five: "Napping is one of the seven habits of highly effective people."

Number Four: "I wasn't sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!"

Number Three: "Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!"

Number Two: "Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest Leadership problem!"

And the Number One thing to say if a Regent comes over and finds you sleeping this morning: "...and I especially thank You for my excellent Regents, Amen!"

This earth is a very big place. While the internet has made the earth flat, and commerce can be done in the wink of an eye, the cultural diversity of humans is vast.

Culture exists in all societies for the same reason. It binds peoples together for common causes. And these causes, no matter where you are, are universally the same, with some specific variations. They are to preserve life, provide food and shelter, ensure the survival of the next generation, and to provide security.

Hence when we discuss cultural diversity it is important for us to understand, especially from a commercial point of view, that while we may be accustomed to our Anglo-American culture, with some other parts of the world tossed in for spice, to most of the world, we are as odd as they may appear odd to us.

Diversity exists because it works. A society's culture would cease to exist, or adapt and change, if it didn't work. Hence while we talk about having tolerance for different cultures in the global , as well as the local work place, we should really be speaking about having a pluralistic view of cultural diversity.

Tolerance means just that. We will tolerate differences. We judge them as different. We may not like them, nor understand them, but we will put up with them, because either it helps our bottom line, or there may be anti- discrimination laws against doing otherwise.

Pluralism recognizes that each culture is unique and functioning. And frankly that they are co-equal with one another. While we can never truly understand the culture of those living in Madagascar, I can assure you, that if I dropped any one of you there, and you tried living your American culture there, you wouldn't survive the first 24 hours.

So if there is one thought I wish to leave you with today is that all cultures exist for the same reasons, and that all of them, become co-equal with any other culture. There truly is no high culture or low culture. Hence we need to move way beyond tolerance into pluralism, when it comes to cultural diversity.

So let us take a tour to Madagascar.

Its a very large island off the south east coast of Africa. Oddly if was never colonized by Africans, but by Malays, who were excellent sailors. During the cold war it aligned itself with the USSR and there are statues of Lenin and hammers and sickles every where, which the towns people cover with white sheets. if the word gets out that an American or a Brit has arrived.

By USA and United Nations standards Madagascar is the 4th poorest nation in the world. But when you spend time there you soon find that by their standards, they are wealthy and happy, and we are the ones with the problems and poverty.

They live in a virtual garden of Eden. Fruits and vegetables grow wild and take little effort in cultivation. They do not have electricity so everything they eat is made fresh that day. The wife spends her day, taking containers to the well to get clean water, and gathering fruits, vegetables and grains, and making breads and meals, and taking care of the children. The kids play all day, and the women work together as a unit with laughter coming from the entire small village.

The men leave to do the chore of hunting. They kill small game, like antelope, which they are in charge of slaughtering and bbq-ing. When that is done, they spend the rest of the day, eating with family and friends, and maybe doing some small chores, like cleaning, or gathering fire wood.

They only need money for western pharmaceuticals . They earn this by doing crafts which they sell to tourists. And by selling extra food. But there is another reason why money is needed. And this is their culture which binds them.

And it has to do with an elaborate death ritual.

When a family member dies, a special coffin is made. These coffins beat the sarcophagi of ancient Egypt for ornateness and individuality. If grand dad once said as a plane flew over head "one day, I would like to fly in one of those,'' a coffin is made to look like an 8 foot long plane, with as much detail as they can imagine.

If grandmom loved bananas, she is going to be buried in a 8 foot long beautiful yellow wooden banana.

If ''uncle'' once saw a government official in a Mercedes and said he wanted to drive that car some day, an 8 foot long, life size Mercedes, made of wood would be made for him...with all of extra features they can imagine a luxury car having. The funeral bankrupts the family, especially when they must invite everyone they know to a giant meal.

But it doesn't end there. On the anniversary of grand dad's death, they dig up his bones. And each night they go to a different persons home who was at the funeral. And that person makes a feast for the family of grand dad. And while grand pa's family eats, the host family talks to the bones about their life during this past year. And this is repeated night after night until all the folks who were at the funeral have been visited and have feed the family each night.

And next year they do it again.

And while this family is being fed schlepping grandpa's bones with them house to house, one night they may be feeding a family and listening to the story of someone's mother's bones.

In this way, the Madagascar culture allows for society to remain in tact and in touch, and they are in effect feeding one another, and redistributing wealth. During this process one finds out the needs of families, who is ill, who has an unmarried son or daughter, and society remedies these situations. There is no need for newspapers, radio, a town gossip, matchmakers, taxation, or even a chamber of commerce.

The Mexican author Carlos Fuentes wrote that "One of the wonders of our menaced globe is the variety of its experiences, its memories, and its desires. Any attempt to impose uniformity on this cultural diversity is like a prelude to death."

The UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity states that  "Market forces alone cannot guarantee the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity, which is the key to sustainable human development."

Culture is "the ever-changing values, traditions, social and political relationships, and world view created, shared, and transformed by a group of people bound together by a combination of factors that include a common history, geographic location, language, social class, and religion. Culture is dynamic; multifaceted; embedded in context; influenced by social, economic, and political factors; created and socially constructed; learned; and dialectical."

Melting pot images of the United States have lost whatever relevance and power they may once have had, even though we may still debate what alternative should replace them, or if the image was ever valid at all.  In such a society, work place behavior must introduce business people to diversity and multiple perspectives, seeking not consensus, but understanding of difference, the willingness to listen, and the ability to move towards pluralism.  Ultimately we should imagine a commonality in all cultures in which diversity yields richness rather than chaos.

As individuals we need to do a self assessment and ask ourselves:

Are we holding on to any biases or stereotypes that we may have absorbed in our past?
Do we treat each person as an individual, and respect each person for who he or she is ?
Have we rectified any language patterns or case examples that exclude or demean any groups ?
Are we doing our best to be sensitive to terminology ?
Are we being honest with ourselves about how we feel about the cultural climate in our workplace and do we honestly address these concerns so that we can grow, or are we pushing them under the rug, faking tolerance.
Are we brave enough to introduce discussions of cultural diversity at office meetings?

The end of the cold war 18 or so years ago, has created a series of tentative attempts to define "a new world order". So far, the only certainty is that the international community has entered a period of tremendous global transition that, at least for the time being, has created more social problems than solutions.
The end of super-power rivalry, and the growing North/South disparity in wealth and access to resources, coincide with an alarming increase in violence, poverty and unemployment, homelessness, displaced persons and the erosion of environmental stability. The world today has also witnessed one of the most severe global economic recessions since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
At the same time, previously isolated peoples are being brought together voluntarily and involuntarily by the increasing integration of markets, the emergence of new regional political alliances, and remarkable advances in telecommunications, biotechnology and transportation that have prompted unprecedented demographic shifts.
The resulting confluence of peoples and cultures is an increasingly global, multicultural world brimming with tension, confusion and conflict in the process of its adjustment to pluralism. There is an understandable urge to return to old conventions, traditional cultures, fundamental values, and the familiar, seemingly secure, sense of one's identity. Without a secure sense of identity amidst the turmoil of transition, people may resort to isolationism, ethno-centricism and intolerance.
This climate of change and acute vulnerability raises new challenges to our ongoing pursuit of universal human rights. How can human rights be reconciled with the clash of cultures that has come to characterize our time? Cultural background is one of the primary sources of identity. It is the source for a great deal of self-definition, expression, and sense of group belonging. As cultures interact and intermix, cultural identities change. This process can be enriching, but disorienting. The current insecurity of cultural identity reflects fundamental changes in how we define and express who we are today.
Diversity is everywhere! It's the spice of life! We all are different. Some of us are thinkers, others are doers, some are passive, and still others are aggressive. Mix in the different categories of professional status, ethnicity, generations, gender and it makes for an interesting melting pot begging for mutual respect.

Most people come to work with pretty good intentions, but we can get on each other's nerves just by being ourselves. In the every-day stress of a diverse work environment, the tiniest issues can escalate. And soon we may fight about the way we are fighting, instead of dealing with the real issues – seeking to understand before we seek to be understood.

As mentioned before, in a diverse work place co-workers do not respond to our intentions. They respond to our behavior. By focusing on our behavior, we are introduced to a deep experience as we explore how individual behavior heats up or cools down the emotional climate of the work environment.

A second thought I would like to leave you with is this: "Managing diversity is the process of creating and maintaining an environment that enables all participants to contribute to their full potential in pursuit of organizational objectives."

In 1867, Mark Twain wrote: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on those accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." Ellen and I have been blessed to have visited over 161 countries.
In traveling to other countries and doing business with other cultures it is important to read much before you go and to be very observant while you are there.
There are twelve [12] basic areas of observation on which to focus:

1. Verbal: Linguistics. We pay the most attention to this system. There are over 5000 languages and dialects on Earth.

We need to be careful what we say and to be careful interpreting what we hear. To "sin" in English means something quite different than the word ''sin'' in Spanish , which means ''without.''

2. Written: There are different systems. The Roman system is what we use. But we use Arabic numbers, not Roman. There are Hebrew, Arabic & Chinese writing as well as pictographs and many others.

3. Numeric: These are numbers and systems of numbers. They can express relationships, as in Morse Code or in Kaballah.

4. Pictorial: They have different meanings in each culture, and the mind must complete the meaning of missing information. The Chinese use a bridge to illustrate death, but for Americans a bridge illustrates relationships.

An American couple in South Africa were eating canned food with a picture on the label of contents such as corn or peas. After the American woman gave birth to a baby , the baby food jars showed a picture of a baby. The Zulu tribal people thought American babies were cannibals.

5. Artifactual: These are three dimensional objects like sculpture & art. These can be items that we use in daily life like clothing, jewelry, furniture, transportation, and equipment.

A Swastika worn around the neck in Cambodia is a sign that someone is a Buddhist, but the same sign at a Klan meeting at Stone Mountain, Georgia means something entirely different.

6. Audio: Examples are music, tone of voice, groans, sighs, bells, and whistles.

7. Kinesics: These are body movements. We use them unconsciously, such hand or head signals, gestures, facial expressions. The use of left hand in most cultures is highly insulting as it is one's hygiene hand.

  A firm quick hand shake is acceptable in Texas, but a limp long hand shake is proper in Kenya.

How do you show the height of a child in America? We put our hands near the heads of children or even touch them on their heads. If you touch a child on their head in Thailand it can cause a parent to become quite irate as you just treated their child like a dog. Dogs aren't pets, they are dinner.

8. Optical: These can be light or dark, or colors, such as, red, white, black, blue, purple and green.

White in American culture is pure and used in marriage. In Japan white it is used in funerals.

Red in our cultural is for warning and danger, while in China it is for luck and celebration, and in India it is for purity and weddings.

In China, blue is associated with immortality.
In Colombia, blue is associated with soap.
For Hindus blue is the color of Krishna.
For the Jews, blue symbolizes holiness.
In the Middle East blue is a protective color.

Blue is often considered to be the safest global color.

9. Tactile: Is the sense of touch, such embracing someone, kissing or greeting with kisses, shaking hands.

10. Temporal: Is the use of time. There are different uses of time. Some societies are focused on the past, others on the present, others on the future. There are different uses of time between Mexicans & those from the States. (We may arrive at exact time to show respect. Mexicans may arrive ½ hour later to show respect).

Then again at a psychiatrist's office the obsessive compulsive patient arrives on time, the resistance patient arrives late, and the narcissist with projection issues arrives early.

11. Spatial: Is the use of space. Personal space and work space is different for each culture. How far one stands from someone when talking informally varies from culture to culture and can cause great discomfort if personal space is violated. Work space can show importance. Distance between houses can be cultural.

In both India and Indonesia, the cities are heavily populated with 4 lanes of traffic becoming 6 or 7 easily. Yet there are rarely accidents as they are used to being close to one another. On Route 278 we have lines in our roads and more than enough space for people to avoid collisions and yet every day, someone rams someone else.

12. Olfactory: Such as taste, smells, and odors.  Tastes and odors have different connotations. Incense, spices, perfumes, aftershave, water and special foods have significance.

Some Ethiopian tribes use rancid butter as hair & skin cream. To us it smells badly, but to them it is positive smell. They greet one another by saying "You smell good" instead of "How are you?"

Allow me to give you an example of some of the Cultural differences you will need to know about Chinese culture in case you are doing business with Chinese people, whether you visit China or they come here:

Appearance

Conservative suits for men with subtle colors are the norm.

Women should avoid high heels and short sleeved blouses. The Chinese frown on women who display too much.

Subtle, neutral colors should be worn by both men and women.

Casual dress should be conservative as well.

Men and women can wear jeans. However, jeans are not acceptable for business meetings.

Revealing clothing for women is considered offensive to Chinese businessmen.

Behavior

Do not use large hand movements. The Chinese do

not speak with their hands. Your movements may be distracting to your host.

Personal contact must be avoided at all cost. It is highly inappropriate for a man to touch a woman in public.

Do not point when speaking.

If you do need to point, do not use your index finger, use an open palm.

It is considered improper to put your hand in your mouth.

Avoid acts that involve the mouth.

Gift giving is a very delicate issue in China -

It is illegal to give gifts to government official however; it has become more commonplace in the business world.

It is more acceptable to give gifts either in private or to a group as a whole to avoid embarrassment.

The most acceptable gift is a banquet.

Quality writing pens as considered favored gifts.

The following gifts and/or colors are associated with death and should not be given:

Clocks

Straw sandals

A stork or crane

Handkerchiefs

Anything white, or black

Always arrive on time or early if you are the guest.

Do not discuss business at meals.

Do not start to eat or drink prior to the host.

As a cultural courtesy, you should taste all the dishes you are offered.

Sample meals only, there may be several courses.

Never place your chopsticks straight up in your bowl. By placing your sticks upright in your bowl your will remind

your host of joss sticks which connotes death.

Do not drop the chopsticks it is considered bad luck.

Do not eat all of your meal. If you eat all of your meal, the Chinese will assume you did not receive enough food and are still hungry.

Women do not usually drink at meals.

Tipping is considered insulting, however the practice is becoming more common.

Communications

Bowing or nodding is the common greeting; however, you may be offered a handshake. Wait for the Chinese to offer their hand first.

Applause is common when greeting a crowd; the same is expected in return.

Introductions are formal. Use formal titles.

Often times Chinese will use a nickname to assist Westerners.

Being on time is vital in China.

Appointments are a must for business.

Contacts should be made prior to your trip.

Bring several copies of all written documents for your meetings.

The decision making process is slow. You should not expect to conclude your business swiftly.

Many Chinese will want to consult with the stars or wait for a lucky day before they make a decision.

Present and receive cards with both hands.

Never write on a business card or put it in your wallet or pocket. Carry a small card case.

The most important member of your company or group should lead important meetings. Chinese value rank and status.

Develop a working knowledge of Chinese culture.

Allow the Chinese to leave a meeting first.

Let us look at India:

Appearance

Men are generally expected to wear a suit and tie for business, although the jacket may be removed in the summer. Women should wear conservative dresses or pantsuits.

When dressing casual, short-sleeved shirts and long pants are preferred for men; shorts are acceptable only when exercising. Women must keep their upper arms, chest, back, and legs covered at all times.

Women should wear long pants when exercising.

The use of leather products including belts or handbags may be considered offensive, especially in temples. Hindus revere cows and do not use leather products.

Behavior

The head is considered the seat of the soul. Never touch someone else's head, not even to pat the hair of a child.

Beckoning someone with the palm up and wagging one finger can be construed as in insult. Standing with your hands on your hips will be interpreted as an angry, aggressive posture.

Whistling is impolite and winking may be interpreted as either an insult or a sexual proposition.

Never point your feet at a person. Feet are considered unclean. If your shoes or feet touch another person, apologize.

Gifts are not opened in the presence of the giver. If you receive a wrapped gift, set it aside until the giver leaves.

Business lunches are preferred to dinners. Hindus do not eat beef and Muslims do not eat pork.

Communications

There are more than fourteen major and three hundred minor languages spoken in India. The official languages are English and Hindi. English is widely used in business, politics and education.

The word "no" has harsh implications in India. Evasive refusals are more common, and are considered more polite. Never directly refuse an invitation, a vague "I'll try" is an acceptable refusal.

Do not thank your hosts at the end of a meal. "Thank you" is considered a form of payment and therefore insulting.

Titles are very important. Always use professional titles.

Now let us visit Saudi Arabia:

Appearance

Never show bare shoulders, stomach, calves and thighs.

Visitors are expected to abide by local standards of modesty however, do not adopt native clothing. Traditional clothes on foreigners may be offensive.

Despite the heat, most of the body must always remain covered.

A jacket and tie are usually required for men at business meetings. Men should wear long pants and a shirt, preferably long-sleeved, buttoned up to the collar. Men should also avoid wearing visible jewelry, particularly around the neck.

Women should always wear modest clothing in public. High necklines sleeves at least to the elbows are expected. Hemlines, if not ankle-length should at least be well below the knee. A look of baggy concealment should be the goal, pants or pant suits are not recommended. It is a good idea to keep a scarf handy, especially if entering a Mosque.

Behavior

It is common to remove your shoes before entering a building. Follow the lead of your host.

Alcohol and pork are illegal.

In the Muslim world, Friday is the day of rest.

There are several styles of greetings used; it is best to wait for your counterpart to initiate the greeting. Men shake hands with other men. Some men will shake hands with a woman; it is advisable for a businesswoman to wait for a man to offer his hand. A more traditional greeting between men involves grasping each other's right hand, placing the left hand on the other's right shoulder and exchanging kisses on each cheek.

The left hand is considered unclean and reserved for hygiene avoid gestures with the right hand. Do not point at another person and do not eat with the left hand.

Men walking hand in hand is a sign a friendship.

Try not to cross your legs when sitting. Never show the bottom of your feet.

_

Now I'd like to tell you another true story. And as you are listening and if you become confused, think if you had to explain our Federal Tax Code to someone from the country I will now be discussing. Remember, think pluralistically.

In 1914, a young Polish anthropologist called Bronsilaw Malinowski set off for the Trobriand Islands off the North East coast of New Guinea to carry out his fieldwork. No sooner had he left than war broke out in Europe, and being Polish he did not quite know which side he was on, nor which side he wanted to be on. This is because Poland at this time was continually being invaded and carved up by Germans, Prussians, or Russians. Thus, so the story goes, he spent the next three years continuing his field work in the Trobriands and returning only as far as Australia. He was a brilliant linguist, and soon mastered the Native languages, so it therefore became one of the most extensive pieces of fieldwork ever carried out in anthropology.

On his return to Europe, he eventually became Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics where he wrote one of the most famous and influential books in anthropology, The Argonauts of the Western Pacific. He then went on to write one of the best selling books in anthropology, The Sexual Life of Savages. But in the Argonauts he explored virtually for the first time the economics of these pre-market economies.

Already by this time a principle had been worked out among anthropologists that primitive societies were different. The differences were first noted in their social structure: they tended to be kin-based, with a very elaborate system where you knew in great detail all your cousins and sisters and aunts - and further afield too. The system was seen at its most rigid in India in the caste society where you always remained in the caste into which you were born, but the system is known widely throughout the world, and anyone who wishes to understand such societies must be prepared to study the ramifications of the kinship system.

But in the Trobiands, Malinowski went beyond this. Not only did he work out the complicated kinship system, but he also studied the economic basis. Here he worked out, virtually the for the first time, the workings of the gift exchange system, and in particular the famous Kula ring by which gifts were exchanged by canoe over the vast distances of the South Sea Islands

The Trobriands lie in fact 600 miles north-east of the north east corner of Australia, though they can be more accurately defined as being 100 miles north of the North East corner of Papua New Guinea. They are the outermost of a group of small islands, lying 100 to the north of the New Guinea coast. The Trobriands are one of the smaller groups, the largest of which is only 30 miles long by 10 miles wide. To the outsider they can appear at first sight to be idyllic settlements down by the sea shore. Sailing in their long canoes inevitably played a major role in their life connecting up the islands, and this led to chieftains arising, as chiefs were needed to direct the construction and sailing of the canoes.

The basis of the economy was gardening, mostly growing yams. The land was very fertile, so they could grow twice what was needed, so plenty could be left to rot, but they took great pride in their gardening and they vied with each other to have the neatest garden. At harvest time everyone piled up their produce in neat conical heaps under shelters made of yam vines, and everyone admired the heaps: though no one must have a bigger heap than the chief.

However about three quarters of each heap was passed on – and this is where the gift exchange begins to work. Part of it went to the chief in what must be called 'tribute', - but the largest part went to your sister's husband and family, - and here we must take a look at the kinship system in the Trobriand islands.

It was a matriarchal system, where descent passed through the women. To we Americans it was a very odd system indeed, though in fact it is still found in many parts of the world – as in the West Indies for instance. In this system, when you marry, your wife's brothers are the heads of the family, and you will have to give them a large part of your produce. You give half your produce to your wife's brother (the maternal uncle), and nominally at any rate they are in charge of your children.

In practice of course it is the father who cares for the children and looks after them and brings them up, but on his death, his belongings will go to his wife's brother's children and his children will inherit from their uncles. Thus it is difficult for a father to give a gift to his son. If you give a tree, on the father's death, the tree will revert to his sister's family. What you can pass on to your son are the intangibles - especially magic and dances, and thus fathers take great effort in teaching their sons all the most potent magic they know, and all the most intricate dances, for these are an asset that cannot be taken away from them.

How, therefore do you become rich in Trobriand societies? Well, first of all you must be born a chief in a high lineage. This means you can then have lots and lots of wives - up to 40 in the olden days, though by the time Malinowski had arrived in the Trobiands, the influence of the missionaries had reduced this to a mere 16. However, when you realize that each chief received somewhere between 30 and 50% of all the produce of all his wives' brothers, it is possible to understand how a well-married chief could become very wealthy indeed. Not that the wealth remained for long, for the chief also had his obligations: he had to organize tribal festivities and enterprises, furnish the food for big feasts, and tribal gatherings and distant expeditions; and he had to pay, according to custom, for the many services to which he is entitled.

For time's sake I will skip all of the various exchange systems and just speak on the most famous system of all – the Kula ring. This was trading at its highest level when one chief makes a gift to another chief often hundreds of miles away across the open sea. The gifts were essentially ritual, though not what one would consider valuable but arm bands or shell necklaces. Nevertheless they were treasured and handed out on every year like the way some families pass a Christmas fruit bread. If you waited long enough your gifts would come round again.

At its simplest, there is gift and counter gift. If you know that your Kula partner has a particularly valuable counter gift that you want, you can offer solicitory gifts. This begins with a gift of food, a pig or a bunch of fine bananas or yams. If this is accepted you go onto the second class of solicitory gifts of greater value e.g. a polished stone axe. If this is accepted it means that the desired gift will be forthcoming on the next Kula trip.

Thus the Kula comes close to trading but the equivalents of value is at least calculated . However in gift exchange and in the Kula you still aim to give away something of greater value than you receive. This is quite the opposite to Market Trading when indeed to barter when you aim to make a profit on the deal. This way of life is quite typical of primitive economics. Indeed gift exchange or tribute economy is the norm in much of the world. A long side it is the equivalent structure of society – at its simplest a chieftain society, but at its most complex becoming something very elaborate such as the caste system in India.

The gift exchange system delineated with such clarity in the Trobiands is probably in essence the norm in most of the world. The economic system that we enjoy in the West is in fact the exception rather than the rule and we must expect to find it to some degree or other being prevalent in all countries prior to the advent of money and the market economy.

What is even more important to remember is that large aspects of gift exchange and prestige- giving remain prevalent even in market economies. When modern economists condemn bribery they should think first that they are probably condemning a practice that is the norm in most economies, and when display takes place in a modern economy, when a father gives a wedding for his daughter with a lavishness to impress all the guests or buys a car whose performance is far in excess of practical needs, we should remember that this is merely the display of prestige and prestige-display is something that is a part of many cultures.

I would like to end with a bit of culture that is universal in all humankind. I had mentioned that the 7th area of observation is Kinesics and that one of those is facial expressions. In 1971 and 72 while an undergraduate honors biology ethology major at the University of Pennsylvania, I was exceeding blessed to be awarded a grant to study 6 baby lowland gorillas' facial expressions and body movements. In doing so, I noted, that while they would slap each other around and even though feces at one another, as soon as one was in precarious situation, like about to jump from one pseudo tree limb to another, and he stuck out his tongue just a little bit, all play and interaction stopped immediately, until he jumped and was safely on the other branch, and his tongue went back into his mouth. As a scientist, I recorded seeing this over and over again with the same results with all 6 gorillas.

We conducted this experiment with kindergarten students in various schools through out Philadelphia, which had multiple ethnic groups. In in all instances, if a child was, let us say drawing, and trying to stay within the lines, and kids were playing near her, and she showed her tongue, that play stopped. We had the experiment repeated for us by colleagues in Israel with Jewish children from European, North African, and Ethiopian cultures and with Arab children, and with the same results.

We then conducted experiments watching folks parallel park cars in down town Philadelphia, as long as they had others in the car. And as soon as their tongue went out, everyone in the car became quiet. It didn't matter if the driver was white, African American, Latin-American, Indian-American, what gender, what age, tongue showing was a universal sign in primates to say: "I am concentrating. Do not bother me.''

We have more in common with each other than we have differences. Embrace the differences. Cultural diversity has been life saving and life affirming for millennia across the globe. No one's culture can wipe out your culture if your culture works. If cultures have to change to be modernized, than what we have left are called traditions. Usually they are food-ways. Many times they are musical as well. The harvest dance of the Jews of Eastern Europe becomes a wedding hora in a catering hall. The bread of affliction of the Exodus of 3500 years ago, matzah, becomes a staple of a festive holiday meal of Passover. But for Jews in the USSR 30 years ago, who had to conduct Passover in secret, matzah was still the bread of affliction.

We can never judge another until we walk in someone's shoes. And since its always difficult to find shoes that fit ourselves, it is impossible to fit into another's shoes, therefore we do not judge.

Please be pluralistic in your outlook. Its a big world out there and hopefully our Statue of Liberty will continue to cry, With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Thank you for your patience and attention. I will now do my best to entertain questions.

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL

JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

JEWISH RENEWAL

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC

BLUFFTON, SC

SAVANNAH, GA

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Rabbi Arthur Segal

Monday, January 26, 2009

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

A Short Snap Shot of Rabbi Arthur Segal

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Rabbi Arthur Segal

Monday, January 26, 2009

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:JEWISH RENEWAL:JEWISH SPIRITUAL RENEWAL:CULTURAL DIVERSITY

A Short Snap Shot of Rabbi Arthur Segal