Professional Documents
Culture Documents
she was the puppet. When speaking of trade and NAFTA, Trump called it a
horrible agreement and even tried to trigger Clinton by saying it was enacted
by her husband but she didnt allow this attempted trigger to lead her
astray into an emotional response. The immigration discussion tried to put a
cultural divide between the two. I felt like Clinton stayed on track by
addressing facts better than Trump where he let his emotions play into his
comments.
Intercultural communication barriers also played a role in the failure of the
debate. First, gender played a role in the lack of empathy each had. Clinton
was very passionate on her stance of protecting womens rights on the topic
of abortion. Trump focused solely on the aborting of the baby. Trumps
stance is pro life and Clintons stance is pro choice; both of which are very
polarizing groups. Had each been more successful in empathizing with both
sides, they could have potentially won over votes. Next was status, Clinton
worked very hard to paint Trump as an upper class individual. Although I feel
she also belongs in that group, by successfully projecting it onto him, he
allowed her to put him in a place where he had to defend himself in
situations that were true for her also. Finally, cultural viewpoints were very
dividing. On this topic, Clinton seemed much more empathetic while Trump
seemed more rigid in his approach to undocumented immigrants. I felt like
they were each agreeing on the same end result, not allowing undocumented
workers in the United States, but they were unable to align themselves so
that they could have a productive communication. They chose to judge
which led the American public wondering where they stood on the issue.
Now that we have looked at what the candidates did wrong that produced a
negative outcome, I would like to suggest some behaviors that could be
improved upon to help ensure a better outcome in the future. I believe it
goes back to the basic lessons we are taught as young children that seem to
get lost as we grow older. First, dont interrupt; everyone has the right to be
heard. This doesnt mean that you have to agree with them but you should
respect their opinion enough to actively listen. Second, be respectful;
pointing out others flaws is not productive. Acknowledge you are different
and work to find a middle ground. Third, be accountable for your actions;
pushing blame onto others doesnt allow for accountability. Claim your
mistakes and learn from them. Finally, learn diversity. This world is a
melting pot of many cultures that could potentially offer a lot of knowledge.
Realizing we dont all have to be the same color, race, or creed will bring
positive outcomes.