Statements
Chapter 3, “there is no intrinsic meaning in phenomena but that humans actively construct meanings and attach values”. To me this statement means that words, symbols, or other things that can be observed have no meanings in themselves, but the meanings and values of words are created and developed within the human mind.
Chapter 4, “language is powerful and that values inherent in the words we use shape our perceptions and those of others.” This statement means that the exact words and phrases we choose can be of great importance to people with whom we communicate. Words can bring pleasure, words can cause pain, words can convey beautiful thoughts, and words can project hatred.
I believe that the two statements work together. Words are created to describe objects, feelings, thoughts, beauty, ugliness, and everything else imaginable. The meanings of words must be shared with and learned by others, so that words spoken or written by one person can be fully understood by the persons listening to them or reading them. Words must be carefully constructed and selected so that communication can be accurately transmitted and received. Communication also requires feedback from the listeners to the speakers, so that speakers can be certain that what they said is what was heard, and that what was said is what was meant. From the course we have learned the process of human perception, interpretation, cultural meanings, and guidelines for improving communication.
Situation
Two very close friends, one African American woman (Rene) and one white woman (M.E.), were having dinner together at an up-scale restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. They were deeply engaged in conversation when, out of the corner of her eye, M.E. saw another African American woman, dressed in a white blouse and dark skirt, walking quickly past their table. M.E. turned toward the passerby and said, “Excuse me, can I have some butter?” and then returned to her conversation with her friend. The black passerby was actually a customer. The customer stopped abruptly and said, “I’m not a waitress!” M.E. said, “Oh, I’m sorry. I saw your skirt and blouse and, I’m sorry.” The customer glared at M.E. and said, “I guess we all look alike, don’t we?” and walked away. M.E. did not understand why the customer had such an attitude and asked her friend, Rene, “What’s her problem anyway? Rene said she thought that M.E.’s interaction with the customer was very racist and said, “It’s not about the butter!”
The described situation is from an old television series named “Any Day Now”, partially set in the turbulent 1960’s, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, when the two friends grew up together. The restaurant scene took place about twenty years later, in the 1980’s, when the horrible racial problems were far more subdued but not resolved. The question, “Excuse me, can I have some butter?” turned out to be very hurtful loaded language, even though it was unintentional.
Apply to Statements
The statement from chapter 3 does not seem to apply to this situation, but the statement from chapter 4 does. Many of the concepts in chapter 3 are in play. Rene explained that M.E. had subconsciously stereotyped a black woman walking around in a restaurant, wearing a white blouse and black skirt, as a waitress. M.E. had a personal construct causing her to size up the customer as being a rude and unkind person. M.E. thought considered herself to be a diverse person with no prejudices, but Rene perceived and interpreted M.E.’s interaction otherwise. The meaning of butter was not misunderstood, but the customer interpreted the context of M.E.’s comment as racial and insulting, probably because the social location (Birmingham) was historically a racial hotbed. All perceptions are partial and subjective, and many need to be checked with others. Rene checked M.E.’s communication even though it was not solicited, which was quite educational after the initial shock wore off. The loaded language of M.E.’s request for butter could have been avoided if M.E. had taken a moment to really evaluate who the customer was instead of jumping to the conclusion that she was a waitress. The situation could also have been avoided if the customer had not been so sensitive and defensive, and instead saw a little humor in the situation instead of racial hatred. The Ladder of Abstraction could have been utilized by both M.E. and the customer. They both jumped from the rungs of Total Reality to Perception to Label to Judgement, and finally to Action, in only a moment. If they only had taken more time to analyze the situation, things would not have escalated.