Justin Byrd 12/05/21

Com St. 37 Section

Professor Grass

Cultural Identity Paper

I identify and consider myself to be black. My identity has largely been shaped by my race in

relation to the cultural framework of the United States and abroad which classifies you based on

your ethnicity and views you accordingly. The cultural framework that has been shaped around

an individual’s race and the resulting perception of it. My race was never a big factor in who I

identified as until I grew older and began to see that I was being treated based off what I was, a

person of color, versus who I was as an individual. While I identify with my race in response to

that, I still view myself as independent of the norms and attitudes of the black community. I

don’t act the same as many black men or speak the same. I don’t use Ebonics at all quite frankly

and this has made me somewhat distanced from them altogether. I am at once seen as “not black

enough” for the black community while also seen as “too black” for all other communities that

are not familiar or comfortable with black people. Putting me in a very precarious position and

one where I have had to do a lot of self-discovery and soul searching to be comfortable with who

I am and resist the urge to conform to the stereotype which is expected of me. Many see famous

black athletes and entertainers and can’t help but to reference them in comparison to me because

mass media has colored our view of what other races are supposed to be like. So, seeing Will

Smith as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air on TV meant to others that I must also behave in a similar

fashion as that was the norm or standard that was set by a famous man of color. They both
consciously and subconsciously attribute those qualities to who I am and are surprised and

disturbed by the fact that I deviate from them. My national identity has played a large part in

who I am as well but to a much lesser degree. I am proud to be an American and value my

independence and love of liberty, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness but understand that as a

black American I am seen and judged by my race first and foremost. I don’t know that I am seen

as a representation of or symbol for America given the relationship and history of the black

community with America. As a straight black man from California my identity has been heavily

influenced by both the ebullience and optimism that come from California and its golden outlook

on the world while also having a very stark, harsh understanding of what being a black person

means both within my community and to others outside the community. My heterosexuality and

masculinity also plays a large role in the assumptions and expectations others have placed upon

me. I am expected to behave in a masculine way by concealing my emotions and playing the

love game. By constantly going out on dates, having short and long-term relationships and

continuously pursuing women ad infinitum. Not being seen with women as a heterosexual man is

looked down upon and can make others question your sexuality because they perceive our sexual

orientation based on whom we associate with. A heterosexual man often desires to be a “ladies’

man” to impress other men and women in his social circle and personal life. This was never the

case with me as I didn’t seek or need the validation of others or feel compelled to constantly be

in relationships just to prove myself to them. I would not allow the social stigma of others to

affect my behavior and what I did as an individual simply to prove to them the credibility of my

sexuality, which is none of their concern to begin with. Which meant I was not held in high

regard amongst other heterosexual men and suffered social sanctions for not taking part in the

current hookup culture. Being an artist, humanitarian, animal rights advocate, student, and
political independent which have had a large role in shaping my ethics on an individual level.

They’ve taught me to stand up for what I believe in and help others in need as much as possible.

My identity has been heavily influenced by my family who instilled in me the importance of

honesty, courage, and taking responsibility for my actions. My grandad and nana taught me to

work hard and to support my family through thick and thin. In addition, my aunts and uncles

always stepped in to correct me when I was wrong, offer support, and show me the ropes of how

to live a better life. Hearing stories of my nana and grandads’ journey from Texarkana Texas to

California was an integral part of defining who I was both personally and culturally. They had

very little to start with and both came from large families and did what they could to support

them. From farming and tilling their families land to eventually my grandad joining the Airforce

and my nana joining Bell Communications as a call center operator. They managed to beat the

odds by saving enough money to move and raise a large family of seven kids in a burgeoning

Los Angeles when it was not yet fully integrated. The strength it took them to persevere through

those immensely difficult times made me honored to be their grandson and taught me I could

endure anything. As a believer in Christ my family ritual of praying before eating and sleeping

has stayed with me my whole life. It has always reminded me not to take what I have for granted

and that it is important to give thanks each and every day.

My family’s cultural patterns are both highly individualistic and collectivistic on

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions scale. We emphasize the importance of being independent and

self-sufficient and being a provider. While also understanding we need each other and will

always be there for a family member in need. We do our best to give priority to those in the

family that need it most. Whether it be an unfortunate event that occurs when they need

emotional support or a sensitive financial matter, we don’t hesitate to offer immediate support
with no questions asked. We have a small power distance value pattern in our family which is

reflected by the fact that the elders in the family don’t mind us respectfully challenging or

questioning them about something if we have a difference of opinion. We can openly express our

beliefs on politics and religion without facing any reprimanding for speaking out of turn. I am

quite outspoken myself on a lot of current events in the crazy chaotic world we live in and feel

fearless because I have embraced my cultural patterns and value orientations of individuality,

having a low-power distance between myself and others from both my ingroup and outgroup

members to say what is on my mind. I possess the freedom to take risks because we have a weak

uncertainty avoidance and embrace taking leaps of faith no matter what the outcome will be.

Equally we embrace both femininity and masculinity in my family because we value community

and emotional support for others while also being assertive about what we want to achieve in

life, and see the importance of task-based accomplishment and material success in highlighting

and celebrating those achievements.

Some of the language that reflects my communication practices which reflect my cultural

identity are the verbal vocal practices in my community which involve speaking loudly to

emphasize the significance or importance of something. When we are excited, shocked, worried,

or upset we will use our vocals to express the emotions we are feeling. We groan and moan

expressing our dissatisfaction with something and allow ourselves to feel our emotions fully. We

use multilayered rules in our language and my family will use pig-latin to say a bad word like

“upidste” instead of saying stupid. Yet we are able to understand the intention behind the word

and the connotative meaning of it which is meant to attack the persons intelligence rather than

pointing out that something they said was wrong. Our family uses language creativity and comes

up with new phrases such as drip which is meant as insult and is the equivalent of an idiot. We
use low context communication to express ourselves explicitly in any given context and won’t

hesitate to point out that something is wrong or if we feel bad. We’ll say exactly what we are

thinking with the intended outcome in mind. “Don’t do that again!” is a phrase I know all too

well from my family whenever I would get into trouble. They knew this would immediately put

a halt to whatever misbehavior I was engaged in. Nonverbal cues such as facial expressions, tone

pitch of voice, physical mannerisms and gestures also help express what one of my family

members is trying to communicate to me. I’ve learned the importance in communicating

effectively especially in a professional or academic setting. I make sure to refrain from using

inappropriate words and carefully distinguish between the denotative meaning of words that I

use like “like” not being used as a placeholder word, or as an expression of interest but in

comparison to. With friends I’m much more laxed about my vocabulary and will use slang such

as “sucks” or “what da” because I am not filtering what I am saying or worried about

grammatical correctness.

Understanding why I communicate the way I do and how it relates to my culture is

imperative to learning how to better effectively communicate. I can understand the history of my

culture in America and be empowered both by the English language and my heritage both in and

out of the United States. I don’t have to be limited by any one way of communicating and should

be reflecting what I feel and what is authentic moving forward. It is important for me to remain

true to who I am while acknowledging the differences between myself and others without

disparaging their style of communication because it differs from mine. I’ve learned how complex

and varied intercultural communication is and all the nuances that it is comprised of. It is a

fascinating development that will continue to intrigue and encourage more self-discovery

throughout my life.