Feeling like “Other” Essay

I will be exploring a time when I felt like other(a), in this situation I was make to facial expression invisible, excluded and too visible all at the same time. In this situation I mainly felt excluded but n unrivalledtheless I felt all of the above. My husband is Nigerian and I am African American, he attends a Nigerian church and all of the members atomic number 18 Nigerian. all(prenominal) time I go to church with him I feel as if I am too visible because I am the all non-Nigerian person there, yes we are all black but I eff nothing about their culture and I do not spill their language. They often sing Nigerian praise songs and do traditional dances and when this is occurring I often feel excluded and invisible because it seem like it doesnt be if Im included since Im the only one who doesnt understand what is going on. Because of this I very seldom go to church with him, it would be nice for us to go to church together all the time but its not comfortable to feel exclud ed or invisible. You wouldnt think you could feel excluded or invisible round your own race but subgroups of the same race often defecate different cultures and traditions that the other doesnt understand.In a contend of cases Africans who live in America feel that African Americans keep acculturated into society which is a form of assimilation wherein an ethnic or racial group or an individual takes on the cultural ways of other group, usually that of mainstream culture, often at the expense of traditional cultural ways(2014). Being African American around Africans you often get a sense of ethnocentrism from this culture in regards to language, religion and behavior. Sometimes people are not aware that they are making the other feel disquieting or excluded simply because they dont know how to include the other.Many people are not as culturally capable as they may think and this can cause a lot of discord between differentcultural groups. Unfortunately both groups know been marginalized, having diminished value, importance, contributions, or attributes. Because both groups notice cultural differences we feel the imply to be guarded and defensive at all times. This does not process with communication and interaction between our cultures. One way for me to overcome this is exercising emotional intelligence which involves developing the ability to manage and appreciate differences.References(2014, November 1). identity element and Difference . Weekly Lecture. Lecture conducted from , . Harvey, C., & Allard, M. J. (2011). Understanding and Managing Diversity, 5th Edition. VitalSource Bookshelf version. Retrieved from http//devry.vitalsource.com/books/9781269562744/id/ch01lev2sec22