Microcultures in Canada

A Comparative Approach

Introduction Every society contains both a mainstream culture and many different subcultures. The mainstream culture is how one is identified as. However, microcultures consist of how we identify ourselves within the global mainstream culture. There are multitudes of ways to participate in a microculture. It could be along ethnic, religious lines, or even lifestyle. All these factors come into play with regards to the different aspects of microcultures. This paper will delve into all three types of microcultures; it will look at Vietnamese, Jewish, and Vegan cultures and compare them to mainstream Canadian culture. The subsequent comparative analysis aims at finding differences in an attempt to better understand and communicate more effectively, by clarifying the common misunderstandings that arise when communicating with different microcultures, whether in business or everyday life.
Vietnamese
Background/History/Evolution Representing one of the largest non-European sub-cultures in Canada, the Vietnamese community ranks 5th in terms of size and comprises just over 150,000 individuals. Concentrated in metropolitan areas, close to 60% of the population resides in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Calgary (Statistics Canada see Appendix B). Despite currently being a sizable group, this sub-culture was virtually non-existent prior to the Vietnamese war that took place between 1964 and 1975. It wasn't until the conflict arose that thousands of Vietnamese were uprooted, creating one of the largest refugee communities in North America (Immigration encyclopedia). Consequently, the greater majority of the community are foreign born, at approximately 70%. This starkly contrasts with the greater Canadian population who comprise of only 18% foreign born citizens. Nevertheless, statistics Canada indicates that most Vietnamese-Canadians can carry a conversation in one or both of Canada's official languages. Although speaking an official language has helped the sub-culture assimilate into Canadian life, they maintain distinct differences due to their history and unique characteristics of their home nation. Vietnam's colourful history dates back thousands of years to when settlers began harvesting rice in the fertile ground of the red river valley. However, despite its peaceful beginnings, the subsequent years brought significant turmoil as the nation fell victim to several takeovers from China and Mongolia. Over the course of centuries, the land was a hotly contest by east-Asian leaders until Emperor Gia Long raised an army to expel foreign domination in 1802. Under his guidance, Vietnam became a united the nation for the first time (localhistories.org). In spite of this, independence was short lived as colonisation became prominent in the Western world. In the late 19th century France invaded the country, making Vietnam a French colony. The change of power caused some tensions to the region as internal and external forces pressured the French rule. In the mid 20th century, warfare once again engulfed the nation as Ho Chi Minh and his communist party sought to regain Vietnam's independence. With the intention of uniting the north and south, he undertook a guerilla style war against the south who was backed by the United states. The conflict continued until 1975 when the Communist regime united the country at last (local histories). In the years that followed, the nation has emerged as a strong force in South-East Asia. With government implemented market reforms, Vietnam is today becoming a tourist friendly country with a powerful economy. With such a long and dramatic history, there are several factors influencing those who have lived or have background in Vietnam. Having been subjected to occupation by many different parties, the Vietnamese culture has adopted characteristics from each of the ruling countries.
How the Vietnamese subculture differs from the mainstream Canadian society

As previously mentioned most Vietnamese in Canada are foreign born (statistics Canada). Therefore, when immigrating to Canada they also brought their own cultural aspects. These aspects guide them in their behaviour, values and lifestyle. The cultural differences between mainstream Canadian culture and that of Vietnamese microculture later discussed are: communication, business etiquette and values.
With regards to the communication aspect, most of the Vietnamese speak their own language, which is Vietnamese. Older Vietnamese may also speak English and French due to colonization. Spoken language is an obvious difference when compared to mainstream culture. However, there are also other differences shown when using non-verbal communication such as the context of the culture. According to the website “Adopt Vietnam”, Vietnam is a high-context culture which uses a lot of non-verbal communication. For example, when someone praises a Vietnamese, instead of saying "thank you", he will just give a smile in return. This is a modest and respectful way to say “thank you”. In addition, holding hands with the same sex is a sign of friendship with no correlation to a love inclination. Also, crossing arms, interestingly, instead of a sign of rejection, is a sign of respect. These non-verbal expressions might lead to misunderstandings. Other non-verbal expression with their meanings is shown in the table below which is copied from the website “Vietnam-beauty” (see Appendix C).
In order to do businesses with Vietnamese, managers should better understand the non-written rules among Vietnamese. Firstly, managers should consider the cultural differences between South Vietnam and North Vietnam due to the long separation caused by wars since the 17th century. The South is more democratic while the North is more communist. According to A Comparative Study of the Work Values of North and South Vietnamese Managers by David A. Ralston, Nguyen van Thang and Nancy K. Napier, South Vietnamese managers can be described as cosmopolitan Chinese managers, and North Vietnamese managers as traditional Chinese managers. A “Cosmopolitan Chinese manager” is defined as being more dynamic and acceptable to changes while, the “Traditional Chinese manager" is seen as a more traditional and status oriented individual. In terms of intercultural presentation, South Vietnamese are more individualistic compared to North Vietnamese. Additionally, according to an interviewed Vietnamese business owner, sending gifts is a way to build a good relationship with a business partner, and these gifts should be sent in an indirect way. An example of this is to send the gift to the manager`s wife or son instead of the person directly. In a business occasion, when greeting each other, they join hands, in certain big cities, they shake hands, but it is only between men, bow their head slightly, and address others as Mr. or Ms. or a title with the first name. Another important point to mention is with regards to looking into someone’s eyes. This act, seen as a sign of respect and politeness in Canada, is considered offensive in the Vietnamese culture. Eye contact in Vietnam means a challenge to the opposing person or a deep passion, which, in both cases, is not suitable in a business environment (Adopt Vietnam). In addition to these, refusing a senior manager’s idea is not encouraged, since it could lead to being ostracized or terminated.
Vietnamese value family and social relationships. They tend to have intimate relationships. This value is greatly influenced by Confucian ethics, which were brought into Vietnam through Chinese control “Vietnam-Culture”. Respecting parents and elderly are virtues. On the other hand, they openly talk about personal and neighbours’ affairs with friends as a form of entertainment. Many issues that are seen as confidential in Western cultures are discussed openly among Vietnamese; Age, marital status, and profession are common questions in the first chat in hopes of naming the person accordingly (Adopt Vietnam). This can be traced to the traditional culture of Vietnam, which they tend to call others by title.
Tips on how to communicate with Vietnamese

In order to make friends with Vietnamese, you should open up your mind to talk with them freely, since they tend to talk a lot about personal issues. Keep in mind that they do not have any intention to offend your right to privacy. Also, being respectful, harmonious, and humorous is a part of their culture attitudes toward friends. Moreover, Vietnamese treasure long-term friendships, therefore, keeping in contact with them is an important part of an intimate friendship. Lastly, understanding what the non-verbal expressions mean is an important aspect in order to communicate with them effectively.
How they are depicted in popular culture Despite the considerable size of the sub-culture within Canada, Vietnamese-Canadians are often associated and grouped with other Asiatic countries. While each ethnicity within Asia has distinct traits and traditions, the variations among them are smaller than when compared to the average Canadian. As a result, many perceive these factions as simply "Asians" or identify them by Asia's most notable member, as "Chinese" (statistics Canada). Consequently, popular culture depicts Vietnamese-Canadians with typical Asian stereotypes. One of the leading stereotypes regarding the South-East Asian community remains their strong academic performance and the belief that they are more likely to succeed in school. It is believed by many that these individuals outperform others in areas such as math and sciences, in part due to the high expectations put in place by their parents. While this can be viewed as a positive stereotype, it can also have negative consequences as it raises expectations by those around them. Since the South-East Asian community is visually identifiable and have very different traditions and practices, some people adopt the "us vs. them approach" with dealing with this sub-culture (Bestlibrary.org). This is bolstered by the fact that the South-East Asian population and economy are increasing rapidly when compared to the ones of the United States. Furthermore, the potential language barrier present between the ethnicities augments this risk of this clash. Nevertheless, it is important that these views are abandoned as the South-East Asian community contributes greatly to the Canadian economy and society in general. Given their effort to adopt one or both of Canada's official languages, this stance will hopefully dissolve in the future (Statistics Canada).
Canadian jews יְהוּדִים Definition Merriam-Webster’s definition of a Jew is "any person whose religion is Judaism. In Jewish tradition any child born of a Jewish mother is [also] considered a Jew". The term Jew first appears as the Hellenistic Greek iudaismos in 2nd Maccabees-a part of the Bible that concentrates on the Jew’s revolt against Antiochus IV Epiphanes- in the 2nd century BCE (Abella and Troper p.37). Judaism-as we know it today- is one of the oldest to survive monotheistic religion which claims to express the relationship between God (Jehovah) and the children of Israel, this term being how Jewish people refer to themselves. The Hebrew God is unitary and solitary and concerned with the people He created Himself. They, on the other hand, are commanded to love and support each other. All Jewish religious movements are based on the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh to a larger or smaller extent. The seer of the religion are the Jewish priests or rabbis, who make sure that everyone in community follows closely the laws as described in the Bible (Adelman and Simpson).
Background and History Jews were internationally dispersed at the time of the ancient Roman Empire and then as minorities in the Middle East, North America and Europe. As time progressed the Jewish culture continued with its large expansion leading to present days’ allocation with minority groups in almost every country in the world (Tulchinsky p.59). Generally, there are different Jewish movements (Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.57), also referred to as denominations or branches, which differ from each other in some beliefs and their internal views of the religion as a whole:

Orthodox: its followers are very strict in following the Jewish law as rooted in Torah.
Sephardic: is a term is derived from the Hebrew word for “Spain”. They follow Orthodox Judaism and originate from Spain, Portugal and Northern Africa. Moreover, its followers have stricter requirements for the dietary laws known as kosher in English and kashrut in Hebrew (Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.63).
Ashkenazi: account for 80% of the Jews around the world and originally came from Northern and Eastern Europe. Their main language of communication is Jiddish (variation of Hebrew) and communities are mostly situated in large cities in the U.S.A. (Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.65)
Reform: in 1830s the German rabbi Abraham Geiger proposed reforming Judaism by moderating traditional beliefs and concentrating on the moral law and the monotheism-side of the religion. Such ideas led to the establishment of Reform Judaism (Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.68).
Conservative: emerged from the tension between Orthodox and Reform. It’s believed that while holy Jewish writing came straight from God, there was a human component to them. All this leads to the fact that Jewish law should adjust to contemporary changes ( Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.69).
Reconstructionists: according to their beliefs, Judaism is an evolving religious civilization.
Humanistic: it is a non-theistic option in contemporary Jewish life, which means that not all Humanistic Jews believe in God as a supernatural power (Robinson, Anctil and Butovsky p.75).
Zionist: Theodor Herzl created the modern political Zionism the way we know it today. A profane Jew, he originally believed that anti-Semitism could be overcome through assimilation. Later on, with the events of WWII his belief took another more radical direction. This branch of Judaism led to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 (De Lange p.30).

The Canadian Jewish community includes three main streams of contemporary Judaism: Orthodox, Conservatism and Reform, approximately 40%, 40% and 20% respectively (according to Census 2006). By 1768, the number of Jews in Montreal had grown to the point where they decided to establish Canada’s first Synagogue Shearith Israel. Jews participated in the settlement of Upper Canada, establishing the first Synagogue in Toronto in 1856 The Holy Blossom Temple (Tulchinsky p.102). By the 19th century, the largest part of the world’s Jews lived mainly in the Russian, German and Austro-Hungarian Empires. The chance of living in more favorable conditions somewhere else, prejudice and brutality encouraged immigration (Abella and Troper). By the dawn of WWI, immigration was restricted. Jews were largely concentrated in the large cities of Montreal and Toronto. They worked as retailers, many launched their own businesses or worked within the new pret-a-porter clothing industry; a lot of them migrated to Manitoba and Saskatchewan where farm colonies were created.

During their extended period of international dispersal, Jews had developed an identity based on being a minority with a specific religion and communal structure. They started in Canada the tradition of founding a communal body in order to take care of their social needs, such as creating funds for less fortunate and newly-arrived immigrants, school, hospital, etc. The first of this kind was the one in Montreal in 1863, named Baron de Hirsch Institute (Tulchinsky p.121). Then, the Great Depression and World War Two occurred. In 1930, the Canadian Government introduced extremely demanding restrictions on immigration in response to the continuously increasing unemployment rates, carte blanche for Jews to enter was almost never granted, as it was before the war period. Intolerance against different religions was still common for Canadian society. Anti-Semitism was embedded among the leaders on the political and cultural scenes. Despite all of that, approximately 20,000 Jewish Canadians served their duty in the war (Tulchinsky p.128). In the late 40s Canada entered in around 40,000 Holocaust survivors who mostly came from France to look for a better life. These survivors inhabited mostly Montreal, where speaking French was a benefit (Adelman and Simpson). During this period, Jews became more fully blended into the Canadian life. Moreover, the Human rights legislation banned discriminatory practices, which had been previously a common feature of the Canadian society. More precisely, prohibited was any kind of discrimination on religious, ethnical and racial basis in the everyday life, which eventually decreased the popularity of Anti-Semitism throughout the country (Abella). As the cities started to grow in size during the postwar period and since the process continued even until the end of the 20th century, Jews migrated to new suburban areas as a group where they established their own schools, community centers and synagogues. Jewish communities increased in size mainly in the large Anglophone Canadian cities such as Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The newly born Jewish kids started to perceive themselves more like Canadians than as immigrants. In order to become fully blended in the society, they attended universities and became members of the professional ranks of dentists, lawyers, doctors, and accountants. However, the challenge of living with the history of being the victims of a campaign of mass extermination has not disappeared. Remembrance of the Holocaust and the struggle with its implications are not personal issues, but communal issues in the Jewish life, these commemorations can be found in museums, lectures, books, and movies (Abella). Canada is now home to the fourth largest Jewish community in the world after: Israel, USA and France. According to the 2006 census, 351 705 people reported being Jewish, with the largest number in Toronto-about 142 000. As Jews are being an inseparable part of the Canadian society, they are a subject of generalizations. They are stereotyped as greedy, sneaky, nit-picky, stingy and are often portrayed in caricatures, comics, and propaganda posters counting or collecting money, often pronouncing Yiddish phrases while speaking English. More easily recognizable caricatures include some physical traits such as big nose, curly hair, side locks, and a kippah. Common objects, phrases and traditions used to emphasize or ridicule Jewishness include bagels, playing violin, undergoing circumcision, haggling, and talking loud while mixing Hebrew and Yiddish phrases into English and French. Other Jewish stereotypes are the rabbi, the complaining and the guilt-inflicting Jewish mother stereotype (Abella). All of these beliefs with regards to the Jewish community show that they are still viewed as different in relation to the predominant mainstream Anglo-Saxon, Christian part of the Canadian society. The famous Jewish over-religiousness is often considered as a reason for them to face exclusion from the mainstream. Religious Jews are more likely to be visibly discriminated than the less religious ones. That puts to doubt if they are actually that fully integrated as they claim to be. As a matter of fact, it’s fair to say that Jews are considered an inseparable part of the Canadian society, which continues to mold and shape its own specific identity while being a part of the bigger entity (Teelucksingh p.44).
Verbal Communication Jewish Canadians, depending on their heritage, may speak Hebrew or Yiddish at varying degrees of fluency (Levy). The use of both languages is strongly associated with the survival and cohesiveness of the Jewish community (Davids). Hebrew was only used as the language of religious literature until the turn of the 20th century, when it was revived as a spoken language and modernized (Jakobovitz). For almost 2000 years, Hebrew was not spoken colloquially and was considered a dead language (Jakobovitz). Waves of Jewish immigrants set up home in Israel, speaking a variety of languages (Jakobovitz). One man, Eliezer Ben Yehuda is credited with leading the movement to revive Hebrew in Israel; using his own family as a model, he raised his children speaking only Hebrew (Jakobovitz). Today Hebrew is the national language of Israel and has become the prominent language of Jews in Canada (Davids). Yiddish is the third most spoken language by Jews after English and Hebrew. It arrived in Canada along with Eastern European immigrants (Davids). Yiddish is spoken mainly by Ashkenazi and Orthodox Jews who emigrated from Europe. Prior to World War I the majority of Jewish Canadians spoke Yiddish, however, that number has been on a steady decline ever since (Davids). The influence of Yiddish in Canadian culture can be heard, as some words have entered mainstream vocabulary (see Appendix D) Non-Verbal Communication Jews also communicate belonging to their microculture non-verbally, through traditional religious attire and symbolic meanings. Over the centuries, Jews have maintained different ways of outwardly manifesting their faith. The kippah is a small skull cap that symbolizes respect for God by separating the wearer from the heavens (Levy). Tzitzit, four tassels worn on the corners of men’s coats, “are a physical representation of the Torah’s 613 do’s and don’ts” (“What is the Tzitzit and Tallit?”) and a sign of pride as it visibly distinguishes the wearer from the mainstream (“What is the Tzitzit and Tallit?”). The tallit is a long shawl draped over the shoulders during prayer as “a metaphor for God’s infinite transcendent light” (“What is the Tzitzit and Tallit?”). Tefillin are little, black leather boxes worn above the forehead and on the hand while praying (Levy). They each contain small scrolls of bible verses (Levy). The star of David, a six-pointed star made of two triangles, is the symbol for Judaism, worn on necklaces, embroidered on garments and placed at the core of the Israeli flag (Levy). Some practices may be adopted or abandoned depending on the specific branch of Judaism. Often, more observant followers will adhere very strictly to the Torah’s clothing guidelines. For example, Hasidic Jews wear black brimmed hats, grow ringlets of hair in front of their ears and dress very conservatively (Levy), which reinforces the community’s identity by setting them apart from the mainstream culture.
Hofstede’s Dimensions The Canadian Jewish community comes from all corners of the world. Since Geert Hofstede’s study classifies culture by country, Israel is used for the sake of comparing Jewish microculture to Canadian mainstream culture. It is reflective of Canadian Jewish customs in the sense that it also accommodates immigrant Jews from around the world (Hofstede). The dimensions include power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation. All scores are on a scale of 0 to 100 (see Appendix E).
In terms of power distance, Israelis score a 13, meaning that they “believe in independency, equal rights, accessible superiors and that management facilitates and empowers” (Hofstede). While Jewish culture is collectivist at the family level, “there is a strong belief of self-actualization” (Hofstede), which explains the balanced score between collectivism and individualism. Canadians, on the other hand, tend to be much more individualistic. Israel scores evenly between masculinity and femininity, meaning that they equally value personal achievement and caring for others (Hofstede), similar to the general values in Canada. Israeli culture scores very high in uncertainty avoidance, as compared to the Canadian culture. This indicates that “precision and punctuality are the norm, security is an important element in individual motivation” (Hofstede) and the belief that time is money (Hofstede). There is no score as of yet for long-term orientation in Israeli culture.
Communicating with Jews in Business

According to the Talmud, on their judgment day, the first question Jews will be asked is, “Did you do business b’emunah?” (Weitzner). B’emunah means in good faith, which implies that Jews believe in honest and moral business practices (Weitzner). For this reason perhaps, Jewish communication tends to be direct and expressive in nature (Hofstede). Their style of interacting is often characterized by “talking with their hands, gesticulating and vocal aggressiveness” (Hofstede). In general, the Jewish workplace atmosphere is informal and coworkers of different levels refer to each other on a first name basis (Hofstede). “Managers are expected to be decisive and assertive” (Hofstede) and while hierarchy is not expressed through communication, their “status is often shown, especially by cars, watches and technical devices” (Hofstede). Therefore, is it important to remember that appearance conveys an important non-verbal message when communicating with people of Jewish background. Observant Jews will not work as of sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday, as it is the Sabbath (Levy). Scheduling an important dinner meeting on a Friday night may therefore seem disrespectful of the person’s obligations to their faith. There are also many Jewish holidays during which followers must attend synagogue or celebrate at home with family (Levy). These holidays are in accordance with the Jewish Calendar, so the dates do not fall on the same day every year (Levy). It would prove helpful to obtain a list of holiday dates to avoid trying to contact or scheduling meetings with Jews at those times. A few guidelines are crucial to keep in mind, especially when offering edible gifts to practicing Jews. To be kosher, food must be prepared following certain dietary laws and approved by a rabbi (“What is Kosher”). Some foods are never kosher, such as pork, rabbit, shellfish and insects (“What is Kosher”). To communicate respect for the person’s faith and attention to detail, offer them kosher edible gifts, such as kosher wine or kosher chocolates, and schedule business meetings at well-respected kosher restaurants. In the particular case that one is communicating with Hasidic Jews, it is imperative to know that men and women who are not immediate family members do not touch one another (Levy). Therefore, no offence should be taken if a man refuses to shake a woman’s hand or vice versa upon being introduced or making a deal. As with any other culture, care should be taken not to bring up stereotypes, as Jews will find anti-Semitic remarks especially offensive. In general, Canadian Jews are fairly understanding of outsiders’ lack of familiarity with Jewish customs because they are such a close-knit community (Levy). When in doubt, simply ask and most will be glad to explain (Levy).
VEGANISM
Definition A vegan consumer is a consumer who believes that animals should not be exploited, or die for food, clothing, or scientific research. As a result, a vegan diet does not include any animal product like meat, poultry, fish or any products derived from animals such as butter, milk, yogurt and cheese (Suddath). One interviewee (Ruesga), states that “it was difficult at first, but you soon adjust”. According to the book Simple Vegan, “a vegan diet improves health in many ways. It reduces the risk of heart disease, the risk of some cancers, and can assist in weight loss as it increases the daily intake of fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and phytochemicals”. The interviewee emphasizes by stating, “I felt more energy, and overall healthier. It also helped me feel more clarity which helped me concentrate better”. (Ruesga) In addition to a better health, a vegan diet is also beneficial for the environment. Simple Vegan stresses the findings of a study for the World Hunger Program conducted by Brown University that found out that “if the world population followed a vegetarian diet, we could produce enough food to feed 6.26 billion people” (Chen).
Background and History According to the TIME magazine, veganism can be traced to Ancient Greek ideas and was first mentioned by the mathematician Pythagoras of Samos around 500 BC (Suddath). As its name indicates, veganism comes from vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is a diet that does not include any kind of meat or fish, but which allows for products derived from animals such as milk, honey or butter. The term “vegetarian” was first defined in the Oxford Dictionary in 1839, and gave Fanny Kemble as a source in her book Journal of a residence on a Georgian Plantation. Henry Salt, an English writer and diplomat, wrote several books including A Plea for Vegetarianism and Animals’ Rights, published in 1892 and which shattered the public opinion by attesting that animals should have rights if humans do (Salt). In addition to that, Sir Ray Lancaster stated in The Daily Telegraph in December 1909, that “man's teeth are of the shape and pattern which we find in the fruit-eating, or in the root-eating”. Thus, “man's cheek teeth do not enable him to cut lumps of meat and bone from raw carcasses and swallow them whole […] there can be no doubt that man fed originally like monkeys, on easily crushed fruits, nuts, and roots” (Lancaster). This argument was later reinforced by the publication of articles in the National Geographic magazine stating that eating meat had an impact on the evolutional structure of our jaws and teeth. In other words, being vegan should not be exceptional, since men were not physically designed to be carnivores in the first place. Evolution led them to progressively become meat eaters. In 1931, Gandhi went to London in order to give a speech in which he stated that the “only basis for having a vegetarian society and proclaiming a vegetarian principle is, and must be a moral one”(Gandhi). The term “vegan” first appeared towards the end of the Second World War when Donald Watson, a British wood maker decided to differentiate traditional vegetarians from vegetarians who were not eating dairies. In 1944, he published the first Vegan newsletter called the Vegan News in which the reasons to choose this type of diet are discussed. Nowadays, the Canadian Government does not keep track of vegan and vegetarian consumers, which means that there is no official record indicating the sizes of the vegan and vegetarian populations. But according to an Ipsos-Reid report prepared for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in 2004, 10% of Canadians considered themselves vegetarians. The only way to identify the Canadian cities that could potentially have the biggest vegan and vegetarian populations is to take a look at The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or Peta’s website, according to which the most vegan-friendly cities of Canada are Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. As reported by the two interviewees, Montreal and Ottawa are also practical cities to be vegan in, since both of them have large vegan communities mainly composed of students.
Reasons to become Vegan

Food documentaries allow the public to see and understand what conditions the animals are treated and killed in. They also reveal the fact that we are now looking for cheap, fast foods rather than more expensive, higher quality products. Just as Michael Pollan says in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma “as a culture we seem to have arrived at a place where whatever native wisdom we may once have possessed about eating has been replaced by confusion and anxiety” (Pollan). This can be explained by the fact that when we don’t have to cook meals, we eat more of them; as the amount of time Americans spend cooking has dropped by about half, the number of meals Americans eat in a day has climbed (Pollan). In addition to that “mass production has driven down the cost of many foods, not only in terms of price but also in the amount of time required to obtain them” (Pollan). However, since the food industry was investing increasing amounts into mass production every year, documentaries such as Food, Inc. (Kenner) or Supersize Me (Spurlock) came out and publicized what was kept hidden from consumers because the food industry knows consumers have a strong bargaining power. As Robert Gottlieb once said “Films such as Food Inc. have been influential in elevating alternative food ideas and agendas for change” (Gottlieb). Books like Mindless Eating (Wansik) or In Defense of Food (Pollan) complete the myriad of information already made available by documentaries, press releases and articles on the subject, educating the consumer about the ways to have a healthy, and balanced diet. Another reason to go vegan is for the respect of the environment, for some people the increasing concern about the environment motivates them to change their diet to preserve what they think has already been damaged. Finally, the last and probably most important reason is the love for animals. The love for animals makes some people react and take action to fight massive animal killing and mass production of animal products. Therefore, we can see how vegan consumers would differ from the mainstream; by having a unique philosophy that dictates a strict respect towards animals, a self-discipline entailing a restrictive diet excluding animal products, minimizing the consumption of processed foods and a more eco-friendly mindset.
How they differ

As previously mentioned Vegans are a specific microculture that each and everyone comes into contact with on a daily basis whether one realizes it or not. Veganism is a lifestyle that is devoted to the protection of animals while living a more holistic life in which the use of animal products, and their by-products is forbidden(Cole). The Vegan Society defines veganism as:
. . . a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude – as far as is possible and practical – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose [. . .] In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals (qtd. in Cole and Morgan 135).

Therefore, there exists a large difference from the omnivorous behaviour of mainstream society and that of a vegan one, in which the mainstream society has no restrictions on the use animal products and by products. These two ideologies produce many different behavioural distinctions. The Vegan culture observes many different rules including the avoidance of leathers and other animal products and dietary changes with the exclusion of meat, dairy, eggs, and honey (Torres and Torres 12). With these specific lifestyle changes, one can easily deduce that as a culture vegans are more environmentally friendly. However, this applies to a large portion of the vegan population and there are many more reasons why one chooses to become vegan (Torres and Torres 42), as previously mentioned. We also see that vegans have strong convictions to their decisions, as becoming a vegan is not a simple choice (interview). Therefore, Vegans would be classified as very strongly opinionated consumers as opposed to their mainstream counterpart. There are many differences between both cultures as well as many similarities. While veganism and mainstream culture have different core ideologies does this really translate into a difference in business practices? Some of these core ideologies do transfer, one such aspect is the environmental sustainability. As a large aspect of vegan culture is revolved around environmental and ecological sustainability (Salt). This does affect how a large majority of vegans do business. Most employ more eco-friendly business practices (interview). This means that vegan business will tend to have higher operating costs than their mainstream counterparts. However, while conducting business, vegan managers do not discriminate between vegan and non-vegan business partners. Vegans not only differ in the business approach they use and in their lifestyles, but they also differ in their respective community culture. Vegans have a strong sense of collective community, establishing online and in person support groups. These support groups help dispelling stereotypes and concerns posed by the general public. The vegan community is strongly connected to each other (Sneijder).
Perception of Veganism in the Mainstream The major differences in cultural behaviour between mainstream and vegan culture create a friction in the interactions between both cultures. The friction between the vegan culture and mainstream culture creates a conflict as core ideologies differ greatly. As this conflict arises and progresses, the vegan core ideology gets distorted as vegans are increasingly misrepresented throughout mainstream media. As taken from a study done in the United Kingdom in which nearly 400 newspaper and magazine articles were searched, roughly 74% were found to have a negative representation of vegans. The U.K. was chosen as a comparative to Canadian culture as there are many similarities between both mainstream cultures to give an accurate representation of how such a microculture is represented within the mainstream media. Of these representations the most common were either ridiculing vegans, claiming veganism as asceticism, impossible to sustain, a fad or that vegans were oversensitive and hostile (Cole and Morgan 139). These misrepresentations serve nothing more than to harm the vegan ideology, while reassuring the omnivorous mainstream culture as to what they are doing is the correct and proper course (Cole and Morgan 143). With such a misrepresentation within the mainstream media veganism takes on two different forms. One such form is the punk anarchist set on changing a corrupt world order (Cherry p.156). While the other is a Buddhist or hippie image dedicated to loving the planet.
Communication

While many subcultures have a different way of communicating with each other, there is no evidence to suggest that vegans do as well. However, as Dr. Carl Sagan states "the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence". This being that just as there is no documented case of a different communication style between vegans does not disprove one from existing. However, due to the lack of empirical evidence either proving or disproving a difference in communicational style, we must conclude that in such a regard, mainstream culture and veganism are similar. Works Cited

1. Ashwill. Mark A. "Vietnamese Gestures and Politeness." Adopt Vietnam. Vietnam Today, A Guide to a Nation at a Crossroads, n.d. Web. .

2. BestLibrary.org. Case Study: " Us versus them" mentality.

3. Cherry, Elizabeth. "Veganism as a Cultural Movement: A Relational Approach." Social Movement Studies 5.2 (2006): 155-70. Print.

4. Cole, Matthew. "‘Getting [green] Beef’? A Vegan Response to The Ecologist Magazine’s ‘Meat: Eco Villain or Victim of Spin?" Critical Society Journal (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

5. Cole, Matthew, and Karen Morgan. "Veganism Contra Speciesism: Beyond Debate." Brock Review 12.1 (2011): n. pag. Www2.brocku.ca. Web. 20 Sept. 2012

6. Cole, Matthew, and Karen Morgan. "Vegaphobia: Derogatory Discourses of Veganism and the Reproduction of Speciesism in UK National Newspapers1." The British Journal of Sociology 62.1 (2011): 134-53. Print.

7. "Common Menu Bar Links." Does Statistics Canada Collect This Information? N.p., n.d. Web. .

8. "Communicating with Vietnamese People." Vietnam Beauty. N.p., 07 Oct. 2008. Web.

9. Chen, R. S. 1990. Global Agriculture, Environment, and Hunger: Past, present, and future links. Environmental Impact Assessment
Web. .

10. David A. Ralston, Nguyen van Thang and Nancy K. Napier ``A Comparative Study of the Work Values of North and South Vietnamese Managers

11. Davids, Leo. “Yiddish and Hebrew in Canada: The Current Situation.” Canadian Ethnic Studies: May 2000. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.

12. De Lange, Nicholas, An Introduction to Judaism, Cambridge University Press (2000), p. 30

13. Eisenberg, Joyce, Ellen Scolnic, and Jewish Publication Society. Dictionary of Jewish Words. Rev., updated and expanded. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2006. Print.

14. Ethnic Origin and Visible Minorities." Census of Canada. Government of Canada, 16 May 2006. Web. 22 Sept. 2012. .

15. Encyclopedia of Immigration. Vietnamese immigration. http://immigration-online.org/306- vietnamese-immigration.html

16. "Evolving to Eat Mush": How Meat Changed Our Bodies." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. .
17. Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. 2008. IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. .

18. "Free EBooks by Project Gutenberg." Project Gutenberg. N.p., n.d. Web. .

19. "Gandhi - and the Launching of Veganism - Vegsource.com." Gandhi - and the Launching of Veganism - Vegsource.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
.

20. Gerald Tulchinsky, Taking Root: The Origins of the Canadian Jewish Community (1992).

21. Good Housekeeping Simple Vegan!: Delicious Meat-free, Dairy-free Recipes Every Family Will Love. New York: Hearst, 2011. Print.

22. Gottlieb, Robert, and Anupama Joshi. Food Justice. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2010. Print. < http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12335>

23. "History of Vegetarianism - Extracts from Some Journals 1843-48." History of Vegetarianism - Extracts from Some Journals 1843-48. N.p., n.d. Web.
.

24. Hofstede, Geert. “What About Israel?” Geert-hofstede.com. Geert Hofstede, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.

25. Howard Adelman and John Simpson, Multiculturalism, Jews and Identities in Canada (1995);

26. http://www.bestlibrary.org/chrysalids/2009/11/case-study-us-versus-them-mentality-societal-

.

27. http://www.localhistories.org/viethist.html

28. Interview Steffi Ruesga

29. Ira Robinson, Pierre Anctil and Mervin Butovsky, eds., An Everyday Miracle, Yiddish Culture in Montreal (1991);

30. Irving M. Abella, A Coat of Many Colours: Two Centuries of Jewish Life in Canada (1990);

31. Irving M. Abella and Harold Troper, None Is Too Many: Canada and the Jews of Europe, 1933-1948 (3rd ed 1991);

32. Immigration. Vietnamese immigration. http://immigration-online.org/306- vietnamese-immigration.html Local Histories. A brief history of Vietnam.

33. Jakobovitz, Schlomo. “How Hebrew Came to be the Language of Israel.” Canadian Jewish News: 10. Sept. 13, 2001. CBCA Complete. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.

34. Journal of International Business Studies.Vol. 30, No. 4 (4th Qtr., 1999), pp. 655-672
Published by: Palgrave Macmillan Journals

35. Levy, Adir. Personal Interview, 26 Sept. 2012.

36. Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2012.

37. PETA. "The Most Veg-Friendly Cities in North America." PETA. N.p., 14 July 2010. Web. .

38. Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.

39. Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: a Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

40. Pollan, Michael. "Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Aug. 2009. Web.
.

41. Salt, Henry Stephens. Animals' Rights. Clarks Summit (Pa): Society for Animal Rights, 1980. Print.

42. Sagen, Carl, Dr. Thinkexist.com. N.p., n.d. Web. .

43. Sneijder, P. "Moral Logic and Logical Morality: Attributions of Responsibility and Blame in Online Discourse on Veganism." Discourse & Society 16.5 (2005): 675-96. Print.

44. Statistics Canada. The Vietnamese Community in Canada. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89- 621-x/89-621-x2006002-eng.htm

45. Suddath, Claire. "Veganism." Time. Time, 30 Oct. 2008.

46. Supersize Me: A Film of Epic Proportions [video Recording]. Dir. Morgan Spurlock. Hart Sharp Video, 2004. Web.

47. Torres, Bob, and Jenna Torres. Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-vegan World. Colton, NY: Tofu Hound, 2005. Print.

48. "Veganism in a Nutshell." -- The Vegetarian Resource Group. N.p., n.d. Web
.

49. " Vegan Society - History, The." Home - The Vegan Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. .

50. "Vietnamese Culture." Personal interview. 25 Sept. 2012.

51. "Vietnamese Culture Values." Vietnam-culture. N.p., n.d. Web. .

52. Wansik, Brian, and Collin Payne. Mindless Eating. N.p.: n.p., 2009. Print.

53. Watson, Donald. "The Vegan Society." The Vegan News 1 (1944): n. pag. Home - The Vegan Society. Web.

54. Weitzner, David. "Radically Jewish Business Ethics." Chabad.org. Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. .

55. "What Is Kosher." COR.ca. Kashruth Council of Canada, 2012. Web. 26 Sept. 2012. .

56. “What is the Tzitzit and Tallit?” Chabad.org. Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.
a.

57. Zamir, Tzachi. "Veganism." Journal of Social Philosophy 35.3 (2004): 367-79. Print.