COM 301
Reflective Writing # 2 (Verbal and non-verbal)

Reflective Writing Two
A. Verbal
1. What labels, that you dislike, have been applied to you or to groups (for example: ethnic, social, cultural, professional, etc.) to which you belong? Explain how the labels have or have not affected you. One ethnic label that I dislike is the term “Chino” or “Chinks.” I do not like to be referred to as Chinese as Hmong people are not Chinese (people like to use it even though they know that Hmong people are not Chinese). Neither do I like for people to label me by my eyes (in fact, I do not believe that I have small chinky eyes). Although I do not like this label, it hardly affects me at all because it’s not an accusatory label; no one is accusing me that I’m a “Chino” or a “Chink.” One label pertaining to my religion is that I am a polygamist. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and no, we don’t believe in polygamy (don’t get it confused with the Fundamentalist LDS- they’re different). It’s ironic that people would assume that Mormons are polygamists when in fact, no one assumes that I am a polygamist when I tell them that I’m Hmong. Polygamy plays a role in the Hmong culture; my wife has more grandparents that she can name. In fact, Hmong people still practice polygamy in the United States, though, in secret of course. In contrast to the previous label I mentioned, being labeled a polygamist upsets me because it is used more as an accusatory label; people use it when they want to put my religion down. Even though people may have heard that Mormons are not polygamist, some utilize the label anyway. B. Non-Verbal
1. Do you believe that it is right to interpret others’ nonverbal communication without recognizing their cultural perspective? Discuss how you think this might affect a person’s behavior and/or attitudes toward others?
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