Blog Post Three: Evaluating Intercultural Behaviour

The cosmopolitan nature of the Singaporean society leads us to observing a multitude of intercultural exchanges and situations almost every other day.

I observed one such scenario a few years ago when I visited a friend at her HDB block to prepare for our upcoming examinations. When I arrived, she apologised for not informing me earlier that there would be a Malay wedding being held in the void deck that weekend. She told me that there would be considerable noise coming from the void deck which might cause some disturbance and hinder our study. We decided to instead head down to the community library. When we passed by the void deck, we observed a heated discussion going on between a Chinese family and the Malay family organising the wedding. The former was expressing discontent over excessive noise as their children could not take their afternoon naps or concentrate on schoolwork. The Malay family informed the Chinese family that they had permission to hold the wedding at the location and that the noise is a natural part of any cultural event. The Chinese family was not fully aware of the usual customs and rituals of a Malay wedding and insisted the noise level be brought down immediately. They added that they did not raise a complaint in the previous two days as they did not wish to be inconsiderate.

The importance of fostering effective intercultural communication can be in two words – ‘avoiding conflict’. Therefore to prevent conflicts such as the one above, it is essential to be aware of the differences among cultures. This will lead to better comprehension, fewer misunderstandings and greater mutual respect. This is especially important in Singapore where the variety of cultural practices and traditions means that customs of one ethnic group may seem inconsiderate or even unacceptable to another. 

In the above scenario, patience, open discussion and the willingness to seek greater clarification might have led to a happy compromise. Instead of adopting a confrontational approach, the Malay family could have apologised for the noise as well as assured the Chinese family that they will tone down the noise level and not continue their celebrations till late. This would allow the children to rest and study after that. The Malay family might have also reassured other residents who may be similarly disturbed by the noise, that the celebrations would end by a certain predetermined time. Awareness and understanding of cultures other than one's own can certainly lead to greater harmony and peaceful living in a multiracial society like Singapore.