Kinesics in Intercultural Communication

I do not have a lot of intercultural experience throughout my work experiences but I think I can relate. One of the things that has stuck out to me over the years is different cultures and their respect for the local police officers. I grew up in a relatively small town with my dad working as in the local police department. It always impressed me that there were so many people around town who knew and respected my dad because he did his job. I am convinced that my dad knew more people around town because he had arrested them or got them home safely from a wrong night out.

This trend did not continue when I moved to a large metropolitan area. The police in this community was seen as the enemy and people went out of there way to avoid contact or communication with them. The reaction to those in law enforcement differs from culture to culture depending on how the law is perceived and enforced in those cultures. Realizing this difference did cause some difficulties because I found it uncomfortable to tell people what my dad did as a career due to their lack of respect for law enforcement.