Cultural Relations Among Ambassadors: A Look at the United States’ Reputation
Naturally, this action was greeted as not only offensive, but against Islamic values. A foundation of Islam is hospitality, something that the Obamas failed to practice while in a country of that religion. Saudi Arabian officials responded to this act of disregard with the threat that if other women acted as the First Lady did, they would undoubtedly face consequences.
One might be able to excuse this flub if it was a rare one- despite the fact that the President surely has people that might have alerted him to such a pertinent custom, but this was not the first instance of disregard that the Obamas have been a part of. In April of 2012 the first couple visited with the Queen of England, and while interacting, Michelle Obama gave the queen a side-hug. Following the display of affection Buckingham Palace issued an announcement of the formal policy: touching the queen is not off limits, although very controversial in a country that values its crown as much as England does. When this occurred, no one could believe their eyes, not only that Michelle Obama did the deed, but that the Queen reacted as she did. Reportedly, she had never seemed so at ease or affectionate towards another country’s dignitary. However, those in England that remain loyal to the old ways of the royals found Michelle Obama’s interaction to be offensive and a blatant disregard for their social norms.
Alright, so here’s the question. Obviously America is a very different county in comparison to those that the President and First Lady visit. We’re more casual, and we have less historical traditions than countries that have been around longer than us (specifically, ones that created us, or are mentioned in the Bible). So is it ridiculously inappropriate for our ambassadors to ignore their customs because the U.S is supposed to accept all cultures, regardless of their similarity to our own?
Social Studies teacher at Urbana High School, Jeff Davis, says yes. “When we violate them [culture’s customs] we can’t expect them to matter less to those people. The answers are easy enough — be less ignorant, take time to educate yourself.”
The United States is unfortunately infamous for our lack of respect when it comes to other cultures and our treatment of them. Our ambassador’s apparent disregard for Saudi Arabian culture — a culture that calls home to a region with tensions that have been high for the past two decades — was a silly mistake to repeat. If the U.S. President and his cabinet are to gain a certain level of reverence amongst not only foreign nations, but also its own people, its attitude towards other cultures must be corrected.
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