Effective communication is indeed significant during an interaction. It allows human beings to relay, convey and provide feedback for their desires, thoughts, and feelings. In the modern world, communication with other people can be achieved in various ways, including oral reports, digital media, and face-to-face. Perception in the communication process includes organizing, selecting, and interpreting information. Though perception is primarily a psychological and cognitive process, how individuals perceive other people or objects significantly influences communication (Braslauskas, 2020). Different people can have varying perceptions of a particular communicated message. In such situations, the receiver and the sender have different perceptions, which creates a perception misunderstanding. Perception misunderstandings often occur because of cultural differences, language barriers, and cognitive biases. The paper aims to investigate perception misunderstanding through Justin Trudeau’s case.
One such case of perception misunderstanding involved Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister of Canada, who was accused of racism for wearing blackface makeup while attending a particular party. The incident occurred in 2001 when Justin worked as a teacher at a private school in Vancouver. According to Kambhampaty and Carlisle (2019), Times Magazine obtained a photograph that had been taken during the “Arabian Nights” themed party, whereby Justin Trudeau, then a 29-year-old son of the former prime minister, wore robes and a turban with both his hands and face entirely darkened by makeup. The photograph was obtained from the 2000-2001 yearbook of the private school where Justin was a teacher.
Though misunderstood, Justin had worn the blackface with pure intentions. Once questioned by journalists, Justin apologized for the incident and claimed he had been misunderstood. When questioned if he understood whether the image presented was racist, Justin stated that he did not initially consider the image racist but had learned from his mistakes and now understood how people perceived it to be (Kambhampaty & Carlisle, 2019). He stated that he wore blackface makeup to perform the “Day-O,” a Jamaican folk song performed by a famous African–American civil rights activist and singer Harry Belafonte.
Another incidence was also unearthed by the media whereby a grainy video was obtained showing a much younger Trudeau wearing a similar blackface. Zita Astravas, the media relations lead, confirmed the existence of the second video and confirmed that the video was from 1990 (Kambhampaty & Carlisle, 2019). The incidents surfaced while Justin was still campaigning for his re-election, which presented him with a significant challenge in gaining the voter’s confidence.
Nevertheless, the incidents related to Justin were both perfect examples of how perception misunderstanding could cause problems in communication. To him, he wore blackface to appreciate the culture of the African American people by performing the Jamaican folk song “Day-O.” However, people perceived his actions as a sign of racism and disrespect to the African American culture. People viewed it as being culturally insensitive and offensive towards people of African descent. The act of wearing black makeup has always been used to cultivate racist stereotypes against individuals of African descent (Marland & Nimijean, 2021). For instance, the United States had a long hand painful history of white people darkening their faces so that they could dehumanize and demean the African-American culture.
While Justin’s intentions may have been pure in both incidences, it was still hurtful and caused significant controversy and backlash once the photograph and video emerged. His use of blackface makeup was perceived as a sign of how he lacked an understanding of the experiences of minority groups. As a leader looking for re-election as the prime minister in Canada, people expected that he should have known better than to engage in such behaviour (Lee et al., 2023). Contrary to people’s opinions, Justin Trudeau has always made it part of his leadership to ensure that all the cultures present in Canada are embraced. He has also ensured that 35 of his cabinet members come from minority groups.
To avoid intercultural misunderstandings, various approaches can be used. To start with, the individual must always know their intentions before communicating. How an individual plans to come across to others may differ from how they come across. In this case, Justine intended to blend into the African culture so he could perform the song; nevertheless, people misunderstood his actions, leading to disagreements (McKelvey et al., 2022). Individuals should therefore focus on how their intended message will be received. This ensures that the individual ensures a much more focused interaction which would ensure that they remain adaptable enough to change their communication style depending on the circumstance.
The individual also has to be clear about their intentions and motives. Being transparent with the intention helps the individual avoid misunderstandings. It also helps provide clarity to the receiver about whatever the sender intends to achieve through the communication. In Justin’s case, people did not understand his intentions and motives while wearing blackface, which led to a misunderstanding.
Also, ensuring thorough background research during an intercultural interaction would help ensure effective communication. Before the interaction, an individual should ensure thorough background research to ensure that they remain culturally sensitive and know what is expected of them (Braslauskas, 2021). The research also helps the individual avoid ruining relationships or offending others. In addition to that, being aware of the receivers, cultural differences helps aid in successful communication and build a lasting relationship.
Being mindful of an offense is also important during an intercultural interaction. Individuals might be better able to prevent misunderstandings if they have an essential awareness of cultural diversity. Conversely, ignorance could lead to insult. For instance, something humorous in one culture might be deeply insulting in another. In many cultures, emblems, and actions could convey various meanings. They are careful not to assume that an identical gesture or action has the same meaning in both your culture and that of your business partner (Braslauskas, 2021).
Using idioms, humor, and direct interpretations could also be problematic since all of them could mean something much more unexpected than what one initially intended. For instance, the “thumbs up” sign has unpleasant connotations in certain cultures while being interpreted as a good response in others (McKelvey et al., 2022). In certain cultures, eating with your bare hands is acceptable; in others, it is considered impolite. People should therefore be cautious in their behaviour and refrain from saying anything that could be utterly misunderstood in another language. Also, an individual ought to be conscious that they can be the target of another culture’s ignorance of their own culture; as a result, they should exercise patience and grant others the benefit of the doubt rather than taking offence right away.
Effective communication is crucial in any interaction since it enables individuals to convey their feelings, thoughts, and desires. Perception is one of the main essential aspects in ensuring effective communication. Nevertheless, perception misunderstanding may occur during communication due to various factors, including language barriers and cultural differences. In the case of Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, his use of blackface makeup during a party led to perception misunderstanding and accusations of racism despite his efforts to appreciate African American culture. Avoiding such misunderstandings demands various actions from an individual, which include focusing on intentions, being clear on the objectives, conducting background research, and being mindful of potential offenses.
References
Braslauskas, J. (2020). Effective creative intercultural communication in business interaction: Theoretical and practical aspects. Creativity Studies, 13(1), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2020.12094
Braslauskas, J. (2021). Developing intercultural competencies and creativity: The foundation for successful Intercultural Communication. Creativity Studies, 14(1), 197–217. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2021.14583
Kambhampaty, A. P., & Carlisle, M. (2019, September 19). Photo shows Justin Trudeau in Brownface at ‘Arabian nights’ party. Time. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://time.com/5680759/justin-trudeau-brownface-photo/
Lee, A. H. Y., Harell, A., Stephenson, L. B., Rubenson, D., & Loewen, P. J. (2023). sdddddddddd ewMotivated to forgive? partisan scandals and Party supporters. Political Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12882
Marland, A., & Nimijean, R. (2021). Rebranding brand Trudeau. Political Turmoil in a Tumultuous World, 55–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70686-9_3
McKelvey, F., DeJong, S., Kowalchuck, S., & Donovan, E. (2022). Is the alt-right popular in Canada? Image sharing, popular culture, and social media. Canadian Journal of Communication, 47(4), 702–729. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjc.2022-0021
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