Customs Check
Today, as U.S. soldiers patrol towns and villages throughout Iraq, Middle America is meeting the Middle East. Not surprisingly, the wide cultural gap between American GIs and Iraqis can cause a fair amount of friction. In 2003, for example, crowds of Iraqis took to the streets after one GI’s dog sniffed an Iraqi woman’s bag ...
Today, as U.S. soldiers patrol towns and villages throughout Iraq, Middle America is meeting the Middle East. Not surprisingly, the wide cultural gap between American GIs and Iraqis can cause a fair amount of friction. In 2003, for example, crowds of Iraqis took to the streets after one GI's dog sniffed an Iraqi woman's bag that contained a Koran -- an act deemed a religious insult to the onlookers. U.S. soldiers often good-naturedly give Iraqis the thumbs up, a gesture roughly equivalent to raising one's middle finger in the United States.
Today, as U.S. soldiers patrol towns and villages throughout Iraq, Middle America is meeting the Middle East. Not surprisingly, the wide cultural gap between American GIs and Iraqis can cause a fair amount of friction. In 2003, for example, crowds of Iraqis took to the streets after one GI’s dog sniffed an Iraqi woman’s bag that contained a Koran — an act deemed a religious insult to the onlookers. U.S. soldiers often good-naturedly give Iraqis the thumbs up, a gesture roughly equivalent to raising one’s middle finger in the United States.
The U.S. military has long offered troops linguistic and cultural instruction to prevent such miscues in the field. But, in the near future, virtual reality simulations will help American soldiers hone language skills and show their sensitive side. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has teamed up with the University of Southern California to produce a simulation in which soldiers can play the role of Sgt. John Smith, whose mission is to work with locals to rebuild a girls’ school. Ralph Chatham, a DARPA linguist, says the idea is to "put a little language skill behind every trigger finger."
Not only do soldiers learn to converse in a more colloquial Arabic but they are taught appropriate facial expressions, gestures, and posture — vital aspects of building trust in communication. In the simulation, for example, Sergeant Smith loses a local’s trust if he fails to remove his hat or bow slightly when meeting people. He also loses points for walking into a cafe without greeting the owner behind the counter. If he loses too much trust, he won’t be able to get the information that he needs to find Ghassan, a local with access to the bricks and mortar needed to repair the school. "I’ll be happy if this could save just one life by preventing a misunderstanding, whether it’s an American, an Iraqi, or anyone else," says Chatham. If it works, Sergeant Smith will be due a promotion.
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