Cultural Intelligence And Creating Safe Spaces - Analysis Of The Big Bang Theory Episode

Observation of the Video

Discuss about the Cultural Intelligence and Capability for Spiritually and Emotionally Safe.

Cultural safety and safe spaces can be described as an environment that is socially, spiritually and emotionally safe. The environment needs to be physically safe for the individual as well that includes no denial of the identity or presence of no assault challenge (Crowne, 2013).

The video on The Big Bang Theory- Who’s smarter dolphins or Zack? focuses on the discussion between the friends in order to understand whether it is safe or unsafe spaces. In this particular scene the conversation depicts unsafe spaces as Zack was been made fun of.

The report aims to study the video and analyse the safe or unsafe spaces present in the particular scene. As the video clip signifies unsafe spaces, the report includes recommendations to improve the safety of the space.

The chosen video clip for this is The Big Bang Theory- Who’s smarter dolphins or Zack? was released on 16^th December, 2010 which is an American comedy television series. In the video, a discussion between Zack, Howard, Raj, Leonard, Sheldon and Penny is provided. Zack makes a conversation with the others where he has been indirectly made fun of and bullied. In the video, Zack is been bullied by comparing him with the dolphin in terms of smartness. In the later part of the same scene, they go to Zack, to apologise for their previous behaviour. Zack mentions them that the behaviour of them was hurting as they made fun of him. However, on being offered milk dud, Zack states that it was fine and they do not have to apologise more. The situation of the video clip explains an unsafe space as Zack is been bullied that hurts the emotion of the individual (HD The Big Bang Theory - Who`s smarter dolphins or Zack?. 2016).

Safe space is the environment where an individual is able to relax and express his or her views and opinions freely (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015). In the safe space environment, the individual does not have the fear of being humiliated, unwelcomed, uncomfortable or unsafe. The self-respect and the dignity of the person are protected by the rules that encourage the other individuals too to respect others (Li, Mobley & Kelly, 2013).

The cultural intelligence and the capabilities describe the important issues related to living, studying and working in an environment that has a high social and cultural diversity. It signifies the interaction taking place between the culture, knowledge experience and the behaviour of the individuals (Chao et al., 2012). The cultural self awareness on the other hand is the foundation of the communication that includes the capability to stand back from others. This helps to become aware of the cultural values, beliefs and the perceptions of the individuals (Tomalin & Stempleski, 2013).  

Summary of Literature

The factors such as cultural intelligence and the capabilities along with the cultural self awareness supports in the process of enhancing the abilities of the individuals to create a safe space.  The individuals are to be given the opportunity to deal with the cultural competency. It is important to have a clear conversation by interacting in a clear language (Brannen, 2016). This will help to achieve a more clear tone and thereby establish a safe space. The nervousness of the individuals is to be dispelled that further helps to achieve the objectives. However, it is necessary to keep into consideration that no individual uses vulgar or abusive languages that might hurt the feelings of the others. The definitions are to be provided at the beginning of the conversation so that the individuals are well aware of the language that is needed to used in the group and understand the concept. Another effective way to increase the ability of the individuals to create an environment of safe space is to stop the individual right at the moment when he or she says something offensive that is harmful for the safety of the environment (Ng et al., 2012).

After studying the video, the observation is as follows:

The video of the Big bang Theory depicts a clear environment of unsafe spaces. In the video, Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj bullies Zack. the  In between the conversation when Zack mentions that whether the others are trying to infer him as a stupid, Sheldon replied that they implied it and Zack has then inferred it. Such an action can be considered as unsafe as it hurts the sentiments of Zack (Christopher et al., 2014). The environment can further be considered as an unsafe space as Zack is been criticised for what he says. These scenes in the video where the other members of the group are bullying Zack create an environment where the social, cultural and the emotion of Zack are harmed. The creation of the unsafe spaces is also supported by the other members as they made fun of him and even laughed at him. Zack felt uncomfortable on realising that he was being bullied and therefore, he left the place. However, in the later part of the scene, the individuals goes to Zack to apologise, which is an indication of a safe space. The safe space creates a positive environment where Zack is able to adjust himself with the environment. The better conversation between the individuals helped in the creation of a safe space that created a better culture (Newlin, 2016). 

Discussion

An unsafe space of environment is undesirable as it creates negative impact on the individual’s physical or mental conditions (Du Preez, 2012). Therefore, the impact of the unsafe space needs to be minimise in order to ensure healthy environment. For this particular video clip of the Big Bang Theory, a better and safe space can be created if there are certain changes made. As in the first of the series, Zack has been bullied and made of which creates unsafe space, it is important to remove the bullying nature of the individuals. Furthermore, to make it a safe space the conversation between the individuals in the scene needs to improved. The conversation is of a tone that indicates sarcasm or insult. In the video, Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj tries to prove that the dolphins are smarter than Zack. The comparison between Zack and the dolphins have been carried out in a way that can hurt the emotions of Zack. Further, the environment of the plot can be made safer by encouraging the individuals to respect others in order to get respected in return. Neither should one hurt the emotion and feelings of the other individuals nor should such activities be supported. This will help to create a better environment or a much safer spaces that will provide a positive cultural behaviour (Baker, 2015).

Conclusion

The overall study highlighted the concept of cultural intelligence and capability. The safe and the unsafe spaces is discussed in order to provide weightage to the study. To understand the topic well, a video of the Big Bang Theory- Who’s smarter Dolphin or Zack is viewed and analysed. From the video, it can be inferred that there exist an unsafe spaces in the first part of the episode while the later part shows a relatively safer space. From the study, it can be stated that the communication pattern is one of the factor that significantly affects the safe and unsafe nature of the spaces. The unsafe space can be made safe by following the measure such as making a better conversation in a positive manner. Thus, to ensure a positive culture, it is necessary to maintain a safe space within the environment.

References

Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence. Routledge.

Baker, W. (2015). Research into practice: Cultural and intercultural awareness. Language Teaching, 48(01), 130-141.

Brannen, J. C. (2016). The relationship between cultural intelligence and transformational leadership: A study of people leaders (Doctoral dissertation, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ROCKIES).

Chao, M. M. C., Takeuchi, R., Farh, J. L., Zhang, Z. X., & Hong, Y. (2012). The Role of Essentialist Beliefs on Cultural Adjustment and Cultural Intelligence Development. In 2013 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Orlando, FL.

Christopher, J. C., Wendt, D. C., Marecek, J., & Goodman, D. M. (2014). Critical cultural awareness: Contributions to a globalizing psychology.American Psychologist, 69(7), 645.

Crowne, K. A. (2013). Cultural exposure, emotional intelligence, and cultural intelligence An exploratory study. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 13(1), 5-22.

Du Preez, P. (2012). The Human Right to Education, the Ethical Responsibility of Curriculum, and the Irony in'Safe Spaces'. In Safe Spaces(pp. 51-62). SensePublishers.

HD The Big Bang Theory - Who`s smarter dolphins or Zack?. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 25 October 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK-b1CtIATw

Li, M., Mobley, W. H., & Kelly, A. (2013). When do global leaders learn best to develop cultural intelligence? An investigation of the moderating role of experiential learning style. Academy of Management Learning & Education,12(1), 32-50.

Newlin, M. V. (2016). For Colored’s Only: An Analysis of Institutional Safe Spaces. 2016 NCUR.

Ng, K. Y., Van Dyne, L., Ang, S., & Ryan, A. M. (2012). Cultural intelligence: A review, reflections, and recommendations for future research. Conducting multinational research: Applying organizational psychology in the workplace, 29-58.

Tomalin, B., & Stempleski, S. (2013). Cultural awareness. Oxford University Press.