The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Foreignness and the Other Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

"If you can't see that your own culture has its own set of interests, emotions, and biases, how can you expect to deal successfully with someone else's culture?" (17.55)

This is the crux of the issue: neither side is willing (or able) to empathize with the other one. This is bit more understandable for the Hmong, as they've just arrived in an unfamiliar country that has no similarities to their own. Still, it would be wrong to put the blame solely on one side or the other—everyone has their own part to play in this mess.