Outliers: The Story Of Success, The Ethnic Theory Of Plane Crashes

In Chapter 7 of Outliers: The Story of Success, “The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes,” Malcolm Galdwell continues to discuss how people’s behavior is influenced by their cultural legacies, particularly the way they communicate. The ways to communicate in cultural legacies differ greatly and reflect different cultures. China is my home country. In China, the typical communicating style of my own culture is in an indirect way. It influenced my ability to communicate effectively after I came to U.S.
The Chinese like to use mild and roundabout ways to express themselves. Chinese people are strict with proprieties. When their guests are eating, Chinese host like to enthusiastically offer their guests more food, and they hope their guests will eat
Chinese tend to be more implicit when express their opinions because they care too much about others’ feelings. My communication style reflects Chinese culture. Therefore, Culture has great influence on language. In Chapter 7 of Outliers, Gladwell also argues that culture has a significant impact on the way people communicate with one another. He introduces a true story about the Avianca 052 case. The co-pilot Klotz spoke in a very nonchalant manner in the whole time to the ATC [Air Traffic Control] when the plane was almost running out of fuel. After the pilot Cavides had said repeatedly the plane did not have any fuel, there was still no urgency in Klotz’s voice when he talked to the ATC. Eventually, Avianca 052 crashed because of running out of fuel. Seventy-three people were killed in this accident. In my opinion, the problem was in the way that Klotz communicated with ATC. If Klotz said, “We don’t have the fuel to comply with what you are trying to do” directly, it would have averted the tragedy. However, the important factor that affects the way Klotz communicates is where he comes from. “In the wake of the Avianca crash, the psychologist