“Cultural Sensitivity” and Freedom of Speech: Dilemma?

Recently, I had a discussion with some Danes about distinct cultural differences between Denmark and the U.S. Our discussion ranged from political differences to overall socio-cultural differences in how each society divides or refers to itself. In the U.S., there is a much stronger focus on race/ethnicity and gender whereas, the Danes thought that in Denmark it’s a matter of religion and culture between Danes and Muslims. First, we discussed how it would be virtually impossible for an atheist/agnostic person to become President of the U.S despite Church and State being separate. Then we talked about if Denmark would ever have a Muslim Prime Minister and they said no because there were vast religious and cultural differences. So I wanted to dig deeper into this distinction and they said that in comparing Denmark to the U.S, the U.S. lacks a huge difference between blacks and whites (the largest racial minority and majority group). In addition, they said the U.S. doesn’t have cultural differences between all of its different groups of people because in the U.S. we are all still Christian and American, compared to Denmark where it’s a Christian vs. Muslim paradigm.

Curious to learn more, I decided to push this discussion a bit further and ask what they meant about why they thought that there isn’t a huge cultural difference among American people compared to Danes and Muslims in the states. Well the response was NOT what I expected. The Danish person said they didn’t want to talk about it any further because they feel like I am sensitive about these topics! *LONG PAUSE*  Immediately my mind went back to the first real time I confronted them about their cultural biases, which was when I was called a “nigger.”  Even then, it wasn’t like I went around calling the Danes racist people, I simply bit the bullet and learned what the term means here.

I felt my mind rushing with all the things I wanted to say. I wanted to be as diplomatic and understanding as possible, but this time they didn’t even want to discuss it any further! What felt like minutes, was probably only a couple of seconds, I eventually managed to say, that I’ve been misunderstood and it’s not that I’m sensitive.  However, I just like to question the reasoning behind one’s opinions, especially if it’s such a huge generalization as the one previously stated. But the Danish person went on to explain that they didn’t want to keep talking because they felt like they couldn’t say what they really wanted to say.

Now let’s put this into perspective. I’ve had some very enlightening discussions with Danes but what I sometimes discover is that freedom of speech is a very highly honored right, but it doesn’t leave room for much discussion or even confrontation if you’ve either been offended by a comment or maybe just want to learn more about the reasoning behind thoughts. So every time I question or even explain that I’ve been “offended” or shocked by such a comment, which I usually do in a very relaxed and non-patronizing way, it can sometimes be perceived as being sensitive. It’s like you are supposed to take what has been said and leave it at that because everyone has the right to speak their mind as freely and open, without much regard for consequences. Looking at this from the U.S. perspective, the Danes don’t have a push for being “politically correct” that often clashes with freedom of speech as we do in the states. Now, I am not saying this is a bad or good thing b/c I have many issues with being politically correct. I would rather people say what they mean but really be willing to explain the reasoning behind their statements. But I guess that’s much too rational-minded of me.

On the other hand, if I were to say something completely “rash” or generalized about Danish culture I would automatically be corrected. However, it seems that sometimes reciprocity in this respect is lacking. I don’t profess to be a master or the guru of “American” culture but from my studies I have learned to negotiate between personal and/or academic standpoints. Just as me being here for only 4 months, and not professing to know it all about Danish culture, I would like the same respect from some Danish people. Most of the times, Danes formulate their opinions about American culture though TV shows, movies, and/or the media. At the New Year’s Eve Party this guy kept asking me to do the moonwalk because he’s seen movies and that in these movies black people have incredible dance moves. If I were to challenge his very stereotypical viewpoint, does that make me a sensitive person? Am I supposed to just sit back and allow TV shows, movies and/or the media to dictate how I am perceived? I just took the comment with a grain of salt and laughed it off.

Looking at this from a Danish perspective, ~90% of the people living in Denmark are ethnic Danes, by default of being in Denmark, one is automatically assumed to be Danish. This is portrayed through many factors such as people speaking Danish to you even though you don’t “look” Danish, but still that doesn’t mean you are fully Danish, in the stereotypical and ethnic/cultural sense. This means that even though one might not look Danish; there is this automatic perception that if you are here, you most likely speak the language among other things. However, I can understand that in Denmark you would never have such distinguishing ethnic labels attached to your name, you are Danish and that’s the end of it. There are NOT any differentiations of the Danish identity as there are in the American identity. One would never say Muslim Danish or Black Danish, you are JUST Danish. Interestingly enough, I’ve even noticed that many are aware of cultural differences within the U.S. but some view it as nothing compared to the Danes and Muslims. The U.S. is made of many different cultures and though nationalistically we all have American attached to our names; we are in some ways similar and in some ways distinguished/differentiated, whether you are an African American, Chinese American, or whatever.

Overall, I don’t want to over-generalize and stereotype the Danes as very insular people, that is not my point. The point is that, from my experiences so far, sometimes many Danes have not been okay with an outsider either “correcting” or directly questioning them and in doing so you have the risk of being perceived as either too sensitive or infringing on the almost absolute form of freedom of speech that is so cherished here.