CO-Culture.

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Analyzing the lives of co-culture
A co-culture is a group that has no say in creating the main structures of the society. Examples of
co-culture groups include the disabled, religious/ethnic minorities such as Mexico-American,
African Americans and Asian-Americans. The beliefs or behaviors of a co-culture are drawn or
set from the larger culture with which it has many other similar characteristics. Co-cultures thrives
within many sub-sets of culture. It is important to learn about how co-cultural groups communicate
since their communication practices are significant in understanding how marginalized people in
a dominant communicate to each other and with those who have access to institutional power. The
paper below analyzes the lives of co-cultures
In the US, co-cultures can be compared with a branch off of a culture. Communication styles vary
from one group to another, as such, each communication style is a combination of individual and
cultural traits. However, it is important to note that there are some communication patterns
common for many members of different ethnicity and races. There exist differences in the amount
of silent and talk from one co-culture to another. For instances, a majority of the Asian American
and Native Americans value silence to a greater extent than mainstream U.S culture does.

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Contrary, European American and Black American cultures insist more on verbal skills and their
members usually tend to speak more. As such, there is a likelihood of Black American to view the
silence of a Native American employee as a dislike.
Differences in attitude also exist from one co-culture to another. Native Americans may prefer
keeping quite whenever an argument arises than engage in direct confrontation. On the other hand,
people from countries such as Greek, French, and South America among other countries may
prefer engaging in a direct and open conflict style. Communication from people with different
countries of origin may reveal differences in personal information. For instance, African
Americans disclose less than Euro-Americans who on the other hand reveal more than the Mexican
Americans.
Nonverbal standing show some differences from one co-culture to another. A majority of
communicators most of the time assume that rules of behaviors like eye contact are universal while
this is not the case. According to researchers, the eye contact behavior varies considerably from
one group of people to another. For instance, widely opened eyes in the US are often interpreted
as a sign of wonder or surprise while in the Hispanic culture they signify the need for help for
something not understood. Some Americans may regard the gaze as a measure of innocence.
Asian-Americans
This is the fastest growing racial group in the US. In addition, they are the most educated and the
highest-income earners (Hsu, 121). According to them, life in the United States is favorable
compared to their countries of original and other parts of the globe. They place more value family,
career success and hard work. Over one hundred years ago most of them worked as casual laborers
and in farms, industries, and homes of the whites earning very little. During this time, racial

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discrimination was very high such that they were discriminated from white color jobs. Currently,
just like any other racial group in the US, they interact well with other people and live in posh
estates. Marriage across racial lines. The social assimilation and success in the economy have come
up with a co-cultural group that forms the larger part of the immigrants. Around 75% of the Asian-
American were born outside the US but 50% of them speak fluent English and half say they do
not. According to the latest reports, after Hispanics, Asians are the largest new immigrants in the
US. At least 615 of the Asian adults living and working in the US have a bachelor’s degree. This
is twice the total number of non-Asian arrivals. As such, they can be referred to as the most
educated group of immigrants in the history of the US.
Mexican-Americans
Mexicans are the most unique among all the co-culture groups living and working in the US. Since
the 19th century, the Mexican-American has been renewed and increased in numbers by the waves
of immigration (Fole, 20). Most of them have been accepted and welcomed as laborers. Many of
them were expelled from the US during the economic downturns when their laborer was not
wanted anymore. Despite their presence in large numbers, the Mexican people have faced harsh
segregation, especially in the Southwest. For instance, sometimes back, hotel management could
not allow them to hang allowed. Despite discrimination and prejudice, labor demands of war back
in the 1940s continued to attract more of them into the US. Between 1942 and 1964 they were paid
poorly and physically abused. Throughout the history of the US, the Mexican-Americans have
been racialized.
For many years, the American government has excluded them from social and economic
integration. Racial barriers have prevented them getting well-paying jobs thus leaving a large
number of them to do manual work only. Few of them work in the formal sectors like banks and

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offices. School segregation is another issue that has affected the lives of children from the
Mexican-American background (Foley, 31). For many years, they have been treated as non-whites
by the Americans. Before 1990, they had their own schools. The standards of these schools were
very low. Mexicans could not attend the same schools with Whites. They had their separate schools
were they schooled together with the Blacks. Even today, Mexican immigrants are still treated as
minorities and people of low status. For many years, Mexicans living in the US have experienced
the highest level of police brutality. It is believed police officers have killed may them without any
justified reason in the last two decades. However, it is important to note that the US government
especially during former President Barrack Obama tried very much to see that both Mexicans and
Blacks living and working in the US had equal rights with the Americans/whites.
African-Americans
African were brought into the US as slaves and servants of the colonialists as early as 18th century.
Their main purpose was to provide free labor and act as servants of the European adventurous. By
the beginning of the 18th century, their population in the US had reached 10%. African-Americans
were treated as slaves. They had no option but rather work for the Americans for free. African
children born in the US were also treated as slaves with no any chance and hope of escaping. The
White masters treated them in the same way they treated their livestock.
They were only interested in their free services. Away from their families and culture, they were
forced to work and live under tough conditions (Gates at al., 952). In response to this, they formed
the religion, cultural and society practices. Slaves who tried to escape were arrested and some
brutally murdered. Despite the many hardships Blacks faced in the UD, they were able to come up
with strong cultural identity. Although they were strictly observed while working in the firms, they

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managed to marry and get children. This enabled to maintain strong family life and culture (Gates
at al., 952).
The lives of the Blacks today have really change compared to the way it was some years back.
More African-American have attained secondary and University education. Black youths in the
US make up around 10 percent of the private school students and 20% of the public school
students. The unemployment rate for Black Americans who drop at high school level stands at
47%. This is very high compared to the 26% among White high school dropouts.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, one can learn that the lives of the co-culture groups in the United States
have been very hard. For many decades, many of them lived in miserable lives without access to
proper housing, schools, and healthcare. The US government official has discriminated blocked
blacks from getting formal jobs. Most of the Mexican-American and African-Americans work in
the informal sector. Of late, police officers have been accused of mistreating Blacks with many of
them facing their death at the hands of police officers who are supposed to protect them. Legal
Immigrants should be treated well and allowed to have full access to health, job opportunities and
education just like the Citizens of US.

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Work cited
Foley, Neil. Mexicans in the Making of America. , 2014.
Gates, Henry L, and Evelyn B. Higginbotham. African American Lives. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2004.
Hsu, Madeline Y. Asian American History: A Very Short Introduction. , 2016.