Curiosity is not a crime

In Bavaria, there is a curious Wild West theme park named Pullman City, where guests can line-dance to country music, ride ponies, and watch an American History Show. Clint Eastwood’s classic western, A Fistful of Dollars, was oddly the brainchild of Italian producer Sergio Leone, who aimed to satisfy the huge Italian appetite for American Westerns. Following World War II, many young Japanese fell in love with American country music, and Japanese honky-tonk bars and bluegrass festivals continue to this day. The world over, people are fascinated by America’s cowboy and Western culture.

And oftentimes, this spirit of cross-cultural curiosity flows both ways. It’s not unusual for a Wyomingite to dance the polka while celebrating Oktoberfest, to order a pizza (originally popularized stateside by American WWII veterans returning from Italy), to watch a martial arts movie, or to sing K-pop at a Karaoke bar (blending Korean music with Japanese and Filipino culture).

This fascination with other cultures can be immensely beneficial. Founding Fathers such as Benjamin Franklin visited the Iroquois Confederacy and drew upon their governing practices while drafting the Constitution. Economists find that as some American cities became more diverse, the average wage of US-born residents of those cities grew. Psychologists find that Americans who live abroad become more creative and more successful in their careers.

Other times, however, we react to other cultures with anxiety, fear, or even anger. We back legislation to shield our children from even learning about other cultures.

This reaction is by no means unusual. Things that are new and hard to understand often feel threatening at first. As an instructor at the University of Wyoming for 15 years, I all too often see students respond to new and challenging topics with anxiety. Not knowing how to master such material, they become overwhelmed. It is no different when we encounter other cultures. When we first encounter them, we don’t know how to interact with them and find their ways strange and frightening.

Yet there is a path past this anxiety. Psychologists find that when we believe that we can master new and complicated ideas, we become curious to learn more. Perhaps you once had a teacher who was able to relate a complicated subject to a familiar experience. Suddenly, biology transforms from being horrendously complicated to a fascinating source of knowledge about exotic animals. History metamorphosizes from a dull list of dates to a fascinating lens into our heritage. 

Recently, my students and I found that cross-cultural interactions work similarly. When a participant in our studies was Not able to make sense of the complexities of cross-cultural interactions, they found them stressful and fatiguing. But all this changed when they could make sense of other cultures. Now, the food, history, family life and language of other cultures became a source of immense fascination. Importantly, they also felt greater belonging with other cultures and valued peaceful co-existence with them.

Many times, we Wyomingites think these issues don’t matter here because Wyoming is, compared to the rest of the U.S., so racially and ethnically homogenous. But the statistics show that nearly 1 in 5 Wyomingites fall outside the predominant non-Hispanic white group, and many readers no doubt are aware of this — whether you live in Rock Springs, Gillette, or elsewhere in our great state.  

Beyond this, many students in our state are immensely curious about other cultures. Currently, they can turn to many of their required courses to satisfy this desire. This is, of course, highly beneficial for our state. Where would the next generation of Wyoming lawyers or businesspeople be without their International Law or International Trade courses? 

Unfortunately, the Wyoming Legislature passed a bill to ban such content from required college courses that takes effect July 1. 

That law, however, does not limit our ability to uphold a commitment to diversity and inclusivity in our daily lives: Next time you encounter someone from another culture that you find strange, don’t shy away. Express interest in learning more about their culture. Ask them if they’d be willing to explain their way of life to you. Do so in a way that expresses authentic interest. You might be surprised at how flattering many find this. And who knows, they may even express interest in learning more about your culture — whether that involves country line dancing or something else.