Many students are fans of A&E Television’s hit series, Duck Dynasty, which chronicles the lives of the Robertson family from rural Louisiana who struck it rich with their family business making products for duck hunters. Students can get pretty riled up talking about it! Some find the show offensive, perpetuating stereotypes about individuals from the rural southern United States (especially after cast member Phil Robertson was taken off the show temporarily after making anti-gay remarks); others find the show empowering with positive portrayals of family interactions and the possibility of socioeconomic mobility.

As you likely know from experience, culture is an incredibly powerful context of communication: it has a profound effect on the way we perceive events, as well as ourselves and others. Think back to the competent communication model in Chapter 1. The ring that comprises the cultural context is made up of variables that make our perceptions unique: race, ethnicity, religion, politics, gender, sexual orientation, age, education, role, occupation, abilities/disabilities, geography, and so on. These differences are known as diversity (Loden & Rosener, 1991). (Also see our discussion of co-cultural variation in Chapter 5.) Even your positive or negative perceptions of a show like Duck Dynasty are linked to your perceptions about age, education, occupation, geography, religion, and a host of other factors. To communicate effectively and appropriately in today’s world, you must possess an understanding of and appreciation for people who perceive others differently than you do. It’s also important to understand the way your unique background affects your perceptions.