Co-Cultural Theory: How Do We Interact With Dominance?

Whether we’d like to admit it or not, romantic comedies played an important role in making the early 2000s a memorable time to be alive. Though the targeted audience was expected to attract young females, movies such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Just Friends reached a variety of individuals, young and old, male and female. While many of these films allow the female character’s status to be equivalent to her male love interests, very few films focus on the unspoken differences between the two cultures. In She’s the Man, Viola Johnson is publicly ridiculed for asking to join the men’s soccer team after the school budget has caused the entire women’s team to be cut. Rather than taking their sexist remarks and demeaning comments to heart, she goes to extreme measures to prove that she is just as talented if not more when it comes to soccer. While her love interest is introduced later in the movie, she is able to maintain her independence and refrain from straying away from her intended goal.

In chapter 36, Mark Orbe, a professor of communication at Western Michigan University introduces the Co-Cultural Theory. This interpretive theory brings attention to the distinct advantage certain populations have to face when in contact with people of the dominant culture. The term co-cultural is intended to stay neutral while explaining the various differences and how they are dealt with. When forced to communicate with the dominant group, Orbe further explains the several ways cultural members can achieve their preferred outcome through communication orientation. The first desired result is assimilation, where the individual “feels they must become more like its members” (450). It requires an open mind from both cultures to get along but is commonly initiated by the co-cultural group. Accommodation is the second preferred outcome and requires participation from both parties. The intention behind this result is to “work at changing the rules to take their own life experiences into account” (453). Rather than trying to join the dominant culture, accommodation works on making their voice heard. They want to be recognized for the changes they have made rather than ignored. Lastly, Orbe introduces separation as the final outcome. Separatist members “work to create and maintain an identity distinct from the dominant culture” (454). They don’t wish to unify with the contrasting culture but instead make their differences known. These three outcomes can be achieved in a nonassertive, assertive, and aggressive way, yet there is no guarantee that one approach is more beneficial than the others.

 

When we are faced with conflict between different cultures, we tend to alter our approach based on the given circumstances. After being removed from the women’s soccer team with no possibility of joining the men’s, Viola Johnson takes this disagreement as a way to prove herself. While her brother sneaks out to pursue his singing career, she decides to transform into a teenage boy and take his spot on the boys’ soccer team. Out of the three preferred results mentioned in Orbe’s Co-Cultural Theory, Viola incorporates both assimilation and accommodation to prove her argument in the hopes that a change will be made. In order to do this, she approaches the situation in a non-assertive manner. She blends in with the rest of the players by focusing on similarities and ensuring her opinion matches with the other members. For example, when the topic of women was brought up, the boys would often describe them in a degrading manner. Though she felt differently about the situation, she was forced to participate in the conversation to not blow her cover. Accommodation was also present in a more assertive way. Although Viola is disguised, she doesn’t refrain from inserting herself into the dominant culture. As she gets more comfortable, she tries to change the men’s perspectives of women by showing how respect and considerate actions get you further than catcalling and shameful comments. While she may not look like herself, her self-respect and consideration for other women does not diminish.