Comparing Korea to Proctorville, Ohio

Gladwell has, once again, made me think of success in a different way. I would have never imagined that culture could have such a tremendous impact on one's ability to be successful. Unfortunately, I feel like Proctorville, my hometown, is a lot closer to Korea than it is to Harlan. In Proctorville, almost all of the people try to sugarcoat things. They try to keep from hurting other people's feelings as much as possible. The only real exception is the teenagers, and that is probably just some form of rebellion. While the higher power distance level does not lead to plane crashes, it does have negative effects on the community. People never know what their peers are actually trying to say because everyone is sure to say things in a noncommittal, sugar-coated way. People judge each other all of the time but never say anything to the person they are judging. This leads to built up hostility which, in a way, is similar to the situation in Harlan. However, it does not lead to violence.