ABSTRACT
40In March 2011, Alexandra Wallace posted a YouTube video in which she ranted about the prevalence and mannerisms of Asian students enrolled along with her at the University of California, Los Angeles. In the video, Ms. Wallace complains about Asian students using cell phones in the library, makes fun of the sound of Asian languages, and criticizes the international student community for failing to adopt American practices. The video drew a widespread response, ranging from the university chancellor, who criticized the video as thoughtless and hurtful, to dozens of online messages and videos condemning Ms. Wallace and her attitudes. Ms. Wallace even found herself on the receiving end of death threats. Although UCLA decided not to discipline Ms. Wallace formally, citing her freedom of speech rights, the third-year student ended up leaving the university mid-semester. The story of Ms. Wallace illustrates the consequences that can occur when people disrespect cultural differences in interpersonal communication and violate their own culture's standards for appropriate communication behavior.
