Safely into Newark

The westward flight from Schiphol airport gains us hours – we will reach by mid-day. It also brings us in touch with the American accent of the stewardess of Asian descent. It is interesting to see that she relates better with American passengers than she does with Asians. Clearly, nurture has a far greater influence on upbringing than nature. Other than in appearance, she’s American indeed!

The seating arrangement is 2+4+2. A family of five arrives. The youngest pre-teen, tries for the window seat, but he’s outmanoeuvred by his teenaged elders. He’s left in the middle, stuck in the company of parents.

Across the aisle, a very large man has the sole responsibility of caring for 2 very small children – the boy yet to walk, the girl only a little older, but really as good as gold. She watches Finding Nemo quietly as daddy deals with junior’s tantrums. Sometimes the fantasy is overwhelming, but I’m not scared, she tells me and herself, it’s only a movie. I agree and reach out to hold her hand. She smiles, clasps the assurance, and continues watching the animated exploits of the waterworld. We wonder where the mother went.

The onboard entertainment offers recent movies, among them Slumdog Millionaire. I notice it plays for several people including the teenagers. I tune in too. Of course the real stars of the film are the little children who can make fantasy real. But would the film have made such an impact worldwide if it were an Indian production rather than a British one?

As the plane begins its descent, we perceive the expanses of land and the small homesteads. Then suddenly the sky scrapers of New York occupy vision. We might easily reach out and touch, it seems! The Empire State Building is instantly recognizable with its ninety foot antennae. But we immediately feel the loss of the twin towers of WTC. Momentarily, the pain of a nation bereaved touches us.



Below we see the shimmering waters of the Hudson River. We’re reminded of the miracle with Cactus 1549 and smile at the image of the airplane gracefully skimming the waters to the astonishment of onlookers!

Within moments we have landed at Newark airport in New Jersey. The wheelchair handler is a woman, an Asian immigrant. She waits patiently for the senior citizen put in her charge. She speaks in vernacular with some of her colleagues, and the language seems familiar. I ask if she’s a Tamil from India. No, she shakes her head, from Sri Lanka. The war there is terrible, she says, referring to the mounting civilian casualties. She takes no sides, but she has a constant worry. Her sister remains in Kandy, and they have not heard from her in a while.

We need to retrieve our baggage. She escorts us there and asks how our bags are recognizable. I mention the travel tags provided by insurance. She helps to haul them off the carousal. Soon we are ready to step out to a bright and sunny morning. We’re in America, and ooh, it’s cold outside!

Cont’d…

First look at Amsterdam

It’s just past dawn in Amsterdam. We are stopping over for a few hours before embarking on the next leg of the journey to America. We could have simply moved to the next gateway and positioned there. But we wanted a first look at Amsterdam, where people live below sea-level. I remember my Dutch friend explaining that they had to be tall to keep their heads above the sea waters!

We had been told not to smile, because the immigration officials in Europe are pretty suspicious of Asians. We have nothing to declare to customs. The immigration officer frowns at my passport photograph (taken without glasses) and comments that it doesn’t much look like me. We school our features expressionless. The prospect of being deported on the next flight to India because is not at all entertaining.

I suggest politely that perhaps the visa photo is more up-to-date, mentally thanking the (outsourced) visa screening process that insisted on my being bespectacled. Indeed it is, he grins date-stamping the passports with a flourish, welcome to Amsterdam!

We don’t expect any of our friends to greet us on this cold morning. They won’t come, the 80-year-old is convinced. She has to walk a fair bit, since people wanting to step outside the airport can’t take the wheelchair. As we try to call to find out whether they have at all made the effort to meet us, we realize that there is no cellphone network coverage. The reality sinks that we don’t have the local currency either. We ask the information desk for help to locate our friends. But they can only call landlines, not mobile phones.

Time is running out, we have to use a payphone. We find a money changer. A hundred dollars gets us sixty-three euros and a phone-card. She also explains how to make a local call – without the international codes.




At the end we find our friends are less than fifty yards away. It turns out the flight number given earlier has changed. They were looking for us, but were sure it was a wasted trip; we were not arriving nor could we be contacted.

We find that we only have about two hours to fraternize and renew contacts. Amsterdam we’re told is still in the grip of cold. It’s wiser not to go outside since we have some woolens, but not overcoats. So we just walk across to view the train station that connects with the city outside.

We settle for coffee and sandwiches in the airport cafeteria. The coffee is strong, but ‘instant’ I’m told, so the Dutch probably don’t grow their own. The sandwiches are our first taste of continental cuisine, and like the coffee it needs getting used to. The country is feeling the pinch of recession too, everybody fears layoffs. We feel for our friends but it’s almost time for the flight to America.

Our baggage has been checked through, so we head for the security check. This time it is thorough. We have to put through the x-ray machines shoes, coats, sweaters, watches, belts, and bangles. Women security personnel specially examine the lady in the sari. We’re questioned about our luggage: who packed it, when and where? Do we have anything in our possession that has been handed to us by unknown persons? Terror, we realize, is serious business.

Cont’d…

Flight from Del Int’l

In India’s capital, Delhi, the Indira Gandhi International is an airport that knows it features on the world map of aviation. Although work is still in progress at the sprawling infrastructure, the areas open to public is already impressive. Despite the late hours, there is bustling activity. Why are flights overseas generally scheduled for the wee hours of the morning? Perhaps the intent is to awaken to a new time zone!

There are many airlines, and each has its own gateway. That means a lot of walking but the service at Del Int’l is far more crisp and efficient than in any other city of the country. Follow the signs and you can get to your destination.

And for the elderly, there is priority, and more importantly human courtesy. Wheelchair and baggage handlers at the airport entrance are quick to help to cut you through the crowds. What charges might they demand ultimately? No, no, nothing, the young men shake their heads. And in truth, they move away after handing over to the airline people, and look surprised when you call them back to gratefully offer a tip.




The crowds are indeed immense. With so many travelling overseas, where’s the recession? Security on the international terminal however seems to be far less than the domestic circuit, where baggage must first pass through the x-ray machines before being checked in. The airlines we were flying didn’t seem too concerned that we could be carrying just about anything in the luggage. The high trust level seems inexplicable but perhaps the screening is conducted later and the suspicious tagged or otherwise deleted.

We try to appear solemn through customs and immigration checks. But the official staring over the tops of his spectacles suddenly cracks a smile. Look how she smiles thinking of meeting her son, he jokes with the 80-year-old pointing to her photograph on the visa. Seems to me it’s a good idea to be travelling with senior citizens. You can cut the queues and be unafraid of nodding off and missing the flight. The wheelchair ensures that you be first on the aircraft, comfortably ensconced before the crowds come in!



But sadly the same courtesy to the elderly isn’t extended by some of the fellow passengers. The man seated in the row ahead - economy class - probably needs value for money spent and isn’t about to be accommodating. His seat reclines even during mealtimes, and when asked to keep upright, snarls that the old should go find seating places elsewhere. It needs intervention by the steward and other passengers to remind him of his manners.

Food on the airline is more than ample. An 8-hour flight is long and you’re expected to be ravenously hungry every two hours it seems. For the average Indian accustomed to three spaced meals the entire day, that’s a difficult proposition. Regretfully, after a couple of times we felt compelled to pass up the exploration of new continental cuisine prepared, we notice, by Khana caterers in New Delhi!

Cont'd...

The visa turnabout

In Asia, Obama’s America is quite the tourist attraction. The world has watched the American people achieve the unthinkable – vote a man of colour into the highest office. Have the American people really overcome racism? This we felt, we had to see for ourselves.



But getting a visa is like climbing a mountain. Earlier, the first trip required an interview. Thereafter people applied for subsequent trips through a drop box. Generally by the same evening the visa was granted. But now the rules have changed. Every visit needs an interview.

The Consul people have also distanced themselves from the general public. Initial screenings have been outsourced. It’s an experience you don’t want to repeat in a hurry because of the tedium. It makes sense to keep your application answers short and to the point. And to remember to repeat them in the interviews, answers in each case need to match.

Anyway, you apply for the "interview" online, but the given time slot actually means that you join the queue at that time – the actual face-to-face may occur several hours later. The queue is placed about a hundred meters away from the building. There are few tourists, the majority are young IT professionals.

Security consciousness means you carry in only your relevant documents. Purses, folders, water and even facial tissues are suspect on consular premises. If you need a cough drop, exit, return to the security room outside and bite into the lozenge in the presence of the security personnel. Then reenter as before and hope your throat doesn’t act up again to force a repeat routine.

The outsourced interface sometimes causes confusion. You wearing reading glasses at the interview and not in your application photograph becomes an issue. Yes, you’re asked to furnish a new set of bespectacled pictures forthwith. Luckily small photoshops in the vicinity cater to this very need. By the way, don’t smile in the photograph, it’s frowned upon.

Your papers are scrutinized at length and you’re photographed and fingerprinted to good measure. Your verbal answers are also compared with your written application. The outsourced personnel don’t smile and don’t encourage you to be friendly either during the long preamble. Comparatively, the actual interview with the visa official is fleeting. Seems they make up their minds even before they get to see you. That’s when the genuine American nationals appear. Strangely, some of them can smile!

9/11 has perhaps made South Asia grossly suspect. Still, USA appears less afraid of imminent threats than many of her allies. Close neighbor Canada believes in family history - you’re asked the antecedents of three generations, parents, siblings and children. (Indeed a lot of paperwork if you’re from a large family!)

You must have a ticket to be considered for a visa to a European nation. But visa applications aren’t allowed in advance even if you have a ticket. The count begins from the date of issue, not the date of travel. Having a US visa does seem to facilitate matters however - others defer to the American judgement.

Cont'd...

Altruism: Games people learn

Synopsis: In a society formed by putting different groups of people put together, the social climate developed depends on the local learning dynamics.


An independently derived culture can evolve in two ways.

Reciprocity

In isolation the evolution is convergent, maintaining the distinct, undiluted identity. In open relationships with other cultures, there is a parallel evolution, with influence and change flowing in both directions.

A cycle of reciprocity is formed. The biology of an individual generates and shape culture. At the same time, evolving culture influences the shaping genetic materials.

Cultural equilibrium

In a society formed by putting different groups of people put together, the social climate developed depends on the local learning dynamics. People tend to adapt their behaviour to this environment. They become predisposed to administering, anticipating and avoiding punishment in ways conducive to its sustenance.

Hence the different groups arrive at a ‘cultural equilibrium’ distinct from what they each have had before. Henrich et al predict that the local learning dynamics of diverse people determine how the strategies of cooperation and punishment are combined in the society.




Local learning

The researchers conducted game-playing experiments in 15 different societies on five continents including populations in Kenya, Fiji and Missouri. They used three-game experiments to test their prediction.

1. In the ultimate game (UG) experiment two anonymous players are to divide up a stake of real money in a one-shot deal. Player 1 can offer any monetary amount, even the smallest nonzero number to player 2. If the latter accepts whatever the ‘positive’ proposal is, both are rewarded but perhaps in unequal ratio. If the proposal is rejected, it is a costly punishment, since both players lose the stake.
2. In the third party punishment game (3PPG) experiment player 1 and player 2 are to divide up a stake of real money. There is however, player 3, who gets one half of the stake amount. This player decide whether the division has been fair, because player 2 has no say in the matter, and must receive whatever the other gives to him. In unequal sharing between the other two, player 3 has the option to pay out of
his/her amount to mete a costly punishment to player 1.
3. In the dictator game (DG) experiment the degree of altruism is measured. The process is the same as the first experiment, except that player 2 cannot reject the amount dictated by player 1.

Value of punishment

The games were designed to measure the degree of self-interest of players and their spirit of altruism. That is, to what extent people help others when not directly linked to them through kinship, reciprocity, reputation, or the immediate threat of punishment.

A prominent finding across cultures was the willingness to punish unfair acts. In every population tested, less-equal offers were punished more frequently. A greater willingness to punish selfishness and unfairness results in more prosocial behaviour. The researchers conclude that chastising the violations of norms allows its adherents to flourish, and hence also the genetic shaping towards altruism.

Comments/opinions, anyone??

References for ‘Altruism’ blogposts:

Gene-culture Coevolution
Disciplines Cross in Emory Anthropologist's Studies of Human Behavior

Altruism: Mystery of the prosocial

Synopsis: Leaders in organizations are left in continual dilemma whether - to develop the cooperative spirit among the diverse groups - they need to strictly impose the standards and norms of group behaviour, or be lax about them.



What makes people altruistic? A suitable answer is yet to be found to this mystery. Helpfulness, some say, comes from within. Perhaps because of a particular genetic trait inherited through generations, people are prosocial towards relatives, friends and even strangers.

Others hold that people behave in prosocial ways only because they are forced by the norms to do so. The cultural practice of rewards for those maintaining the bar and punishment for the norm-breakers, ensure that people of any particular society adhere to accepted standards of social behaviour, and think twice before deviating from them.

Cultural variations

Leaders in organizations are left in continual dilemma whether - to develop the cooperative spirit among the diverse groups - they need to strictly impose the standards and norms of group behaviour, or be lax about them.

Researchers investigating the issue have found wide cultural variations in social attitudes. That means populations across the globe do not all follow the same principles. Some societies show little overall willingness to punish, other a greater readiness to do so. Some cultures also fault excesses in generosity in the same way as selfishness.

Codependence?

In multicultural society or in any company aspiring to a global presence, the problem is of integration, and getting members of a crosscultural workforce to work together. What should be the basis of cooperation across communities in society? How are managers and supervisors to get individuals of the majority race and culture to cooperate with other minority groups?

Wilson and Lumsden propose that prosocial behaviour is carried forward by sociobiology. Genes and culture are co-dependent, meaning that they have a mutual influence on one another. The theorists say that ‘gene-culture coevolution’, is crucial to developing the appropriate neural network of the mind.

Thereby, people of different cultures in the same environment can also evolve together to behave in a common fashion. The cultural information driving the process are the stories, beliefs, and ceremonies shared symbolically among the individuals constituting that society.

The rules

Certain primary and secondary "epigenetic rules" control organizing the genetic patterns. These lead to the genomic expression of the “coevolution”:

· Primary epigenetic rules are inflexible. They imposed restrictions in line with the individual’s genetic inheritance. This information shapes the formation of the external senses, and their sensory range. As a result the scope is set from the initial filtering of inputs to perceptual abilities involved in the functioning of vision, hearing, taste, and smell.
· Secondary epigenetic rules selectively transmit variants of cultural information. These develop the unique individual traits and capacities like temperament, personality and beliefs.

Changing cultural opportunities shifts the balance of responses between the primary and secondary rules, and hence exerts important effects on the capacity of the individual mind for self-organization. Thus altruistic behaviour can spread through the population of society irrespective of kinship between groups.

Cont’d 2…games people learn

Evolved appraisals

Synopsis: Frames of anticipations help us choose. They highlight options according to our degree of preference – that is, whichever is most significant to us emotionally.


We actively examine and re-examine situations, as we adapt.

The appraisals

We instinctively conduct appraisals. The quick survey-and-analysis precedes our goal-seeking behaviour. The appraisals are an evolutionary process developed at two levels:

• The primary appraisal defines our involvement in situations.
• The secondary appraisal considers solutions to the issue or problem perceived therein.

Through these appraisals, we first examine whether or not the situation is relevant for our personal wellbeing, and then we decide on actions to cope with it.

Anticipations

The primary appraisal occurs before conscious feelings and emotional responses, and in fact serves to turn them on. If we don’t feel involved with what is going on, we experience no emotional arousal. Our interest in the situational outcomes wanes, and so we forget about it or do little willingly. But if we do feel involved, we move on proactively to the secondary appraisal. We focus on ways of handling the situation - like what we can or should do about it.

Situations stimulate our decision-making, and give us the opportunity to make choices. Suppose, for example, we are considering a vacation, and there are two locations to choose from. One is perfect in all regards - except that the weather is unpredictable. The other is less perfect but the weather is usually good.

How do we choose? We evaluate our emotional anticipations regarding each location. The possible pleasure of the first site with good weather is weighted against the possible displeasure with bad weather there. Combining the two gives an average feeling of anticipated pleasure. The other location is similarly evaluated with weather and other attractions to obtain another anticipated average. The two averages are then compared. The location with the ‘greater average pleasure’ in outcome then tends to be selected.

The framing effect

Visualizing possible outcomes within these frames of anticipations help us choose. The frames highlight the options according to our degree of preference – that is, whichever is most significant to us emotionally.

Our choices are sometimes buoyed by expectations of certain outcomes only. We also tend to be hasty when the data available is not judged appropriately, with lack of time, information overload, divided loyalties or stress. In all these situations, the focus of attention is limited and so are explorations or assessments of the environment. We are guided instead by excessive optimism about certain outcomes or fears about some others.

Assessing reality

The framing effect is an unconscious bias. Researchers at Ohio State University point out that greater anticipated pleasure or greater optimism tend to produce greater risk seeking, whereas pessimism causes risk aversion.

Fact is, the choices we make are proved ‘correct’ only by future consequences. The emotional involvement starts the decision-making process. Emotions generalize understanding between our two brains - the rational left, and the intuitive right hemispheres. It is important to integrate the inputs of the two sides of the brain to accurately understand reality. Our evolved appraisals are necessary for our actions becoming effective.

Comments/opinions Anyone??