Comparing The Hmong Culture In The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down opened my eyes to a new perspective of embracing cultural diversity as I compared the Hmong culture to my own. In today’s society, everyone has that sense of ethnocentrism. Most of society takes for granted how blessed they are. For example, my culture typically lives in nice neighborhoods and areas that are not primarily secluded. We take pride in the houses we build and the amenities in them, such as toilets and refrigerators. We are able to decide what career field we want to pursue, and are able to work up in the social rankings despite our class upon birth. The Hmong culture, on the other hand; are accustomed to living in the mountains and all have the same occupation: farming. As stated in the book, the Hmong were unfamiliar with toilets. Their toilets were the dirt floor of their home. For me, that was an eye opener.

The Hmong and their religious customs was a central theme in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. With the clash of ethnocentrism between both cultures, it was often debated what was “best” for Lia. Hmong taboo against blood tests, spinal taps, surgery, anesthesia, and many other medical tests and procedures.The Hmong were appalled at the numerous personal questions that American doctors asked to try and diagnose the problem. These tests, being apart of my culture, are considered normal and very helpful in discovering if there is a possible life threatening medical condition. In their culture, txiv neebs were polite and provide an immediate diagnosis without asking personal questions or performing tests. In Hmong, txiv neebs means a person with a healing spirit. In my culture, we trust in our doctors to heal us with the proper treatment. It was frustrating to me that the doctors held the key to treating Lia’s condition, but the Hmong were admient about their own ways of their culture through sacrifice, special ointments, and avoiding