Cross and Intercultural Theories in "Working Girl" Movie

Working Girl is a documentary film about a girl, some women, and a transexual who live with different way and different profession. A girl in this film is Ayu Riana Oces. She was the winner of StarDut, a competition in dangdut singing in a TV station. Since that time, Riana became a famous dangdut singer in local stage to another local stage. Because so many job for her, her academic achievement goes down. Fortunately, she could graduated from her junior high school.

The second story is about some women who live and work for a ketoprak tobong performance group. This group have been lead by Mbah Kakek (correct me if I’m wrong), who always make a big decision for this group. Although working for this job just result some little money, but they keep hold out for this job. As long as it’s legal. They are shy to singing beggar.

The third story tells about Zulfikar or Ulfi’s life. She is a transexual that was born in Aceh and now works in Jakarta as a barber and make up artist in her own salon. Her experience in make up art has carried her to making up famous singer, Shanty. Not only that, now she is commited to socialize about condom using in transexual peoples in Aceh in order to avoiding HIV-AIDS virus between them.

From each stories, Ulfi’s life is my favorite. But all of them is good and tell me about different side of life that I never feel. Even I can analyze it with some theories that I have learned from intercultural communication class.

From Ulfi’s story, I learn about Uncertainty Management Theory. It’s about how Ulfi searching an information about institution that handle transexuals in Aceh. This way is come from her thoughtfulness about some transexuals in Aceh didn’t educated to use condom. Whereas, there are much transexuals in Aceh still work in prostitution or very like to change her couple. All of them are never check her health to the hospital, wether she is got HIV-AIDS or not.

To manage her uncertainty, Ulfi made a rendevouz with her old friend, Lina first. This first step, Ulfi had so many uncertainty. From Lina, Ulfi meet with some transexuals who like to gather in salon. From this transexuals, Ulfi searched some general informations about transexuals in Aceh. From this meeting, Ulfi and a friend of Lina tried to make a solution although it will be hard for them to make a change for transexuals in Aceh. In this step, uncertainty is go down because verbal communication between Ulfi and friend of Lina is increasing. After that meetings, Ulfi called one by one her transexuals friend in Aceh and ask them to check up at hospital. All of her friends reject it, except one. She is Lina. Tomorrow, Ulfi wait Lina but Lina couldn’t come. How dissapointed Ulfi was! But Ulfi never give up. She tried to explore an organization in transexuals empowerment. From this exploration, she found something missing. The organization told there are some peoples and some fund to help any transexuals. Even the routine report always come on time. But, Ulfi found nothing in real before came to this organization. But Ulfi couldn’t stay long in Aceh. She have to go Back in Jakarta. Now, Ulfi still return her effort to help any transexuals from HIV-AIDS in Jakarta with her friends. In this way, Ulfi must be make a self disclosure to make sure the others to change. Self disclosure here is about her past that she is infected by HIV-AIDS.

The second theory I’ve got is Communication Accomodation Theory. Communication Accomodation Theory is a theory told when a speaker make an interaction with another, they have to adjust conversation, vocal pattern, and/or their behavior to accomodate another (West,2010:217). Giles and friends sure that speaker have any reason to accomodate another. Any peoples wish to whip agreement from the listener. Another people want to raise communication efficiency, the others again want to keep positive social identity (Giles, Mulac, Bradac, & Johnson, 1987).

I’ve got Communication Accomodation Theory from the second story about ketoprak tobong performances, “Selama Tidak Ada Angin”. In this story, one of the group told that she ever had a performances in Surabaya. In Indonesian stigma, Surabaya peoples talk rough and using high intonation. So, this group have to be adapted with Surabaya culture in order to make thr audiences interested with their performances. They wish to whip agreement from the listener (the audiences of ketoprak tobong).

Then, I’ve got Expectancy Violation Theory from the first story. This theory state that people have an expectancy about another nonverbal behavior. Burgoon state that unexpected changes that happened in conversation distance between each communicator could make uncomfort feelings or even angry and ambigous (West,2010:154). This thing is happened between Ayah Tito and Riana.

Ayah Tito could called a violator. Tito actually is a foreigner in Riana family. He has no relation to this family. But suddenly he came to Riana. After that, he told to her parent that he had no wife or children. So, since that time Tito had been become foster father of Riana. He always have a good behavior to Riana family. It’s like deliver Riana to another place when Riana have a job, make a record album for Riana, and even pay for Riana education cost in her new high school. So we could be called Tito as a violator because he was enter the comfort distance of Riana family, whereas he isn’t Riana relative. We could say that Tito enter personal life of Riana family. It’s not surprised that Riana father keep be careful with Tito because this reason. Tito came suddenly and without any clear reason to help Riana. Whereas, Riana will be a teenager.

Burgoon and another expectancy violation theory believe that people always want to close with another, but want a distance too. This is really confused but it’s the reality that had been happened to all of us. A little bit people can live separated and many’s the time people need privacy (West,2010:155). That’s why Expectancy Violation Theory learn about Procsemic Zone (correct me if I’m wrong). Procsemic is a science about space usage by somebody. Tito properly in public distance or maximal in personal distance. Public distance is a spacial zone that far is 12 feet or more. It usually used in formal disscusion (West,2010:157). Whereas personal distance is a spacial zone that far is 18 inch until 4 feet (West,2010:156). It usually used between friend and family. But now, he could in intimate distance with Riana. It’s like when Tito touched Riana hand or when Riana sit down on Tito thigh. Intimate distance is spacial zone that very close, about 0-18 inch.

Actually, I’ve found many theories anymore in this film. I’ve found Adaptive Structuration Theory (the case is Mbah Kakek as the leader of ketoprak tobong group have to handle each member and each member have to adapt with what he says), Face Negotiation Theory (Ulfi bought Moslem clothes that not too strict in order to save her image in Aceh), Standpoint Theory (Ulfi’s mother and Ulfi have different thought about live as a transexual), and Muted Group Theory (some transexuals in Aceh couldn’t get health information access because still muted by negative stigma about transexual by wide society). But I think, it’s enough. Thank you.


References:

Giles, H. & P. M. Sith. 1979. Accomodation Theory: Optimal Levels of Convergence. In H. Giles, & R.         N. St. Clair (Para editor), Language and Social Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.

West, Richard & Lynn H. Turner. 2010. Pengantar Teori Komunikasi Analisis dan Aplikasi Buku 1. Jakarta: Salemba Humanika.

West, Richard & Lynn H. Turner. 2010. Pengantar Teori Komunikasi Analisis dan Aplikasi Buku 2. Jakarta: Salemba Humanika.