Nonverbal communication
It was 2 PM on a sunny Monday in one of the residential neighborhoods of California. An old white man walked swiftly up the sidewalk and suddenly slowed upon approaching a middle-aged African American man. The former made multiple eye contacts with the latter as they came close to each other. The younger man looked around quickly and then turned his eyes towards the older guy. After a moment of hesitation, the African American man raised his index finger while looking at the older guy, who nodded in agreement. The younger man inspected the surroundings briefly and then picked a tightly wrapped object from his pocket, which he subsequently handed over to the older guy. The latter swiftly inspected the package, nodded his head, smiled, looked around, and then put it in his coat. Subsequently, the older man picked something from his shirt’s pocket and handed it over to the young male, who nodded and smiled back. Afterwards, the two men walked in opposite directions until they got out of each other’s sight.
Analysis. The nonverbal communication between the old white man his middle-aged African American counterpart features an array of gestures, which carry different meanings. Some of the signs were applied intentionally to imply a specific purpose. By raising an index finger, the young man meant to ask the white man whether he was interested in purchasing cocaine. Therefore, when the older man smiled back, he acknowledged his intention of buying the drug. Other nonverbal actions manifested themselves as a result of the individuals’ situation at the time. For instance, the two men frequently looked around to confirm the presence of the law enforcement agents. Hence, such actions communicate to the observer the nature of the situation in which the men undertook their transactions.
To some extent, some nonverbal communications reflect a stereotype towards young African Americans. Notably, the older white man tended to slow down his walking pace when he approached the younger black man. He made this move to communicate to the younger guy his intention of buying cocaine. The black man quickly noticed this gesture and acknowledged having the package by raising his index finger. While these actions serve the two well, they raise crucial concerns about white Americans’ perception of blacks. The white older man’s decision to slow down when he approached his black counterpart underlines the long-held stereotype that African Americans are the major sellers of illicit drugs in the United States.
Additionally, certain gestures between the two individuals highlight their ability to invent new forms of communication to conceal the truth from potential observers. When exchanging their respective packages, in this case, presumed to be money and cocaine, they looked around often, and quickly passed their items onto each other carefully. In essence, the transaction could have been more transparent if the two men were in a private setting. However, they were swift to invent a new form of communication that has the potential to conceal the truth from a prospective audience. Overall, the men deliberately used these gestures to prevent onlookers from detecting that they were engaging in an illegal business transaction.