Cultural Imperialism

Most people don't believe I'm a gamer, probably because I don't look like one. Most people believe I only listen to easy pop and country music, but I do like the other genres too. It's funny sometimes how people can form perceptions or descriptions of you which aren't completely... accurate.

That aside, yesterday's Comms lesson on the debate of cultural imperialism got me thinking. Living in an era where everything is so globalized and countries have such high interdependence, will all our unique cultures eventually disintegrate, or will they become richer? Will we be subjected, finally, the American way of life at the end of the day? To me, I think only time will tell.

Cultural imperialism is defined as the "practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another". (P.S: Wikipedia FTW!) As it is, C.I is a very broad topic, so I shall just narrow it down and talk only about the presence of electronic imperialism.

According to our lecture notes on page 21, electrionic imperialism as defined by McPhail in 1990 as the "dependency of relationship established by importation of communication hardware and foreign-produced software... that may alter domestic cultures and socialization process". This view is very much accurate since our consumption of foreign (aka American) goods, products and services are hardly as conspicuous now.

From my understanding, electronic imperialism includes the online/offline games we play in times of relaxation, as well as the music we listen to almost everyday. Just think about it for a minute - where did all these stuff come from? The answer smacks right in your face - AMERICA. Sure, I'm generalizing here but if you look around, it's true. Most of the time we are so comfortable where we are that we don't seem to notice that all we're consuming and still consuming are simply products of America.

Let's start with the games. It is fairly easy for me (or any other gamer) to quickly list out some titles - World of Warcraft, L4D, Resident Evil, CounterStrike, BlackShot, SuddenAttack, The Sims, Super Mario and the list goes on and on. It is easier to point out their source of origin. Avid players can sometimes get so immersed in waiting for these new games to be released, they do not realize that much of their own unique way of life is slowly beginning to erode. It is obvious that the more we play and get involved in such Americanized games, we will understand their lingo and culture. In addition, we might even pick up how they go about their lives. Come to think of it, even the characters in these games look American. There is no room for escape once we start to indulge in Westernized gaming, which holds a great deal of their culture. Apart from all the finanical gains, the dominance of such electronic imperialism is undeniable. 

Music can be said to be just a part of their lives, but looking from the culture imperialism perspective, it is again quite easy to see how much of our likings and support are shaped in favor towards the Westernized music. Really, most HMVs or Music Junctions here in Singapore allocate the biggest spaces for American CDs and shows. If you wish to purchase something that is of a local flavor, HMV or That CD Shop may not be the right store for you. Furthermore, we ourselves as young adults tend to buy Americanized CDs and movies so we would not be lost with the current trend - see, this is our fixed mentality that ONLY Westernized goods are up to date and so we must have them - that lends proof to the effective dominance of electronic imperialism. Our local music is seen as being on the periphery of disappearance; once they are unable to keep up with the demand of being more Americanized, they cannot stay. From this, we can see that our views and opinions are moulded towards the Western society; we are gradually detaching ourselves from our own roots and being towed towards the other side of the line. 

As much as I agree that keeping our roots and knowing where we came from should remain an integral part of our lives, globalization on the macro-level scale is something that is inevitable and already occuring. We cannot deny that one day when we wake up, America's culture imperialism would have won and we are all being subjected to this change. All there's left to do is wait, and probably, by taking steps at a time, to curb this imperialism which seems almost impossible to resist. 

Freedom to Prejudice & Ethnocentrism

Hello all, it's 11.36 PM now. An attempt to work out a reasonable post for this week might fail but I'll still give it a go.

I was scouring the Internet and Googling and YouTubing around a moment ago for a valid piece of information for this post. I had a sudden bout of inspiration when I looked at the words "Attitudinal Barriers to Intercultural Communication" on page seven of our lecture notes. It reminded of the show called "Freedom Writers". The only time I managed to catch it was only on HBO, and I haven't watched the full movie myself. Nevertheless, the movie was published in 2007, and I'm assuming the book could already have been out earlier.

"Freedom Writers" is about this teacher (Hilary Swank) who joins a school whereby the racial and cultural differences are more than evident. The presence of gang violence, discrimination and hatred for the other race leads to distinct segregration amongst the students in the class she is assigned to. Concerned about their future (and education) and how they are continually exposed to such brutality almost everyday of their life, she comes up with the idea of letting them write in journals, while giving them the option on whether they would like her to read them or not. This seems to be a viable solution to help these teenagers see the underlying similarities they all share and piece them together, creating a cohesive and stable society at the end.

The clip below can be said to be the one that offers most coverage of the movie. One of the key elements of this is the concept of prejudice. Prejudice refers to the negative social attitude held by members of one group towards members of another group. In this case, negative interpretation is evident. The racial segregation is obvious in the way how these teens position their desks in class - those of the same color/race sit together in a group of their own and create invisible boundary lines that the other race isn't supposed to cross. Furthermore, this clips talks about the issue of "color" (4:24 - 5:10); that white people have the power and authority to do anything they want, just because they're white. This is the mentality that these teens hold, which therefore leads to all the conflict and gang fights. 

Ethnocentrism is also another concept we can derive from these clips so far - and it refers to the belief that one's culture is superior to all others. Consider this phrase taken from the movie - 

"We kill each other over race, pride and respect. We fight for our America."

If this is so, then what is the real definition of "our America"? A place with no Blacks, no Asians, or a place without the Whites? Ethnocentrism takes a view that one culture is better than all the others, and this is another mentality that the students in these films hold. They do not see that all this killing and discrimination has trapped them in a vicious cycle - for they think they all are different, when actually what is inside of them is the same - and that is the fear they have for their own future. 

Finally, the clip below shows Hilary Swank taking on a different approach in class. Her main aim, as you will see, is to show these kids how similar they all are despite their race or color or culture.

I'm done :)

FANPIRE

HALLO TWILIGHT FANS, YOU ARE NOT ALONE :)

I never thought vampires, werewolves and the weak human self could be such an interesting combination until there was Twilight. Stephenie Meyer's work is pure brilliant! I'll show you my Twilight book collection if you don't believe me ;)

The highly-anticipated trailer of New Moon (second series to the Twilight saga) is here, and the video you've just watched (or couldn't be bothered to watch maybe because (a) you're a vampire-hater, (b) you're a werewolf hater or (c) you hate yourself) is the extended trailer of New Moon, fresh from the VMAs :D 

It took me quite awhile to find the extended trailer, and when I did I almost cried. Seriously. It was like having waffle with the best ice-cream on earth at our school's MegaBytes Cafe.

So what has all this gotta do with Communications' this week? NOTHING.

I'm kidding.

This video simply shows the concept of miscommunication. We all know that Edward leaves Bella in the beginning of New Moon, and she experiences severe pain, what she describes as a "gaping hole through my chest" in Edward's absence. In addition, she is convinced that random adrenaline rushes is the only way in which she can hear or see Edward's face/voice again. It all starts when Bella dives off a cliff and does not die (Jacob to the rescue, yipee!), but unfortunately Edward got the wrong message and thinks Bella is really dead. He then wastes no time in getting to the Volturi ("higher-class" vampires who do not subscribe to the vegeterian diet unlike the Cullens, so beware!) and asks for instant death because there was no more reason for him to live anymore. Keep in mind that the Volturi will not spare any vampire who choses to reveal his identity to the human race :( The Volturi denies Edward's request, for they find his special abilities useful and rare (for instance, his ability to read minds). The climax is, of course, when Bella has to rush to Italy with Alice (gotta love those eyes) in a nice posh yellow car which she very conveniently stole in order to stop Edward from doing anything stupid a.k.a stepping out into sunlight at twelve noon sharp during a festive celebration to display his much admired shimmering glittery body. As for whether Bella managed to stop our hero, I shall leave it to you so please please do watch the movie :D

All in all, we can easily see that miscommunication can lead to unecessary action and thoughts. Here, Edward had misunderstood about Bella's "death"; his mind at that point of time became too clouded up in order to think straight, leading to impulsive actions. To be effective communicators, we must be aware of the accuracy of the message and our response to it. In other words, encoding and decoding should be carried out as precise as possible to prevent any miscommunication. Should one be unsure, a perception check could be carried out; that is, to rephrase the message and justifying if it is truly correct.

Alright, it's 1.01AM now and I still have Mid-terms to study for. 

TWILIGHT FTW!

And mug hard all you Buffalos :)

HOT on Relationships

No one would deny any piece of juicy information or gossip, spread by the word of mouth. I have been subscribing to HOT magazine for awhile now (God knows what it stands for but it sure is hot). I first saw it on the racks of a random 7-11 store, and saw it was only $2.90! Reasonable price for a whole lot of sneakpeaks into any celebrity life. It really comes up with great issues every month so do grab your own copy if you love all that gossip, heh heh heh.

As our instructor touched on interpersonal relationships this week, I would like to share with you an article of which I have found very interesting. Here's a quick synopsis - According to British reports, Emma Watson a.k.a Hermoine Granger has apparently purchased her own home, a 3 million (in pounds, duh) townhouse just a stone's throw from her father's house. Here's the catch, she's moved her boyfriend, Jay Barrymore, in with her! 

So keeping this in mind, I am going to point out some information and tie them in with the concepts which we've learnt so far.

To start, the very first issue which struck me was the age gap between Watson and Barrymore. Watson is 19 and Barrymore is 26. That's about 7 years difference! I'm not generalizing, but majority of us would prefer to date someone who has about one or two years' difference. This brings in the idea of competency during their relational formation and development stage - Watson has starred in the Harry Potter series 8 years ago and has become a well-known superstar (and superbeauty) since. Thus, her ability to shine and excel as an actress serves as a form of attractiveness which Barrymore likes and sees. To be dating someone famous and competent in the acting industry can be seen as a blessing; it is a form of status elevation and fame, which is what B. has right now.

Secondly, the very fact that B. has agreed to move in with Emma into her North London townhouse implies that their relationship is well into the maintenance process. According to the source of the article, "B. has been dating Emma for 16 months and has reportedly made himself at home." Hence, their decision to move in together shows that they are closing the gaps of distance and autonomy. In other words, intimacy and connection are what they have in mind in order for the relationship to progress smoothly. This comes as no surprise since most Americanized societies have this culture of setting up a home with their potential partners just to see how things go, and at the same time encouraging closer bonds. As such, I would daresay that the maintenance process is one by which a couple decides if they are going to stay with each other for a lifetime.

Lastly, Mark Knapp's Model of Relational Development can also be used in this context to further accentuate my point. Now that you are more familiar with the article, you might agree with me that Emma and B. are in the fifth stage of coming together - bonding. This word means formalizing obligations and commitments. According to a similar source, "Emma's relationship with Jay is going from strength to strength and that they are spending increasing amounts of time with each other. In addition, it makes perfect sense for Jay to leave some of his stuff at hers and see how it goes." As mentioned before, moving into a house together could mean a bright future prospect. Furthermore, it could be a very last step until we hear wedding bells a-ringing.

So kudos to Emma for being able to take such an exciting time both personally and professionally, hopefully this decision will reap all its desirable benefits! :) 

FEEL The Lack of Inspiration

Hello fellow Comms people! Deepest apologies for the lack of creativity/novelty/inspiration. I know how everyone uses Youtubes videos ALLLL the time and expects you to waste 3 - 6 minutes watching it before commenting :/ Forgive me but I'm afraid you're going to have to do the same here - my brain juices are almost depleted, if that even makes sense.

In this post I shall attempt to make full use of Marie Digby's music video, "Feel", which is one of my personal favorites as it conveys alot of emotion. Basically Marie is singing about a person who is devoid and stripped of feelings, and wondering if there is still any trace of empathy left. On the academic side, there are some forms of non-verbal communication that are evident here, and I will point these out below.

The first thing you will probably notice as you start the video is that Marie seems to be in a crowded place (allow me to enlighten you, this was shot in Japan :) and what's more, most of the time she was just simply walking or standing still. Although she is not communicating directly with the crowd, the lyrics of the song implies that she is looking for a way to feel if human emotions in people are still intact. This thus identifies the idea of proxemics, which is the study of space and distance. By blending into the crowd and letting the people around her enter her personal space, this allows her to find, or feel, the moods of those within her reach. 

As the song progresses, paralinguistics come into play as Marie continually accentuates her point especially in the chorus. One may find that the pitch, volume and tone of her voice changes; it becomes slightly angered, forceful and even pleading. Since paralinguistics is the study of non-verbal cues, communication through a song such as this can actually convey more meaning and helps drive the point home more effectively. Here in the chorus, Marie is repeatedly questioning her listeners if they are still human and able to feel. Although all this comes in the form of a song, the quality of her voice will still sound the same if the words are spoken without a tune, especially in an argument or a harsh manner.

Lastly, I would like to combine the use of kinesics - which is the study of body language as well as oculesics - which is the study of non-verbal meaning associated with the eyes as a whole, for I feel that these two go very well hand-in-hand. Through the video, you might find that Marie is sometimes standing in the middle of the crowd, arms akimbo with a thoughtful look in her eyes. This display of body language could mean that the issue of the lack of human empathy might have been bothering her so that is why perhaps her arms are folded, she wants to feel guarded against all these people who she thinks are almost devoid beings. In addition, her eyes are able to convey meaning as well; for especially during the chorus, though she seems angered and pleading, her eyes show that she is slightly lost and afraid of the situation that is going on around her. Both oculesics and kinesics here have thus been put together to bring across to viewers a stronger meaning and message.

Hokay that's all I have for you! I don't know if all that even made sense :/ If you have any other non-verbal communication concepts you would like to add on, please feel free to flood my comments' page! Have a great weekend :D

Torn

On the surface, while this video might seem to be able to brighten up anyone's bad day (including mine :), there are certain communication concepts which can be applied here as well, namely perception and interpretation.

A quick synposis - this video showcases the performer Johann Lippowitz (real name David Armand) miming to popstar Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn". While most mimers we know do not really come up with actions in accordance to songs, Lippowitz here seems to have done it, and personally this four-minute video is genius.

Perception only covers a small part of this short video. As stated, "Perception is the process by which we make sense of the world around us." In other words, perception is looking at things and/or issues, finding a logical explaination, then moving on with life. If our explaination is logical and reasonable, we usually would not revise the issue again. As such, if we only use perception in the process of viewing this, then we will find that the only source of entertainment which can be derived from this are Lippowitz funny actions and facial expressions. To further explain, this means that we are taking all of this only at face value.

However, we all know that there (or usually) is a deeper analysis to everything, even for a video such as this. After all, looking at things just on the surface is not going to make us productive human beings. Hence we interpret, and interpretation refers to how we attach meaning to what we select and organize. This is the more important concept as compared to perception as the former will require us to look at verbal (singer Natalia Imbruglia) and non-verbal (Lippowitz's mime) communication to understand and enjoy the entertainment value brought to us in thie video.

Since we have to rely on verbal and non-verbal communication to completely understand and appreciate Lippowitz's performance, interpretation is thus very crucial. If we do not pay attention to either one of these, distortions and misunderstandings can occur. The following examples and explainations in relation to the video will further accentuate my point.

1. There is a line in the first verse that goes, "... what your heart is for". Here, Lippowitz carries out a series of actions - a shrug, points to the audience and then to his heart, then shows the number "four" with his fingers. He has replaced the word "for" with "four".

2. In the chorus, "... into something real". In this case, he seems to have caught a fish, and is reeling it in."Real" is pronounced almost the same way as "reel".

3. Second verse, "I don't miss it all that much". The mimer does a bow-and-arrow at the word "miss", when it actually means the singer does not really care about losing out on something.

So as you can see, sometimes what Natalie sings (lyrics) does not match Lippowitz's actions, or even takes on an entirely different meaning. This goes to show that if one wishes to interpret accurately while interacting or communicating with another party, verbal and non-verbal cues are vital to look out for. We must always keep in mind that at times, people can say one thing and mean another. Hence, to ease the process of communication and avoid miscalculation, interpretation must be grasped in the most effective way possible.

PS: A huge thank-you to all who have commented so far! So do you think that perception or interpretation plays a more dominant role here? Looking forward to all your responses! :D

Moment of Truth

A fairly controversial American gameshow that has already aired for three seasons and counting, "the Moment of Truth" does reflect some concepts of Communications learnt over the past two weeks.

/ What happens is that before the show, the contestants are asked over fifty questions about their personal lives while being hooked up to a lie detector. On the actual day, contestants are to answer each answer truthfully, in front of a large audience as well as some of their family members and friends. Each honest answer brings them closer to the cash prizes. If their response is a lie, they will be at risk of losing their money. It might sound easy, but as the stakes are upped, each question becomes increasingly personal and this might affect the contestants' relationships in their social circles.

 

/ So what recent concepts of Communications have we learnt that can be seen in this gameshow? One of Bacon's Four Idols can actually be applied here - and that is the Idol of the Tribe, which talks about our fallacies in thinking due to human nature. As human beings, we must have, at some point or another, thought about the "should-have-been" or "could-have-been"s. That shows our tendency for wishful thinking.

/ For example, a 27-year-old lady on the gameshow was asked this question, "Do you think you would have been better off marrying your ex-boyfriend XXX rather than your current husband YYY?" At this point, the lady pauses to think about her answer, to which she finally answers, "Yes, I do." Clearly this shows that she has definitely thought of leading a better life with her ex-boyfriend even after starting a new relationship and getting married. Though our tendency for wishful thinking can be difficult to avoid, we must also keep in mind that these designs do sometimes end up hurting the people around us. Hence as much as possible, we must keep away from the Idol of the Tribe to prevent sources of misunderstanding, or as in this case, the disintegration of social relationships. Oh, and her answer of "Yes" to the proposed question was true, by the way.

/ Now keep those comments coming! Feel free to agree or disagree from your point of view :)

/ P.S: "the Moment of Truth" airs here every Wednesday night, Channel 5 at 11.30 PM. The next episode is shown 23 Sept, so stay tuned if this post has caught your interest ;)