Blog #7

This week in class, the discussion was mainly about the topic cultural celebrations and their importance to its culture and the way the performances reflect the larger social issues.  The Mardi Gras video that the class watched truly demonstrated the importance of having these performances for the group and even the individual.  In the documentary there were people who were very clearly emotionally influenced by the celebrations and everything that went into it. This really proves how important having cultural performances is to countless cultures.  These performances can be as extravagant, like Mardi Gras in Alabama, or they can be as simple as a small theatre production in a community.  These events reach a community is many ways that a community may not be able to be reached otherwise.

During my four years in high school, I took an American Sign Language (ASL) class each year.  The wonderful thing about this class was that I did not just learn the language, but I also learned about Deaf culture.  Deaf culture is not limited to a certain ethnic background, heritage, or race; in fact Deaf culture is not even limited to deaf people.  This culture can include obviously those who are deaf, family members of deaf individuals, students of ASL, etc.  This culture consists of many, many types of people, which can make for a mix of cultures producing a larger one.  Deaf culture consists of nearly everything that “normal” culture consists of, including cultural performances.  The National Theatre of the Deaf is just like any other theater group, putting on productions of stories or skits while incorporating their culture and at times teaching the audience a bit of sign language.  This particular video I posted explains a sect of the National Theatre of the Deaf; this sect consists of two deaf performers and two hear performers (who know ASL).  This combines both of these, very different at times, cultures and creating a holistic culture with the two.      

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwUsP8ZoQ_8

Blog #6

This week in class we discussed the differences among cultures when it comes to food.  Differences in food does not only mean what food is eaten or not; differences among food is possibly countless.   There will be differences on how the food is prepped, how the food is eaten, when the food is eaten, where the food is eaten (i.e. the floor versus the table), and the behaviors that are customary during the consumption of the food.   As many people in class discussed his or her first encounter with cultural differences in food, I noticed that many people (including myself) mainly compared and contrasted different cultures that are outside of the United States.  For example I remember differences comparing my norms with my best friend from Fiji and another girl in my group discussed the time when a foreign exchange student from Japan lived with her and her family.  Moreover, when I was thinking about what to write in my blog, I kept trying to remember a time in my life when I was exposed to another culture or thinking of movies when culture conflicts between people from different countries.  Although it sounds very obvious when I say it, but people do need to remember that there are cultural differences right next door to you.  I find that when a person says “culture” or “culture clashes” many times people think of cultures so different that the cultures must originate on opposite continents, which is clearly not the case.  This is important for a person to keep in mind because one should always be aware that a variety of cultures can be found anywhere and in any form.  For example, when watching the “Travel Channel” not long ago I came across a show that compares and contrasts the same type of food but how it is prepared and eaten.  This one episode looks at different regions of the United States and how each place cooks, prepares, and eats a hot dog.   After listening to people being interviewed, there seems to be a competition about which hot dog is the best, but there is still an overall belief that the hot dog is an American icon.  Which brings me to ask why it is an American icon? Would you agree with that?

Below is the link that explains what each hot dog contains in the meat and toppings.  There is also a video clip of part of the show I saw.  Enjoy!

http://www.travelchannel.com/Places_Trips/Travel_Ideas/Food_And_Drink/Food/Hot_Dog_Paradise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO4xl_Ehc28

                 

Blog #5

This week the class had discussions about oral prose narratives.  One example of a prose narrative that was discussed was a legend.  A legend is supposed to be about true events that took place and these particular events that did take place are meant to be a warning to those who will listen.  In addition, legends have typically been repeated, in some cases for years, in hopes that people will be advised from the warning the legend speaks of.  There are several types of legends, but the ones I find the most interesting are the urban legends.  An urban legend is “a form of modern folklore consisting of stories usually believed by their tellers to be true.”   There is a popular interest in these types of legends that has led to a large amount of popular media focusing on these legends.  There are numerous television shows and books that have come out within the last fifty years.  One of the first of its kind was the television show “The Twilight Zone,” which debuted in 1959.  I did not grow up with this show, but it is one of my favorites nonetheless.  A popular urban legend is about the vanishing hitchhiker.  “The Twilight Zone” had an episode about this legend, with a few differences.  This episode begins with a woman who is traveling from New York to Los Angeles (by car no doubt).  She continues to see the same man over and over again on her drive.  She becomes incredibly frightened and is unsure what to do.  She eventually stops for gas and meets a Navy sailor, who is trying to reach San Diego, Ca.  She tells him she would take him and is quite happy to have his company.  While they are driving, the woman sees this mysterious hitchhiker again and again and begins to drive sporadically.  The sailor says he wants to leave and she tells him that she likes him a lot and would like to go out with him.  She is doing everything she can so that he will not leave her alone.  This is where this video clip begins…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaCVNOT1_ws&feature=related

This shows that some urban legends never die.

Blog #4

During our class lecture this week one thing we discussed was the difference between dialect and accent.  Dialect is something that has its own grammatical structure, syntax, and is a variety of a language that is different than the other varieties.  An accent however is purely the pronunciation differences of words, and it is largely due to region and also people you are around. For example, my boyfriend’s grandma is from Alabama, but she only says certain words with that southern twang since she has been here so long; however when her sister, who still resides in Alabama, calls her, her Southern accent comes out full blown and if I did not know better I would think she was a different person.  It is very interesting how not only the location dictates accept but also who is in one’s close environment.

The discussion in class was also raised that there is stereotype about different accents.  For example, Jeff Foxworthy (a native southern) even mentioned a person would not want to hear his or her brain surgeon talk in a thick Southern accent because, unfortunately, people tend to match Southern accents wit lack of education.  To elaborate on this topic, I am posting a clip from a television show called “King of the Hill.”  If you are unfamiliar with this show it is simply about daily life with a typical Texan family, the Hills.  The father, husband, and main character, Hank constantly prides himself with being American and using American products.  In this episode, his friend Boomhauer swaps houses with a Canadian family for one summer.  This causes conflict with Hank and his family; when they are having a summer barbeque, the Canadian family is annoyed and calls the police.  This is where the clip begins.     

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73724/king-of-the-hill-confronting-the-canadians

Although this is clearly fictional, this demonstrates that everyone has some type of premature assumptions of the type of person based on his or her accent.  In addition to this, people will find attributes and characteristics that coincide with their preconceive notions. This means that people will find evidence that fits with their assumptions and therefore the stereotype remains.  This is not always true though, but it seems to occur more often than it should.  I try to think of myself as an opened-minded person and I try not to ever judge a person based on anything superficial, but I know I do unfortunately.  How can a person avoid this though, especially because it is such a huge part of society?