During class on January 12, 2011, one of the topics that were discussed in lecture was the topic pertaining to nature versus culture. Nature means the biological needs of all humans need to participate in to survive. These biological needs include breathing, eating, sleeping, eliminating, and drinking. Culture pertains to the differences of how people achieve these biological needs. The example that was used in class was the one of eliminating. In American culture, this act is very private and one that people don’t talk about at length. In other cultures, however, this act is not as private and is seen as a no-big-deal piece of living life. I don’t think that when a person hears the word “culture” that he or she think of the differences in those situations; he or she probably think of more along the lines of language, art, and traditions within a group of people. I admit I was one of those people. These biological needs are so obvious, in a sense, that a person does not take them into account in terms of looking at culture.
I found a wonderful example in the differences in these needs in different cultures and how sometimes different cultures clash. I saw a movie awhile back entitled “Mr. Baseball” starring Tom Selleck. This movie is about an arrogant Yankee baseball player (Tom Selleck) who is transferred to a Japan to play baseball on a Japanese team. One can probably already foresee countless culture clashes that can possible happen. In the scene I have linked below, Selleck is at the home of the woman he is seeing, who lives with her father (who happens to be his baseball coach) and her grandparents. They are sitting down for a meal and there are obvious differences in how the two cultures participate in the biological need of eating. There is one scene where the daughter is faced with the choice of pouring Selleck or her father the tea first. Before this scene happened, it was explained that the daughter traditionally pours the tea to the “man of the house” before anyone else. I really love this scene in the movie because one can view the culture difference in eating where there is custom and tradition.
One reason that Selleck has a hard time fitting in this culture is because he does not want to have anything to do with it (at least in the beginning). This makes me wonder how difficult would it be to adapt to another culture if one was willing versus not willing to participate. Especially considering the way the biological needs are taken care of, which adds a whole new dynamic to just thinking of language, art, and customs.
Thank you for sharing the scene of Mr. Baseball, I think it was very good example. I really enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the video with us. It's a great example. I'll definitely use it in my classes in the future! We'll talk about food and culture in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteI loved the video clip! Thanks for sharing it with us. I wonder when tourists from other countries come to the United States if they find our eating habits weird or different. I know in some cultures people eat and sit on the floor and often use their hands instead of forks and knives. I know in my family we sit around a kitchen table and use forks and knives and we each have our own individual plates. But in other cultures people dont have their own plates. There is a communal plate that everyone shares. Personally, I don't think that I could do that. The ideas of everyones hands in the food and then putting the food into their mouths and then their hands back into the communal plates grosses me out. I just imagine all of the germs!
ReplyDelete