I don't actually like frog legs. I've never tried them.
But being a food lover, I think it's interesting how food seems to be such a sensitive, big part of culture. It's not just the food--it's also how it's eaten, when it's eaten, who's eating it, where it's being served, and in what order!
People also really conflict about what's eaten. For instance, a lot of people think frog legs are weird. And there's a huuuuuuuuuuge opposition about dog-eating in Asia. I've actually heard a lot of comments about it. I was being picky at a meal once, and some kid said, "You shouldn't be picky, considering you even eat dogs."
I was pretty offended. I don't eat dogs. Most Asians don't eat dogs. But it's incredible and kind of sad that a lot of the time whole nationalities and whole races are all lumped together based on the actions of a few individuals. That being said, other places also have their own "eatables" and "non-eatables." A lot of cultures, particularly in India, don't believe in eating cows, right? They would have been horrified by my hamburger-munching commentator.
A lot of the "eat" and "do not eat" are dependent on the particular culture's perception on the animal. While I am personally against dolphin or whale eating, as are a lot of people who see them as intelligent self-aware species, whales are popular in Japan and in native North American cultures because they are seen as a medicine. Horses are eaten in France because they are seen very similarly to how cows are seen in America.
It's all a matter of established belief in the culture--is the animal food, a friend, or practically human?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Genderless
This article was pretty interesting! and kind of frightening. I think there's a lot of culture tied to gender, so I really don't know how such an experiment would turn out....
Does anyone really start with no culture at all? I think people are hit with culture the moment they're born. They see examples from other people and follow them, and that's how they assimilate. Then again, no one's going to know what gender this baby is, so will people be setting the same examples? perhaps not. But there's also a matter of whether the baby knows its own gender. The baby would have to be unaware of whether it's male or female.
Also, I don't think people are really able to completely eliminate a particular culture from their behavior. It think, eventually, even if the baby didn't know if it was male or female, it would choose between one of the two rather than a level mixture of both, considering a lot of actions are tied into each other. Liking sports leads to wearing clothes a certain way, acting a certain way, etc. Same with liking dolls or house, etc. There can be some mixing, but in the end, society is so dichotomous when it comes to gender that a choice will probably need to be made.
Asians = Higher Voices?
My friends tell me I talk with a voice about an octave higher than usual whenever I talk on the phone to my mom in Korean. I've noticed it occasionally and tried to bring it back to normal decibel levels, but a lot of the time I just forget and my voice travels to new heights.
It's a common phenomenon with a lot of Asian people, apparently. I talked about it with some other people. It seems as though the Asian languages are just high-toned. But at the same time, I think it's also done to fit a sort of "Asian role." It's "common knowledge" that Asian's have high voices. Asians are supposed to be small and short and talk to their elders as people looking up to age-wisened betters rather than elders. So Asian kids talk to their Asian parents as if they are Asian babies. <----------------that was all just a theory.
but it's interesting that so many people unknowingly change their voices to suit particular languages and cultures. Is it because the language is just easier to speak at a particular range? Is it because they play particular roles in particular cultures? I think it's the latter from my own personal experience, and hopefully I find out more about it in the future.
It's a common phenomenon with a lot of Asian people, apparently. I talked about it with some other people. It seems as though the Asian languages are just high-toned. But at the same time, I think it's also done to fit a sort of "Asian role." It's "common knowledge" that Asian's have high voices. Asians are supposed to be small and short and talk to their elders as people looking up to age-wisened betters rather than elders. So Asian kids talk to their Asian parents as if they are Asian babies. <----------------that was all just a theory.
but it's interesting that so many people unknowingly change their voices to suit particular languages and cultures. Is it because the language is just easier to speak at a particular range? Is it because they play particular roles in particular cultures? I think it's the latter from my own personal experience, and hopefully I find out more about it in the future.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Departures
This movie was good! At first I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the fact that it was going to be in a foreign language and that I would have to read a ton of subtitles, but that really didn't end up being a problem.
It was interesting that while I watched, I really did feel like the movie was of a completely different style from the usual, American movies I watched. The reason for the difference was difficult to place. My logic started off running along the lines of "they both have actors" and "they both have scenes," so I had no idea what made Departures so distinctive from the usual movies I saw. Of course, I thought, all movies are meant to be different! Their subjects are different, their characters are different.
Overall, I think the main, prevalent factor that gave Departures it's special "feel" was the sort of humor it involved as well as the language that was used. The humor really seemed to use high context and wasn't really a joke-punchline, but more of implied statements as well as funny situations arising from miscommunication within the high context. For instance, the fact that Daigo tells his wife his new job has to do with ceremonies is very high context, and his wife ironically believes it to be almost the opposite of his death ceremonies: Weddings?
Another thing, though, is that the words in this movie aren't the original. They're translated! So I suppose I can never really get the EXACT original sense of the movie, but I do believe that the translation must have been pretty close to the original since the expressions and voices of the actors seemed to fit quite well.
In the end, it really did amaze me that while movies can reflect some very different cultures, there is something universal, something special, that makes some things, such as Departures, enjoyable and understandable to everyone, regardless of their cultural background.
It was interesting that while I watched, I really did feel like the movie was of a completely different style from the usual, American movies I watched. The reason for the difference was difficult to place. My logic started off running along the lines of "they both have actors" and "they both have scenes," so I had no idea what made Departures so distinctive from the usual movies I saw. Of course, I thought, all movies are meant to be different! Their subjects are different, their characters are different.
Overall, I think the main, prevalent factor that gave Departures it's special "feel" was the sort of humor it involved as well as the language that was used. The humor really seemed to use high context and wasn't really a joke-punchline, but more of implied statements as well as funny situations arising from miscommunication within the high context. For instance, the fact that Daigo tells his wife his new job has to do with ceremonies is very high context, and his wife ironically believes it to be almost the opposite of his death ceremonies: Weddings?
Another thing, though, is that the words in this movie aren't the original. They're translated! So I suppose I can never really get the EXACT original sense of the movie, but I do believe that the translation must have been pretty close to the original since the expressions and voices of the actors seemed to fit quite well.
In the end, it really did amaze me that while movies can reflect some very different cultures, there is something universal, something special, that makes some things, such as Departures, enjoyable and understandable to everyone, regardless of their cultural background.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Prism
Prism is a pretty big culture for me that's something I encounter everyday at school. I don't know how I didn't think of writing about it before! Must be an testament to how subtle and taken for granted cultures can be sometimes....
A lot of people at school seem to make assumptions about "Prism Kids." Smart, nerdy, Asian. Sometimes they assume stuck-up and overachieving, inflexible and socially idiotic.
I don't feel particularly limited by the stereotypes, though. While people announces such stereotypes, when people find out I'm a "Prism Kid," it doesn't seem like I'm treated any differently. I think ultimately, if people are receptive and willing to understand, stereotypes can be erased and eliminated quite effectively. When I tell people I'm a prism kid after having known them for a while, they're usually surprised, and kind of have an "Oh" moment that causes them to think that some of their original opinions don't really apply.
But thinking more about it, I also guess that some stereotypes, especially those tied to race, won't be as simple to resolve as being labeled "Prism." Being "Prism" isn't really something that's obvious from just looking at someone. On the other hand, someone's race is pretty obvious, and that creates a first impression the moment someone is seen. So the preconceptions are already in place, and a person can become close-minded towards someone they've already judged with stereotypes, regardless of how the judged person might actually be....
A lot of people at school seem to make assumptions about "Prism Kids." Smart, nerdy, Asian. Sometimes they assume stuck-up and overachieving, inflexible and socially idiotic.
I don't feel particularly limited by the stereotypes, though. While people announces such stereotypes, when people find out I'm a "Prism Kid," it doesn't seem like I'm treated any differently. I think ultimately, if people are receptive and willing to understand, stereotypes can be erased and eliminated quite effectively. When I tell people I'm a prism kid after having known them for a while, they're usually surprised, and kind of have an "Oh" moment that causes them to think that some of their original opinions don't really apply.
But thinking more about it, I also guess that some stereotypes, especially those tied to race, won't be as simple to resolve as being labeled "Prism." Being "Prism" isn't really something that's obvious from just looking at someone. On the other hand, someone's race is pretty obvious, and that creates a first impression the moment someone is seen. So the preconceptions are already in place, and a person can become close-minded towards someone they've already judged with stereotypes, regardless of how the judged person might actually be....
Being "Cultured"
What makes something "cultured"? What is that even supposed to mean?
Dictionary.com says it's means something is enlightened; refined.
But what does being enlightened or refined depend on?
It seems like knowing a lot of the "classics" whether in music, or literature, or art, is a qualification for becoming a cultured person.
I feel like this term is wrong. Being cultured, I think, should be about knowing all different aspects of a certain area. It annoys me when critics say something popular is trashy just because it's popular today. There must be a reason people all like it! Being commonly liked shouldn't make something lame or looked down upon.
By knowing pop culture, I think people can actually go far because it's information that they actually need and because it's what makes them a part of the society around them, not a society from 200 years ago. However, at the same time, I also guess knowing older stuff is also somewhat important, since all cultures are backed to some degree by history.
But the term really should be broadened to all things, from ancient to pop-culture :)
Dictionary.com says it's means something is enlightened; refined.
But what does being enlightened or refined depend on?
It seems like knowing a lot of the "classics" whether in music, or literature, or art, is a qualification for becoming a cultured person.
I feel like this term is wrong. Being cultured, I think, should be about knowing all different aspects of a certain area. It annoys me when critics say something popular is trashy just because it's popular today. There must be a reason people all like it! Being commonly liked shouldn't make something lame or looked down upon.
By knowing pop culture, I think people can actually go far because it's information that they actually need and because it's what makes them a part of the society around them, not a society from 200 years ago. However, at the same time, I also guess knowing older stuff is also somewhat important, since all cultures are backed to some degree by history.
But the term really should be broadened to all things, from ancient to pop-culture :)
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Maplestory
I thought I would write about my own interest-based culture, rather than ones I'm constantly surprised by :)
Although this makes me semi-hypocritical about Starcraft, I myself enjoy being a part of the Maplestory community. It's something that my friends scoff at, since some of them consider it silly, and not a "serious" game like STARCRAFT.
I don't really talk about Maplestory too much. Instead, there's a pretty interesting community within the game, I think. I realized, as I played, that I also just spoke another language while I played! It was automatic and imperceptible to me, but I guess if I ever discuss Maplestory with any of my friends who don't play, they would be just as confused as I am when I hear about Starcraft or baking.
While I get intimidated by Starcraft, these interest-based cultures must be something that one can get encultured into. I had to adjust to the maplestory culture, as did my friends for starcraft. It's amazing, then, that such a big change in how our minds work and how we think about things can be accomplished so gradually and imperceptibly.
Although this makes me semi-hypocritical about Starcraft, I myself enjoy being a part of the Maplestory community. It's something that my friends scoff at, since some of them consider it silly, and not a "serious" game like STARCRAFT.
I don't really talk about Maplestory too much. Instead, there's a pretty interesting community within the game, I think. I realized, as I played, that I also just spoke another language while I played! It was automatic and imperceptible to me, but I guess if I ever discuss Maplestory with any of my friends who don't play, they would be just as confused as I am when I hear about Starcraft or baking.
While I get intimidated by Starcraft, these interest-based cultures must be something that one can get encultured into. I had to adjust to the maplestory culture, as did my friends for starcraft. It's amazing, then, that such a big change in how our minds work and how we think about things can be accomplished so gradually and imperceptibly.
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