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.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Another Interest-Based Culture
I didn't know baking could be so intense....
....but apparently, it is.
I was trying to figure out what in the world the picture at the right ------> was a picture of, and all of a sudden I stumbled into the rabbit hole and found myself in a galaxy of pastries.
It's pretty similar to Starcraft-ism, really. There's a whole 'nother language that I don't understand, a ton of technology I don't know how to use, and an overall sense of awe and confusion I get when I try to immerse myself in such a foreign area....
It's (almost) sort of a culture shock. Is culture shock possible for interest-based cultures? Maybe not.....I guess culture shock would be more likely for nation-based cultures since nation-based ones are so broad--manners, food, language, beliefs, religion, society, politics, everything. When someone's being awed and confused from all sides, I'm sure the shock is much more than my baking surprise.
....but apparently, it is.
It's pretty similar to Starcraft-ism, really. There's a whole 'nother language that I don't understand, a ton of technology I don't know how to use, and an overall sense of awe and confusion I get when I try to immerse myself in such a foreign area....
It's (almost) sort of a culture shock. Is culture shock possible for interest-based cultures? Maybe not.....I guess culture shock would be more likely for nation-based cultures since nation-based ones are so broad--manners, food, language, beliefs, religion, society, politics, everything. When someone's being awed and confused from all sides, I'm sure the shock is much more than my baking surprise.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Gamers
I think I've been thinking about culture too much as a country-limited thing. But there's a lot of other different types of cultures, right?
For instance, infamous Gamers.
Starcraft is a big one, I think. I found out that Starcraft is one of the top reasons for divorce in Asia.....must be serious, then. And I think I see how that could happen! A lot of my friends talk about Starcraft all day at school. It's become a cultural wall, since i don't play! When my friends talk about Starcraft, i find myself zoning out because I have no idea what they're "mining" for, and what "Zergs", "Protoss", "Terrans" and "creep" are supposed to be.....(but you can see that I've heard the terms enough times to know they exist.....). They have an entire different language that they pretend is English!
So clearly, country divisions don't need to be the strongest ways for cultures to be formed. My friends are Korean-Starcraft-Player worshipers, and any language barrier definitely doesn't get in the way when they're watching Starcraft videos narrated in Korean so that they can learn more tactics....
Haha, I don't know how wonderful this Starcraft culture is, but I'm sure, then, that the principle that strong cultures can develop from common interests is a valid one!!
For instance, infamous Gamers.
Starcraft is a big one, I think. I found out that Starcraft is one of the top reasons for divorce in Asia.....must be serious, then. And I think I see how that could happen! A lot of my friends talk about Starcraft all day at school. It's become a cultural wall, since i don't play! When my friends talk about Starcraft, i find myself zoning out because I have no idea what they're "mining" for, and what "Zergs", "Protoss", "Terrans" and "creep" are supposed to be.....(but you can see that I've heard the terms enough times to know they exist.....). They have an entire different language that they pretend is English!So clearly, country divisions don't need to be the strongest ways for cultures to be formed. My friends are Korean-Starcraft-Player worshipers, and any language barrier definitely doesn't get in the way when they're watching Starcraft videos narrated in Korean so that they can learn more tactics....
Haha, I don't know how wonderful this Starcraft culture is, but I'm sure, then, that the principle that strong cultures can develop from common interests is a valid one!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
KDrama
Someone showed me a youtube video about Korean dramas recently, and it kind of made me think about how different types of culture are stereotyped....
Although I am an avid fan of Korean dramas and don't think ALL of them are as nigahiga says they are, I must admit, to a lot of people, they must seem that way.
The type of drama that he describes in this video really is what people think of first when they hear "KOREAN DRAMA," and a lot of people laugh at me for loving Kdrama, maybe because they think i'm obsessed with sob-stories and whatnot. But the thing is, these shows aren't all actual dramas--there's a lot of mystery genre, horror, war stories, historicals, whatever!!
Being at the receiving end of a stereotype really makes me wonder what stereotypes I might have myself about other things that i'm not even aware of.....
Although I am an avid fan of Korean dramas and don't think ALL of them are as nigahiga says they are, I must admit, to a lot of people, they must seem that way.
The type of drama that he describes in this video really is what people think of first when they hear "KOREAN DRAMA," and a lot of people laugh at me for loving Kdrama, maybe because they think i'm obsessed with sob-stories and whatnot. But the thing is, these shows aren't all actual dramas--there's a lot of mystery genre, horror, war stories, historicals, whatever!!
Being at the receiving end of a stereotype really makes me wonder what stereotypes I might have myself about other things that i'm not even aware of.....
Being a 1.5
Being part of the 1.5 generation in America is a weird thing, in my opinion. I suppose it's interesting, because it DOES give me both a familiar and foreign view of both Korean and American cultures. It works like this:
Originally, I used to draw a really heavy line between my Korean life and American life. Korea stayed at home, and only in the home, and when I was outside, I tried to be all-American. It was kind of difficult, actually. Cultures aren't really meant to be blocked off like that, are they? There were a lot of times the two seemed to overlap for me, which kind of left me confused and unsure about what to do when I thought only possibilities were going all-Korean or all-American.
A lot of the time, especially early on, I looked down on people who acted really Korean "outside," when they talked about Korean music, TV, people, etc. Since I went to a mostly White elementary school, I totally didn't know about any of these things, and it made me feel pretty clueless. Whenever I saw Korean people being more Korean than me, I'd think, We live in AMERICAAAAAA not Korea! It bugged me the most when people would talk in Korean so that no one else around them understood what they were talking about.....
On the other hand, I ended up getting caught up in Korean music and dramas later on, when I entered a middle school with a much larger Asian population, and especially in high school, when my Korean got better from watching so much TV :). After getting to know more of Korean pop culture, I found myself being one of those Korean Kids who brought up Kpop when meeting other Koreans for the first time. It was an amazingly easy way to get to know people quickly. It was kind of a special commonality I had with the people I brought it up with, since most other people in America didn't really know about Kpop.
Overall, now, I think my Koreanness and Americanness should be kept in balance. Denying any part of my heritage or learned culture would really be dishonest, but at the same time, I don't want to exclude anyone with a cultural wall. And perhaps, then, instead of seeing disadvantages, I can see the benefits of both being Korean AND being American. :D
Originally, I used to draw a really heavy line between my Korean life and American life. Korea stayed at home, and only in the home, and when I was outside, I tried to be all-American. It was kind of difficult, actually. Cultures aren't really meant to be blocked off like that, are they? There were a lot of times the two seemed to overlap for me, which kind of left me confused and unsure about what to do when I thought only possibilities were going all-Korean or all-American.
A lot of the time, especially early on, I looked down on people who acted really Korean "outside," when they talked about Korean music, TV, people, etc. Since I went to a mostly White elementary school, I totally didn't know about any of these things, and it made me feel pretty clueless. Whenever I saw Korean people being more Korean than me, I'd think, We live in AMERICAAAAAA not Korea! It bugged me the most when people would talk in Korean so that no one else around them understood what they were talking about.....
On the other hand, I ended up getting caught up in Korean music and dramas later on, when I entered a middle school with a much larger Asian population, and especially in high school, when my Korean got better from watching so much TV :). After getting to know more of Korean pop culture, I found myself being one of those Korean Kids who brought up Kpop when meeting other Koreans for the first time. It was an amazingly easy way to get to know people quickly. It was kind of a special commonality I had with the people I brought it up with, since most other people in America didn't really know about Kpop.
Overall, now, I think my Koreanness and Americanness should be kept in balance. Denying any part of my heritage or learned culture would really be dishonest, but at the same time, I don't want to exclude anyone with a cultural wall. And perhaps, then, instead of seeing disadvantages, I can see the benefits of both being Korean AND being American. :D
Sunday, April 10, 2011
First Post
!!!!
I am starting my blog for Intercultural Communications....
....so I suppose I should kind of introduce it, or talk about things that culturally affect me?
I think one topic that might come up for me a lot while writing this blog is kind of the dichotomy that exists for me when I live in the US as a Korean citizen. I don't think I ever thought about it in terms of intercultural communication specifically and consciously. Mainly, it was just something that I encountered everyday, so I got used to it. But that's the point, right? It's everywhere.
Sometimes, when there's a situation that seems to affect just me as a Korean, I notice it more. For instance, a lot of my friends tell me they think my mom is rrreally strict. And I agree! No sleepovers, no going out for fun on weekdays, and if anyone is going to come over, I better clean the house for five hours the day before they come. And when I tell my mom about it, like "Hey, Mom, most people don't care if our house has absolutely NO DUST in it...." her response is complete surprise or a semi-resistance. "We're Korean. So we will be living by Korean rules."
Okay. It makes me wonder how possible it is for someone to take on two cultures at once. Acculturation happens for everyone, I'm sure, but to what degree? For my mom, her Korean values are going strong. i think the only thing she's paaartially adjusted to is American food. And some language. but for me, from going to school and things like that, I've adopted a lot of American ideas! I like the idea of Individualism, I like a lot of the US justice system, and I'm used to US emphasis on being "well-rounded": studying coupled with sports, hobbies, community service, other things. I think I'm almost half and half, but it's to a point where I start thinking that I'm getting quite hypocritical. I like the Korean tradition of being highly respectful to elders, I think it's nice, but when I argue with my Mom she says I've become Americanized and that I don't know how to respect elders at all.....That sort of thing kind of tells me that I might have the wrong perception of the Korean values I like.....
But hopefully this sort of thing will clear up as I think about it more in the context of intercultural communication? :)
I am starting my blog for Intercultural Communications....
....so I suppose I should kind of introduce it, or talk about things that culturally affect me?
I think one topic that might come up for me a lot while writing this blog is kind of the dichotomy that exists for me when I live in the US as a Korean citizen. I don't think I ever thought about it in terms of intercultural communication specifically and consciously. Mainly, it was just something that I encountered everyday, so I got used to it. But that's the point, right? It's everywhere.
Sometimes, when there's a situation that seems to affect just me as a Korean, I notice it more. For instance, a lot of my friends tell me they think my mom is rrreally strict. And I agree! No sleepovers, no going out for fun on weekdays, and if anyone is going to come over, I better clean the house for five hours the day before they come. And when I tell my mom about it, like "Hey, Mom, most people don't care if our house has absolutely NO DUST in it...." her response is complete surprise or a semi-resistance. "We're Korean. So we will be living by Korean rules."
Okay. It makes me wonder how possible it is for someone to take on two cultures at once. Acculturation happens for everyone, I'm sure, but to what degree? For my mom, her Korean values are going strong. i think the only thing she's paaartially adjusted to is American food. And some language. but for me, from going to school and things like that, I've adopted a lot of American ideas! I like the idea of Individualism, I like a lot of the US justice system, and I'm used to US emphasis on being "well-rounded": studying coupled with sports, hobbies, community service, other things. I think I'm almost half and half, but it's to a point where I start thinking that I'm getting quite hypocritical. I like the Korean tradition of being highly respectful to elders, I think it's nice, but when I argue with my Mom she says I've become Americanized and that I don't know how to respect elders at all.....That sort of thing kind of tells me that I might have the wrong perception of the Korean values I like.....
But hopefully this sort of thing will clear up as I think about it more in the context of intercultural communication? :)
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