Yesterday's class discussion about how religion can play a role in just about everything people do and how they perceive themselves and the world around them was an interesting topic for everyone, it seemed. The question of whether people choose to be members of a certain group due to how they feel and believe or end up feeling and believing a certain way because of the group to which they belong is something I think about a lot in terms of religion. This also enters into the domain of political and social views. When eighteen-year-olds go to vote for the first time, do they even know why they are choosing a certain candidate? When someone who has been raised as a member of the Catholic Church is in the middle of his wedding ceremony, does he even know why he chose that venue? Can parents come up with valid reasoning why their teens shouldn't be having sex before marriage, and can teens come up with a valid argument for why this is permissible?
One of the biggest uncertainties I have is how to know whether someone has made a logical decision as to how to conduct himself or take his place in society. Those who leave one religion and join another have probably (hopefully) thought about it. Those who choose not to identify with any certain group until they have made up their mind have probably thought about it, too. But what about those who grew up certain way and maintain the beliefs with which they were raised? Did they think about changing, and decide to stay? Or did they never question anything about it? It's hard to tell whether those who have spent their whole life as subscribers to a certain school of thought, set of religious views, or political party have made a decision for themselves or are products of their environment.
No matter how you examine an individual or a group, there are traces of societal influence all around. There is nothing anybody can do to stop it; it's just how the world works. If we allow it, even Facebook determines part of our day! The new design allows the system to randomly choose which "friends" are visible on our "news feed." As an individual who does not identify with any organized religion, I do not believe that religion influences my worldview or daily life. But I will not deny that NOT belonging to an organized group of religious believers influences how I live my life and perceive the world around me.
So how does this fit into International Communication? My point is to say that indigenization happens all the time, on an individual, community, and all sorts of broader levels. So instead of thinking about who does what the right way, or in a strange way, we should all just realize that things will be perceived, interpreted, responded to, and acted upon in different ways. We are all humans, and we all have motives for our actions. I feel no need to compete with the views, beliefs, or ideals of any other individual or group, because I have my own and I like it that way.
jueves, 18 de febrero de 2010
martes, 9 de febrero de 2010
Transnational Communication and Indigenization: Cinema
In my Hispanic Studies classes I have been learning a lot about the differences between film industries in the United States and Latin American countries. This is perfectly applicable to the idea of transnational communication vs. indigenization. The United States has been the dominant cultural influence for Latin American (and other) countries for years. This means that these countries receive an influx of fashion, music, television, and cinema from American industries. As I commented in my previous blog, Hollywood has been sending products all over the world, and creating a certain vision of what America must be like.
The Latin American film industry is a perfect example of indigenization, because they took the idea of cinema as a form of mass media and used it for purposes that were relevant to them. Each country had its own issues, and these issues are what they present through film. They have rejected "lo ideal" from Hollywood and prefer to present "lo real" instead. It began with propaganda to present leftist and right-wing views and to evoke the action of its viewers.
Unlike Hollywood films, which for the most part serve to entertain and require passive audiences, Latin American films at first sought to inform and persuade their audiences. Then, they continued to distinguish themselves from Hollywood by presenting social and political themes which were relevant and problematic to their people. The way Latin American film industries used the transnational influence of the United States film industry is a perfect example of indigenization.
The Latin American film industry is a perfect example of indigenization, because they took the idea of cinema as a form of mass media and used it for purposes that were relevant to them. Each country had its own issues, and these issues are what they present through film. They have rejected "lo ideal" from Hollywood and prefer to present "lo real" instead. It began with propaganda to present leftist and right-wing views and to evoke the action of its viewers.
Unlike Hollywood films, which for the most part serve to entertain and require passive audiences, Latin American films at first sought to inform and persuade their audiences. Then, they continued to distinguish themselves from Hollywood by presenting social and political themes which were relevant and problematic to their people. The way Latin American film industries used the transnational influence of the United States film industry is a perfect example of indigenization.
miércoles, 20 de enero de 2010
International Communication and Stereotypes
Our homework assignment for today was to write a page and a half of notes about how we are already using international communication to explore similarities and differences among our own culture and foreign cultures. I mentioned in my notes that one of the ways I learn about other cultures is by speaking with people who are native members of different culures, like my friend Nadia from Valencia, Spain. Over Christmas break, I went to visit my brother in Madrid and Nadia came from Valencia to spend time with me. While she was there, I gained a lot of insight into her perceptions of US culture.
Nadia is sick of Spanish men. She wants to travel and find herself a nice British or Aussie husband. But more than anything, she wants to come to the United States, where she expects to find a blonde surfer and fall in love. As I spent more time with Nadia, I began to realize that she really, truly thinks that American culture is that which is fed to her through Hollywood. She has never considered that Hollywood might be conveying an illusion of American culture, or maybe the lifestyles of only the rich and the famous. She honestly thinks that men in American dance clubs are like John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. And even though she thinks that Americans eat mostly hamburgers like those served at McDonalds, she still thinks they are all tall, skinny, and beautiful. I was very surprised to find that, even in Spain, a developed European country, there exists this unrealistic image of what America must be like.
I tried to debunk Nadia's misconceptions. I told her about sweat pants, morbid obesity, unemployment, and I-94. She was shocked to hear that Michigan is nothing like Los Angeles, and I warned her that she better stick to New York City in the summer or LA year-round if she should come to visit the States and expect to find what she is looking for. But when I left her off at the train station, she was still talking about her future American surfer husband....
I will admit that I knew very little about Spanish culture before I traveled there. I knew only what my cousins had told me about the nightlife and what my high school Spanish classes had taught me about cuisine and general daily routines. But I did not assume that all Spanish men were bullfighters and all Spanish women were Flamenco dancers!!
I think the key is that I had received very little input about Spain, and probably zero false or stereotypical information. I had nothing to base any misconceptions on, and therefore I was virtually a blank slate when it came to my perceptions of Spanish culture. Nadia, on the other hand, has plenty of input about American culture at her disposal, with American movies, tv shows, and music videos possibly more readily available than their Spanish equivalents. The problem is that the input she is receiving is creating a skewed image of Americans.
On this last trip, I realized how very powerful international communication, such as the kind that is distributed throughout the world by Hollywood, can be for people from all different places. And also how important it is to examine such media with a critical eye in order to avoid becoming influenced by the kind of illusion that this mass communication can create.
Nadia is sick of Spanish men. She wants to travel and find herself a nice British or Aussie husband. But more than anything, she wants to come to the United States, where she expects to find a blonde surfer and fall in love. As I spent more time with Nadia, I began to realize that she really, truly thinks that American culture is that which is fed to her through Hollywood. She has never considered that Hollywood might be conveying an illusion of American culture, or maybe the lifestyles of only the rich and the famous. She honestly thinks that men in American dance clubs are like John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. And even though she thinks that Americans eat mostly hamburgers like those served at McDonalds, she still thinks they are all tall, skinny, and beautiful. I was very surprised to find that, even in Spain, a developed European country, there exists this unrealistic image of what America must be like.
I tried to debunk Nadia's misconceptions. I told her about sweat pants, morbid obesity, unemployment, and I-94. She was shocked to hear that Michigan is nothing like Los Angeles, and I warned her that she better stick to New York City in the summer or LA year-round if she should come to visit the States and expect to find what she is looking for. But when I left her off at the train station, she was still talking about her future American surfer husband....
I will admit that I knew very little about Spanish culture before I traveled there. I knew only what my cousins had told me about the nightlife and what my high school Spanish classes had taught me about cuisine and general daily routines. But I did not assume that all Spanish men were bullfighters and all Spanish women were Flamenco dancers!!
I think the key is that I had received very little input about Spain, and probably zero false or stereotypical information. I had nothing to base any misconceptions on, and therefore I was virtually a blank slate when it came to my perceptions of Spanish culture. Nadia, on the other hand, has plenty of input about American culture at her disposal, with American movies, tv shows, and music videos possibly more readily available than their Spanish equivalents. The problem is that the input she is receiving is creating a skewed image of Americans.
On this last trip, I realized how very powerful international communication, such as the kind that is distributed throughout the world by Hollywood, can be for people from all different places. And also how important it is to examine such media with a critical eye in order to avoid becoming influenced by the kind of illusion that this mass communication can create.
A New Purpose....
Hi everyone,
This semester I am taking International Communications (COMM430). I will be using my "Future Classroom Blog" to comment on issues related to our reading assignments and class discussions....and whatever else pops into my head in the process! Please feel free to add your own comments.
Allison
This semester I am taking International Communications (COMM430). I will be using my "Future Classroom Blog" to comment on issues related to our reading assignments and class discussions....and whatever else pops into my head in the process! Please feel free to add your own comments.
Allison
lunes, 1 de junio de 2009
¡Bienvenido!
¡Hola todos! Muchas gracias por visitar a mi blog. Aquí encontraráis muchas oportunidades para comunicarse conmigo y con vuestros compañeros de clase.
Un saludo,
Señorita Crow
Un saludo,
Señorita Crow
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