mean girls 2

The video between 3min 46 sec and 4 min and 33 sec is relevent to the blog entry above

Schindler's List - Sequence 07 [MP]

German Power/conformity

Crowds and Conformity

I believe that in some ways individuals in our society have and do depend too much on the opinions and acceptance of others. Some people will join a crowd or group simply to seek comfort in numbers. They will conform to the thoughts and ideas of the crowd in order to feel safe and included. It is human nature to want to be accepted by others however should we have to sacrifice our own individuality and intelligence in order to that?

According to LeBon, when individuals become a part of a crowd that has power and numbers they get a feeling of invincibility and the opinions of the group become contagious. Even if the individual did not initially agree with the opinions of the group, they eventually conform.

For example, in Germany, during World War Two, many Germans/ Europeans joined the Nazis because they were in power and had large a following. They didn’t necessarily agree with the views, but the speeches given by the leaders were very convincing and made the message quite contagious. Individuals committed horrible acts of violence, even when it was not in their nature, simply to conform to the mentality of the crowd. This shows the impact of communication and persuasion on a general population, and how powerful the need to conform really is.
(view two blog entries above)

In the movie “Mean Girls” the girls in the “plastics” clique join the group to have friends and to be popular. They want to be a part of the “in crowd”. They don’t necessarily agree with the rules of the group (you can hear hostility in Gretchen’s voice in the video when she talks about dating) but they follow along anyway in order to feel included, to find power, and to stay within their comfort zones. Eventually, the rules of the group are so contagious that the girls that didn’t like them in the first place, enforce them, by shunning a member due to a fashion mistake.

(view the blog entry above)

I believe that we must somehow find a balance between absolute obedience to a crowd and our own personal identity. We need to have social networks in order to have a certain level of happiness; however they should not be our only source of happiness. We should be strong enough to have our own opinions without a huge mob to back us up, and any productive group of the world should be open to new ideas and opinions in order to allow progression.

Work Cited
-Dr. Sévigny's Lecture/ Lecture notes "Lecture 12"
Lecture Notes were based on:
LeBon, Gustav "General Characteristics of Crowds- Psycological Law of Their Mental Utility", Sévigny, Alexandre p121-125
LeBon, Gustav "The Ideas, Reasoning Power and Imagination of Crowds", p127-131
Introduction to Communications. Kendalll/Hunt Publishing Company, 2006

-You Tube. August 18th 2006. You Tube, Inc. October 27th 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qot4_GTluUs

-You Tube. August 1st 2006. You Tube, Inc. October 27th 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-LwttN-zbk&mode=related&search=

Nonverbal Communication and the Fast Food Industry

An understanding of nonverbal communication is essential to how we receive and give off certain impressions. In my experience with the fast food industry, if a customer drums their fingers on the counter, says their orders quickly or continuously looks at the time, this indicates that they want to be served as quickly as possible. In this case, it is ok to omit small talk if it means getting the job done faster. However, if someone behaves in a relaxed manner, then it is suitable to engage in small talk to make the customer feel welcome. If someone were to behave in an impatient manner but really wasn’t, they would receive “to the point” treatment because of their body language. This shows how the nonverbal communication of body language can effect how we perceive and therefore react to others.

In order to appear alert and welcoming, the server should stand up straight, smile, and speak in an expressive manner. It is important to behave this way when selling something because it will encourage customers to return. If the server were to slouch, yawn, or speak in a stern tone then people would be discouraged from coming back. This indicates how nonverbal communications such as tone of voice or facial expression, are important in the business world.

Another element of nonverbal communication is the uniform.

Everyone wears the same thing which gives a professional impression and removes any distinction that one server would have from another. If a server looked sloppy they may drive away customers. This demonstrates how clothing attributes to the general impression one makes.

These examples from my experiences show how important nonverbal communication is to business and everyday life. It is the primary factor in establishing first impressions, which shape how we view things in the future so it is important to understand how to form a positive impression.

(first picture found at http://westsidenewsonline.com/Business/timhortonchili.html)

Language is an instinct

I believe that language is primarily instinctual and will always be used in some form by humans for communication. I do not believe that it is possible to teach a human being every single word, meaning or grammatical structure found in a language. After initially being exposed to a language, a child should be capable of expressing themselves and understanding others through a natural instinct.

Steven Pinker wrote “Language is a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously without conscious effort or formal instruction […]”p42. I strongly agree with Steven Pinker’s hypothesis because I have seen evidence of this in my own life. My first language is English which I speak and listen to everyday. This language comes so naturally to me that I no longer have to focus on its structure. I form grammatical sentences on a regular basis with little difficulty. However, I’ve been taking French in school since Kindergarten, and even though I started at an early age, it does not come quite as easily as English does because I do not speak it in my everyday life. If someone speaks really fast in French it takes me an extra second to process the language, and I have to concentrate hard whenever I speak.

In my French courses there has often been a stronger emphasis on grammar, than in any of my English classes. I have often had difficulty with French written grammar, but I’ve realized through reading sentences in Pinker’s work, such as “Larry inverts subjects and auxiliaries in negative main clauses”p49, that English grammar is as complicated as French grammar. It is because English is my instinctual language that the grammar comes so easily to me. I do not particularly understand the quotation above, but I know when an English sentence sounds right, which proves that language is for me, a biological instinct.

Works Cited
-Pinker, Steven. “Chatterboxes”. Sévigny, Alexandre p49.
Pinker, Steven. “An Instinct to Acquire an Art” p42
Introduction to Communications. Kendalll/Hunt Publishing Company, 2006

Kenny Fisher - Can't Hardly Wait

Video from the movie "Can't Hardly Wait"

50 cent documentary

The 50 cent interview

Different Languages, Different Connotations

I believe that the manner in which one speaks, is heavily influenced by culture and that every style of speech carries distinct associations. Some people may even be tempted to change the way they naturally speak in order to portray a certain persona.

Steven Pinker mentions the “Black English Vernacular” in reference to a conversation with a teenage gang member. Pinker states “The most interesting thing about the dialect is how linguistically uninteresting it is” p49. Grammatically, this dialect of English is correct and displays logic, but I believe that even if it is structurally correct, it will still have certain connotations in the public eye. This language is prominent in pop culture, more specifically in rap music. The following interview with 50 Cent displays the dialect and the persona associated with it. (the video is in the blog entry above)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ot1YXBMtqEE

Generally, people notice differences, therefore, if a dialect deviates from the norm it tends to stand out. People who speak the BEV may appear more tough and street wise than the average person. When celebrities portray a gangster image, and speak in that manner, people tend to associate the two together. I believe that these celebrities influence others to mimic their language, as it is seen in the following video. In the movie “Can’t Hardly Wait”, a teenager who grew up with Standard American English is trying to be more popular by speaking like rappers seen in music videos. (the video is three blog entries above)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ND-ocMjrP_U

This shows that although all languages are structurally similar, dialects also have character. It is important to note that I believe culture influences how you talk; it does not teach you how to understand language. Through culture, youth can be influenced to change their language, which may ultimately effect how it evolves and reinvents itself in their generation.


Works Cited
-You Tube. May 4th, 2006. You Tube, Inc. October 15th 2006. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ND-ocMjrP_U

- You Tube. July 25, 2006. You Tube, Inc. October 15, 2006. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ot1YXBMtqEE

-Pinker, Steven. “Chatterboxes”. Sévigny, Alexandre p49. Introduction to Communications. Kendalll/Hunt Publishing Company, 2006

Aphasia

In Wednesday’s lecture, Dr. Sévigny, mentioned several disorders that effect how people comprehend and use language. Aphasia is one of the disorders that was mentioned and is caused primarily by strokes or other types of brain trauma. People with aphasia have trouble finding words or expressing themselves even though they understand what they want to say. For example, they can see a book, know that books are read, but cannot express the word “book”. People with aphasia also have trouble comprehending what others are saying.

In episode 303 of Grey’s Anatomy, that aired on October 5, 2006, a patient who underwent brain surgery to help his seizures, came out of the surgery, and showed signs of aphasia. He was unable to identify the names of his family members, and he could not identify the word “cup” with the object. His wife was heartbroken, and the patient himself was confused and disoriented.

This disorder must be extremely frustrating, because the people have used language to communicate throughout their lives. Suddenly, they cannot express how they feel or what they want. It must feel isolating to be stripped of the ability to communicate. They would be so incredibly disconnected from the outside world because they could no longer understand TV, read a newspaper or book, listen to the radio, or carry on a conversation. We as humans use communication so often in our lives that we do not even realize we are doing it. This is why it would also be hard for friends and family of the people with aphasia, because they cannot communicate the way they used to with their loved ones. What was once effortless becomes a struggle. It is extremely difficult for people to recover from this disorder and become functional members of society. They must undergo speech pathology tests and therapy to relearn the art of communication from scratch. This shows that the loss of speech can be just as debilitating as some physical disabilities. Which begs the question, what would you do without communication?

Speech and Language Disorders. 2006. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. October 8th, 2006. <http://www.asha.org/public/speech/AdultSandL/Aphasia_info.htm>

“The Time Has Come Today” Grey’s Anatomy. ABC, October 5th, 2006.

Celebs too thin?

Teen magazines display celebrity photos to sell products that promote an unhealthy body image to young female fans. The fashion pages of these magazines are full of young stars that are too thin. It is becoming the norm for celebrities to be so skinny that they are often rumoured as having eating disorders. Mary-Kate Olsen was in fact one of the young “teen queen” celebrities who had to go into rehab for her eating disorder http://www.caringonline.com/eatdis/mary_kate_olsen.htm. Teens are constantly being exposed to photos of this body image that is prevalent amongst young stars. The magazines are selling this image to young girls because they are an easy target. They believe that if the latest celebrities look a certain way, then teens will buy into the whole package. Therefore, magazines use the super-thin celebrities as models for their fashion spreads, promoting products that will only look good on super-thin people. When young insecure girls see their idols looking, dressing or acting a certain way, they mimic that behaviour. However, it is nearly impossible for the average person to be as thin as these stars. Young girls get negative self esteem about their bodies, and they do anything to fit into the cookie cutter figure. “27% of Ontario girls 12-18 years engage in highly problematic food and weight control behaviours with 15% of them predicted to develop clinical eating disorders” Coincidence? I think not. Society needs to see that being extremely thin is not as “normal” as the media portrays it to be.


(http://www.nedic.ca was used for facts in this blog)