Culture and its many applications

Last week I found that at least three of my classes were overlapping in subject matter. They were all discussing the topic of culture from different perspectives; one historical, another political, and of course communicational. I found it interesting how culture influences our lives everyday, on large or small scales. It is also a large part of our past and how it is perceived.

First, historically speaking, we discussed whether morality was relative, and how culture affects our views of historical societies. Throughout the medieval period violence was glorified. Jousting and executions were a form of entertainment in the public realm. Everything from the way the people lived, to the way they dressed was very different from what we are used to in our culture today. Some of the rituals, traditions, and hierarchies of the medieval period may seem harsh or discriminatory to us, in this age, but perhaps this is simply because we are used to a different set of ideologies than were acceptable to the people of the past. This presents the question; can we accurately grow to understand the living conditions or feelings of people living in different time periods than us? Even if we do have Primary resources from that period, will we always judge the people of the past with a certain amount of cultural bias? I believe that we will always view everything from our own cultural perspective, no matter how hard we try to avoid it, because we are simply too immersed in our culture to realize its influence on our opinions.

Secondly, politically speaking, we discussed the fact that instead of wars being waged because of territory, or devotion to one’s country, they are now based on conflicts between cultures. Many countries are afraid of the unknown. They do not trust countries that have different ideologies than them; therefore, any slight suspicious action could be a cause of war between two culturally different states. States with similar ideologies tend to align themselves with each other, economically and militarily, which creates super-powers that are not necessarily viewed favourably by the rest of the world. I believe it is only natural for states with similar ideologies to align; however this does not mean that their ideology is the only correct one. Different aspects of different ideologies are more favourable than others, and because of this I believe that it is important to integrate positive aspects of all ideologies into one, in order to achieve the most successful society possible.

Culture is also important in how we communicate. First impressions are entirely dependent on how different people behave and expect others to behave in their culture. For example, in some cultures, a hug or close proximity between friends is normal, while in other cultures physical contact seldom used. It is important to understand that other people are used to different social behaviours in order to not make them feel uncomfortable.

Therefore, through my discussions in different classes, I have learned that culture affects everything in our lives, from world conflict, to everyday interactions, to how we perceive our past. It is important to recognize our own culture, and understand other cultures, in order effectively interact with individuals with different beliefs or backgrounds.

(Lecture 20 notes)

Shut Up and Sing Trailer

Shut Up and Sing: Free Speech and the Media

I recently came across the movie trailer for “Shut up and Sing”(see above video). This is a documentary on how the Dixie Chicks were attacked for expressing their negative feelings about the US president, George W. Bush. This controversy most likely gained so much attention because it was a direct statement about the president (most celebrities express their opinions through their music, for example). Also, the Dixie Chicks are from Texas and have many fans there. The people in the South were George W. Bush’s primary supporters; therefore they were not happy when the musicians they supported denounced the President. The media clearly took one perspective in this situation. They aired stories about the angry mobs, the radio stations that banned the Dixie Chicks, and the speeches by members of government. Many people in America share the views expressed by the Dixie Chicks; however their views or emotions about the controversy were not all over the news. This then gave the general public a negative impression of the group and their record sales declined significantly.


This presents the following questions; does free speech exist in our media and society? Does free speech only exist when it goes along with the views of the government, the media and society? And if so, then is it really FREE speech? Technically, anyone should be allowed to say what they want as long as it does not encourage violence or discriminate a specific group. Everyone should be entitled to their opinion. However, we live in a society where opinions that go against the norm can ruin a career or warrant death threats. This demonstrates how the image portrayed by media is affected by the government, and its impact on the opinions of the general public. When the media supports the censorship of free speech, they are in direct contradiction with what they should stand for. If the media refuses to support free speech, does this mark the end of free speech as we know it? Are we destined to only receive one pre-approved version of the truth? People should not be afraid to lose their careers or their lives because they have a contrasting opinion. Hopefully, the media has not scared people away from expressing themselves, because free speech is essential to the development of our society.

(link to youtube video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tD25wLywcDI)

extreme photo retouching

dove film

Dove Evolution

Reality Check

In lecture, Alex showed us the Dove Campaign video where an ordinary woman is made over, and then airbrushed to look like a supermodel on a billboard. I am so glad that a major company is using the media to reveal the process needed to form the “beauty” that we have grown to simply accept. The “beautiful” women in the media have been conforming to a certain image, and airbrushing has made them into graphic design projects, rather than real people.

In the Dove commercials they are showing young girls as well as older women of all shapes and sizes, which will hopefully inspire all age groups to love their bodies and themselves. The more women begin to see other women with normal body types, faces, hair etc. in the media, they may start to respect themselves more and discover their true beauty.

I find it slightly troubling that it has taken so long for a company to take this stance about the beauty portrayed in the media. It is a different stance that it is getting a lot of attention because it is what most women have been waiting for. They have wanted to be told that ordinary women are beautiful and that the women in the media are fake, so they can strongly relate to the new commercials. However, I find it sad that “being yourself” is such a revolutionary idea in our society.

In the end I believe that these Dove commercials are definitely a step in the right direction, and I believe more major companies should follow in their footsteps. Hopefully, the media can be used to transform its own image of women. I have included two Dove commercials, one is the one mentioned above with the airbrushing, and the other is a campaign about self esteem. Another video I found while looking up the Dove commercials is also included, and it displays the differences between original photos and airbrushed photos which I found really interesting.

Self esteem video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ytjTNX9cg0&search=beauty%20dove%20campaign%20esteem%20beautiful%20daughters

Dove Airbrushing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsiquyNfkag&search=beauty%20dove%20campaign%20esteem%20beautiful%20daughters

Extreme photo retouching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4wI_o8gyxA

Thank You For Smoking

"Thank You for Smoking": the nature of argument and advertising ploys

Earlier this week I watched the movie “Thank You for Smoking” that follows a lobbyist for cigarette companies and gives a behind the scenes view of how public relations representatives use language and the media to sell an image to profit from the general public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiPaCBmN6Vs

The main character in the movie has the philosophy that you can phrase any argument to make yourself right. He says “That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong.” He is capable of manipulating the English language and turning around the words of his opponents to make the cigarette companies sound justified. He picks out flaws in the opponent’s argument that many people overlook, and he uses them to argue his point and take the heat off of his company. This shows that the art of persuasion is more apparent in our everyday lives than we realize. There are people out there who are extremely skilled with words and make anything sound enticing. This is why we as the public need to critically see through these people, view the facts, and then form our own opinions. We should not take anyone’s word for fact simply because they can creatively argue their point in the public eye.

Another aspect brought forward in this film was the advertising of products in media. In the film, the lobbyist determined that to raise cigarette sales the company had to reintegrate the sexy image of cigarettes into movies. The main character says “The message Hollywood needs to send out is 'Smoking Is Cool!'” The cigarette companies were going to help fund the movie, as long as cigarettes were associated with attractive celebrities. This indicates how susceptible the public is as an audience to indirect advertising ploys. It is necessary that the public discovers these subtle messages in order to resist being manipulated. There is a lot of behind the scenes scheming going on that people aren’t aware of. It is important to question the reasoning and motives behind everything. It is also important to question our own motives for purchasing certain items. Are we buying clothing because we like it or because the latest celebrity wore it in their movie? Are we drinking Pepsi instead of Coke because someone famous was in the commercial? As consumers we must evaluate how the media affects our choices so that we can make more informed decisions in the future.



movie quotes found at <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427944/quotes>

video found at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiPaCBmN6Vs>

Euphemisms: an effective mode of communication?

Euphemisms play a large role in the social interactions of everyday life. We use them whenever we want to be subtle or polite. As stated by Norman Fairclough; “a text’s choice of wordings depends on, and helps create, social relationships between participants. […] words are likely to have such relational values simultaneously with other values” (Fairclough p 109). I believe that in some cases, the overuse of euphemisms could lead to confusion and miscommunication. Sometimes it is just better to come right out and say what is meant to be said, if the point is important to get across.

As seen in the following excerpt from the television show “Gilmore Girls” episode 208 “The Inns and Outs of Inns…”, the main character Lorelai and her friend are trying to politely ask an old woman what would happen to the property she owns if she dies. They speak only in euphemisms to express the idea of death, and the old woman does not understand what they are getting at. This is a situation where, although subtlety was attempted through euphemisms like “taking a long vacation”, the point was not being understood therefore this was not an effective way of communicating the idea.

Gilmore Girls Excerpt:

LORELAI: Fran, are you okay?
FRAN: Aw, it's this bum hip. It needs to be replaced, again. And I have this awful angina.
SOOKIE: Oh, we're so sorry to hear that.
FRAN: So, I know you didn't come here to listen to me gripe, so tell me what's on your mind.
LORELAI: Okay, well Fran, we understand that you own the old Dragonfly Bed and Breakfast, that whole property out there.
FRAN: Why, yes I do. It was my parents' business.
SOOKIE: It's a beautiful place.
FRAN: Oh, it used to be. But it's in such disarray now.
LORELAI: Yes it is, and that's kind of why we're here. We'd actually like to buy it.
FRAN: Buy the Dragonfly?
LORELAI: Yes, we'd like to buy it and make it beautiful again, and we're prepared to make you an offer right now.
FRAN: Oh my, well this is a surprise.
LORELAI: See, Sookie and I are gonna start our own inn and we've been searching for the perfect place.
FRAN: Your own inn?
LORELAI: Yeah.
FRAN: Oh how wonderful! You are going to be so successful.
SOOKIE: Thanks Sweetie.
LORELAI: That means so much, like we have your blessing.
FRAN: But I can't sell you the property.
SOOKIE: What?
LORELAI: How come?
FRAN: I just couldn't. You know, I have no siblings and no children and in a ways, that place is really the only family I have. I'm the last Weston left, so I plan to own it forever.
LORELAI: Forever?
FRAN: Forever and ever.
LORELAI: That's a very long time.
SOOKIE: A very long time.
FRAN: I'm so sorry.
LORELAI: Fran, may I ask. . . um. . .
FRAN: Go ahead honey, ask me anything you want.
LORELAI: Well, what happens to the place if you. . .well, if forever isn't quite forever?
FRAN: I don't understand dear. All I know is that I can't sell the place.
LORELAI: Oh no, I don't mean selling it. I mean, you would keep it forever, but what happens once you're no longer in the position of physically controlling the property?
FRAN: How could that be?
LORELAI: Uh, well, if you um, if you…
SOOKIE: Take a long vacation.
LORELAI: Yes, take a long vacation. Thank you.
SOOKIE: You're welcome.
LORELAI: And when you're on that long vacation, the property is just left sitting there. Well, what happens then?
FRAN: Oh, I don't enjoy vacations. I toured the California gold country ten years ago, it was hot and the bus smelled.
LORELAI: Okay, I mean a longer vacation than a trip to California.
SOOKIE: To a different place.
FRAN: What kind of place?
LORELAI: A place out there.
SOOKIE: Way out there Fran.
FRAN: Europe?
LORELAI: I mean the ultimate long vacation.
SOOKIE: Yeah, Francie, eventually, we're all gonna take the same long vacation.
LORELAI: And with that being the case, you might want to sell the property now and enjoy the money.
FRAN: I'm very sorry, but I can never sell the place.
LORELAI: Oh, well thanks for your time Fran.
SOOKIE: Yeah, thanks Fran.
FRAN: Bye now.
LORELAI: Bye.
SOOKIE: Bye.
FRAN: You both look so sad. Would you like a cupcake?



If the euphemisms are so subtle that the other party cannot comprehend what is being said it defeats the purpose. It is clearly not an effective substitute for the more vulgar language; therefore I believe it would be appropriate to say what was meant. In most cases, the euphemisms are equally offensive because they are essentially saying the same thing as the blunt or vulgar words. Through observing the example given above, it is determined that although euphemisms can improve the relational value of a text, they are not always an effective way of communicating ideas and should be used sparingly on a certain audience.

Work Cited

Fairclough, Norman. “Critical Discourse Analysis in Practice: Description.” Introduction to Communication. Ed. Alexandre Sévigny. Iowa, Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005. 109

Palladino, Daniel. “The Ins and Outs of Inns…”. Gilmore Girls. The WB, 20 Nov. 2001. found at <http://www.gilmoregirls.org/eguide/transcripts/episode208.html>

The Power of Vocabulary

Language is a highly influential tool that is used to sway the beliefs of individuals. The power of language can be dangerous because few individuals take the time to see all sides of an argument. I believe that many individuals are influenced by the opinions of organizations without being well informed because they accept what is said as fact, when they are really being manipulated by language.

Fairclough stated that; “ideological differences between texts in their representations of the world are coded in their vocabulary” (Fairclough p107). The following examples from the globalization debate can be used to display how organizations use language to express their views and manipulate the public.

The International Monetary Fund looks after international financial development and financial aid. They are in favour of globalization and in the following excerpt they use the words in bold to convey the issue in a positive light.

“It [Globalization] refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world[...]. Markets promote efficiency through competition and the division of labour […] that allows people and economies to focus on do what they do best. Global markets offer greater opportunity for people to tap into more and larger markets around the world” (Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?: An IMF Brief [view work cited #2])

The Global Policy Forum is a non profit organization whose mission is to create a balanced global society. They oppose globalization and use the words in bold to give it a negative spin.

“Northern countries want to open world markets […] to take advantage of abundant, cheap labour in the South […]. […] The results have […] offered pittances to laborers, provoking a strong backlash from civil society,” (Globalization of the Economy, Global Policy Forum [view work cited #3])

If an individual read only one of these descriptions, they could be swayed to agree with the opinion expressed; however every individual should realize that organizations have motives for using certain words. In order to fully grasp, understand, and form an informed opinion of about a concept, it is necessary to refer to multiple sources of information.

Work Cited:

Fairclough, Norman. “Critical Discourse Analysis in Practice: Description.” Introduction to Communication. Ed. Alexandre Sévigny. Iowa, Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005. 107

IMF staff.“Globalization: Threat or Opportunity?”. International Monetary Fund. II What is Globalization?. April 12th, 2000/Revised January 2002. < http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/ib/2000/041200.htm#II>

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)