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Importance of cultural diversity Essay
Importance of cultural diversity Essay
Importance of cultural diversity Essay
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American culture has been portrayed throughout the world as Americans being fat lazy people who sit around all day to eat McDonald’s. Our way of viewing people isn’t any better. Such as when we tend to view anybody from the Middle East, we used to think of them as exotic sexual beings. But since 9/11 everything has changed, and now since the attack we claim everyone is a terrorist and have hidden bombs on them. It’s something planted in our heads that people don’t seem to get rid of. Since it’s such a huge deal, should countries adopt policies that limit cultural imperialism in order to preserve cultures? Cultural imperialism is something that can really mess with people’s perception on how they view other cultures they aren’t familiar
Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.
The media has been a part of the daily life of the American people for the longest time, because of this fact, the media influences the decisions and views of how people should live. One big part of the media that tends to start to develop a sense of how the day-to-day American should live is Disney. Since kids are the main source of Disney’s billion dollar industry children have become an important dimension of the social theory (Giroux 1999: 65). “Within this context, television emerges as a consumer-oriented medium that reflects advertisers’ desire to reach a young, upscale, and primarily White audience” (Goodale1999; Henderson and Baldasty 2003: 100). As a result other races and ethnic groups other than white Americans are often put aside when it comes to the social media view of how Americans should live.
An example of modern-day imperialism is McDonalds. Before McDonald’s was introduced abroad fast food was basically unheard of. Pushing American culture and trying to promote changes in eating habits can weaken some of the traditional beliefs of an entire culture. Food is a very important part of defining a culture and replacing traditional food/eating habits w non-traditional food/eating habits can effect culture traditions. For example in India, the cow is considered sacred however the Big Mac is the icon of McDonald’s. McDonalds and other huge US corporations are aware they have an impact and are changing social conditions of other cultures however they are convinced that American culture is superior and these changes are only beneficial
American Imperialism American Imperialism has been a part of United States history ever since the American Revolution. Imperialism is the practice by which powerful nations or people seek to expand and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples. Throughout the years there have been many instances where the Americans have taken over other people's countries, almost every time we go into we have taken over a new piece of land. The Americas first taste of imperialism came about five hundred years ago when Columbus came to America. We fought the pleasant inhabitants and then took over their land, making them slaves.
In the text, “The American Cultural Configuration” the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage “not being able to see the forest through the trees” (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion.
After the civil war, United States took a turn that led them to solidify as the world power. From the late 1800s, as the US began to collect power through Cuba, Hawaii, and the Philippines, debate arose among historians about American imperialism and its behavior. Historians such as William A. Williams, Arthur Schlesinger, and Stephen Kinzer provides their own vision and how America ought to be through ideas centered around economics, power, and racial superiority.
Sparks of a daunting imperialistic period were galvanized in 1897 when Theodore Roosevelt wrote in a letter, " In strict confidence I should welcome almost any way, for I think this country needs one." In 1890, the year of massacre at Wounded Knee, the Bureau of Census declared the internal frontier closed. The profit system already started looking overseas for expansion. The severe depression beginning in 1893 stimulated the idea of overseas markets for the surplus of American goods.
Cultural appropriation, characterized comprehensively as the utilization of a society's images, curios, types, customs, or innovations by parts of an alternate society,
Imperialism in America At the turn of the century, America and the views of its people changed. Many different ideas were surfacing about issues that affected the country as a whole. The Republican Party, led by William McKinley, was concentrating on the expansion of the United States and looking to excel in power and commerce. The Democratic Party at this time was led by William Jennings Bryan, who was absorbed in a sponge of morality and was concerned with the rights of man.
Some believe that, cultures are meant to be shared. Others believe that cultural appropriation actually helps cultures grow. It is easy to see how these conclusions are made, especially in such a diverse country, and in such a changing time, when the faraway Asia can be reached with the click of a button. It can seem to many as simply a bindi at a music festival, or even a post on a blog about cornrows. Quite simply, in the 21st century it is hard to educate millions to follow an opinion, because in the end, people will do what they please, even it means debilitating a culture. “Cultures are not intrinsically valuable, nor should they be preserved by virtue of their uniqueness. Cultures emerge from different groups of people trying to best navigate the world. Sometimes, they do a good job. Other times, they do a bad job. If a bad cultural trait emerges, it should be destroyed and replaced – no different than bad theories about physics or mathematics.” This is a belief many hold today, and will not understand unless explained to, the main problem is the willingness to
America had definitely played its role in its imperialism. First of all imperialism is the control from one country doing to another. America has controlled a lot of countries in its time. In this essay I will talk about the causes and effects that America’s imperialism played a role in. We have really controlled a lot of countries in our time but this essay will focus more on the 19th and 20th century. We play a pretty big influence in the world today as in status wise. A lot of countries respect us because of our integrity and greatness that we have achieved. Overall I will talk about how imperialism existed in the time of American in 19th and 20th century as well as explain the causes by this time and effects that resulted on our lives today.
Do you think culture can affect a person’s view to others? Culture includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits brought upon a person. In this essay I have read three different stories on how culture can have a huge impact on someone’s life. In the text “Everyday Use “, “Two Ways to belong in America “and “An Indian Fathers Pleu” these three stories explain how culture affects how people view others. One’s culture can cause them to have disoriented vision towards another.
When one encounters a culture that has little in common with own, one may experience culture shock. This is a sense of confusion, anxiety, stress and loss one may experience. One of the barriers in effective intercultural communication is ethnocentrism. It stems from a conviction that one’s own cultural traditions and assumptions are superior to those of others. It leads to a tendency to look the world primarily from the perspective of one's own culture. It is one of the fastest ways to create a barrier that inhibits, rather than enhances communication (Jandt, 2012).
The portrayal of different cultures is a vast spectrum, from cultural appropriation to multiculturalism. Using a culture for profits or misinterpreting a culture without knowing the significance of that culture is an easy way to end up culturally appropriating. This is simply distasteful and abuse of a different culture. We must check ourselves in order to not commit this act and to remain respectful of different cultures. On the other end of the spectrum, multiculturalism is the proper way of bringing cultures together and helps to unify
Globalization is becoming one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. We see people arguing over the loss of a nation’s cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored is that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of one’s own culture.