ATA4:
I will admit that I had a difficult time finding ads for the country that I chose, which was Saudi Arabia. I actually based much of my paper around articles that I found and what my sister had told me, as she has been there. The most interesting example I found was the Ikea ad in which the wife had been removed. This more than anything was an eye-opener. I would like to assume that a large company like that would not take the time to make its advertising culturally specific, but I can understand the importance of it.
I did like the example of the Ford twitter ad showing the woman’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. In my opinion, though not everyone may agree, I found that to be a nice concept and a well done celebration of a cultural turning point for their society. This assignment actually reinforces how much of a culture shock people from the middle east face when coming to the United States. The differences are literally splashed across the television and every billboard.
This picture just reinforces the censorship that occurs:
ATA3:
I read about Anitta Machanickal, a student who studied abroad in Toyko, Japan. What struck me most about Anitta’s experiences is the lengths to which other people were willing to go to help her. From her dormmates (and everyone else really) trying to speak English, to the woman at the train station who helped with the ticket purchase, I was very surprised and inspired by their kindness. Also, it did not appear that many were bothered when she asked for help, however due to the influence of American culture, it took her a bit to really become comfortable asking for it.
This just reinforces what I have already observed in my work environment. I can see the difference between the first-generation immigrants who are more than willing to help anytime and ask for help as often as needed and those who were raised with the more traditional American attitude of self-sufficiency.
I think this picture fits in very nicely to how I felt about Anitta’s blog. Again, I do not take any credit for this picture or the quote it contains.
ATA2:
Time is our most valuable resource. I had never considered time and punctuality to be a cultural value. I was brought up to not be late, and that being late was a sign of disrespect for others. In our house, being late gave the impression that a person believes him or herself to be more important than whomever or whatever was scheduled.
I realize that the values work together to give a broad societal view, but I hadn’t considered that much prior to this reading. I can understand how most of the values described play a significant role in both other values and in how the United States has developed through the years. I feel that I can literally look through a history book and see the impression that these values have had to encourage our country to be on the forefront of so much technology and general discovery.
This is a picture from Alice in Wonderland and it the white rabbit talking about how he is late to an very important date is something that I think of whenever I think I might not be on time.
ATA1:
I found this assignment and topic to be extremely interesting. I knew prior to the reading that since moving to Virginia Beach, I have been exposed to many different cultures and have therefore expanded my cultural sensitivity. However, I hadn’t not thought of myself to be so far off from my desired levels of such. I will continue to work to progress through the stages of sensitivity until I feel that I am comfortably within the integration of difference stage of the progression.
This assignment also hit close to home as I currently work in an office with many 1st generation immigrants, primarily from the Philippines. I do believe that I can use what I have learned to help me be more understanding and aware during our daily interactions and communications.
I think this picture sums up how I feel about cultural differences. Please note that I just found this meme. I did not research to ensure that this quote is accurate and from John F. Kennedy.
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/john_f_kennedy_101850?src=t_equality