ATA4

Gender roles are prominent in almost every culture you can think of. Even unconsciously people adhere to a role based on their gender. While doing this advertisement research the views of women and men were different among the American culture and Asian culture. Though in current times American culture is starting to stray away from using an overzealous amount of sex appeal in commercials involving women; there is a a noticeable difference between advertisement that uses men versus using women.

In one of my photos I used an viagra ad, and in another I used a fast food ad. Both involve American women who seem to be in a sultry stance/position which is mainly to grab the attention of male viewers. Though viagra is for erectile dysfunction, as a viewer you must ask why couldn’t an American Male be the spokesperson since this product is meant for men?  I included mainly fast food ads for comparison between cultures. The Asian commercials did not promote as much sex appeal in their ads, but there were still plenty of ads to find that had sex appeal. The Hardees/Carl’s Jr ads are some of the most popular ads to have women in revealing clothing while shoving a two pound burger in their mouths. However when looking at the same companies ads that involved men, there was no sex appeal or even promotion of the actors physique whatsoever. These advertisement tactics fuel a sexually objectifying narrative of women, and continues to shape culture to reduce women to just eye candy.

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ATA3

 For this week’s assignment takeaway I chose a blog from Imani C. from Temple University. Imani studied abroad in the African county Ghana. In her ” Feeling At Home While Abroad ” blog posting she talks about how well she adjusted to living in Ghana. She admired the people’s easy going nature, and hard working principles.This can relate to a cognitive difference theme mentioned in the chapter, as in western societies there are more distressed people. A theme from her blog, that really resonated for me, was her appreciation of the majority of the population looking like her. Imani was able to gain patience and a “taking it easy” attitude, while being able to study in the diaspora.

I chose this post because I have never been to a state or country that was predominantly African American, so I thought it was interesting to read Imani’s post read her point of view. One day I do hope to go to Ghana or Nigeria for myself and experience the culture. I chose this picture because it gives a realistic look at Ghana, and personally gives a relaxing feeling to me. 

This photo was obtained from www.africa.com

ATA2

  For this week’s assignment takeaway, I think one of the most important values to me is  ” Time And its Control”. Even though it is an important value to me, and I am an American, I do not personally value it the same as many other Americans. In America, most people are always preparing for the future. Even in the education system, we pressure student to have a next step after school, or to make sure they apply to college before they graduate, etc. There are even popular saying such as “Time waits for no one “, when the reality is time is inevitable. As an American, we never have a chance to experience the present without the paranoia of the future. I know more than likely people from other cultures would not understand why Americans are so time conscious, and would frown upon the exaggerated importance of time. My value in time for me is to use it for experience, to not stress about what is next to come, and that time is fluid no matter what. Personally being school, created a sense of paranoia for me, especially in regards to not accomplishing things by a certain age.

   My visual representation will be a picture of the rabbit from popular Disney story/film Alice In Wonderland. In the picture you can see the rabbit is in the distress looking at his watch. It is as if he is going to be late for something and is running as quick as he can to make it on time. This represents American value on time, there is always a rush towards something, and we must make it “on time” or else the world will end (hyperbole of course).  

This photo was obtained from www.ageofstock.com.

ATA1

The stage of intercultural sensitivity that I most identify with is Acceptance of Difference. The stage name is pretty self explanatory, and I personally have always been in the stage throughout my life. Though it is important to note that the ” acceptance” of different culture practices, values, etc. does not necessarily mean I morally agree with said practices or relate to them. For instance, it is a common practice for women of certain religions (such as Islam) to wear head coverings that are meant to cover their hair and in some cases majority of their face. I accept that the religion mandates women to certain practices like this; however, I don’t agree that it should be necessary practice to show faith in the religion.

Another example of my acceptance of culture, is how I enjoy Asian cuisine with the use of chopsticks and not modern silverware. It is a normality in many Asian cultures to eat food with chopsticks. Chopsticks have a history of helping maintain smaller food portions, as most food is prepared for the use of chopsticks. The use of chopsticks when eating is important as it maintains adequate food supply in Asian culture, which is the greatest concern between heaven and earth for many people of the culture.

    This assignment aligns with the course because it analyzes how I perceive culture, acknowledging how I interpret certain assignments and content based on cultures different from my own. This ties in to the picture I chose to use. It represents the unity of people who are accepting of different backgrounds and livelihoods. Which is how I think all people should be in the world. This photo was obtained from https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/different-cultures.