Unit Reflection 2

Critical Insight: What is pop culture? Before I read the reading, “What Is Pop Culture?”, I thought this was an easy question, but it was also a difficult question. The feeling was similar with asking the question: what is the function? I have had math course, and I do its assignments every week. However, I think I cannot explain the meaning of function very well. They look like the easiest one, but they may be the most difficult one. Therefore, this reading is helpful because it lists the elements of pop culture, and I can understand the definition, but not just the feelings. In my word, pop culture is the culture from common people’s daily lives, and pop culture is the expression of common people’s preferences, values, thoughts, attitude, and opinion. Common people create pop culture in four ways: objects, people, events, and places. Pop culture also influences common people in four ways: behaviors, thoughts, customs, and history. For example, I-phone is one of the popular objects which are created by people, and many people hope to buy I-phone because it catches common people’s preference and becomes a sign of standard of live. In conclusion, pop culture exists everywhere; it is a part of our lives. Humans unconsciously create it, and it unconsciously influences human society and each person.

Aha: Everyone knows that pop culture is the connection of people. Everyone knows how to say the definition and reflection, but they may really know what is the real effect and result of connection. After I understood the elements of pop culture, I immediately realized what this is and how it connects me to others and society in my daily life. For instance, the connection of I and David Beckham is his plays and my preference. Then, this preference let me begin to focus the sports, soccer. After that, I got a dream which was to be a soccer player, and I made friends with the people who liked the soccer as me. Our expression may attract the other people interested in soccer. Finally, they will affect more and more people; it is just like I have done for them. For David Becakham, because of his fans, including me, he becomes a famous and popular soccer player. By using this train of thinking and extending the factor to the others, I can easily the way that how pop culture connects people together. Certainly, the connection sometime breaks the gap of gender, culture, race, area, status, and value.

Bumper Sticker: The result of our interaction influences us.

I think this knowledge can let me understand more people’s mentality. I am good at analyzing people’s thoughts and speculating their future behaviors. It is helpful for improving my ability of psychology.

Fads

    Frisbee was popular in America, and it had become popular since 1957. After a person redesigned it, it became more and more popular because it could be thrown more accurately.
    Frisbee is a sport, and its first match was held in 1974.
    Some people still play Frisbee in parks and grounds today.

Pop Star

The order of the presentation
1. A warm-up of a kidding. (He is tall, rich, and handsome.)
2. Tall about basic introduction. (Country, Simple career, position.)
3. Introduce the top achievements.
4. Show video to catch attention.
5. An interesting story and my evaluation.
6. Deepen the explanation. (Some interesting things about his unique posture)
7. My thoughts.
8. Show a significant video and leave messages for ending. (From a sinner to a hero.)

    David Beckham was the captain of Manchester United which is my favorite soccer club. In fact, he was one of the reason for why I fall in love in soccer.
    Also, I think that my experience is  a little similar with his: he chose a difficult way to life, playing soccer. I chose a difficult way to life, living in the U.S.

Unit Reflection 1

Unit Reflection 1

    Critical Insight: First, I learned the meaning of cultural identity. Actually, I could not completely know its meaning from the texts. Therefore, I researched it on the Internet, and then I think I understand its meaning now. Cultural identity means a sense of identifying a group culture. It is like an individual person is influenced by a group culture. In general, cultural identity is the people who have experienced and lived together for an extremely long time identify the meaningful and valuable behavior, knowledge, and customs in their own communities. Also, I learned a few terms, and I understand them by connecting them to my daily life. I understand and realize the term, Cultural relativism, through my wife’s parents. They have lived in the U.S for 5 years, but they still cannot accept a lot of American customs and behaviors because they always use the Chinese standard to define and value the American cultures. For instance, they do not know why they need to pay the tips to the restaurant services because no one dose that in China. In fact, I think they cannot fit in the American society until they change their Chinese thoughts into American values. In addition, I learned more details about cultural diversity by the CIP. After I heard some Chinese classmates’ speech, I found out that even though they and I are from the same country and even the same city, their cultures are somehow different from mine. It is very surprised me that in the same city, it still have many different local languages that I have never heard. For me, I think the best ways of learning cultures are connecting the knowledge to daily life and communicating with more people who are from different places.

    Aha: My Aha moment was when I understand the meaning of the iceberg model of culture. That is because the model directly reflects the relationship of culture, and it is very easy to understand its expression and implication. It expresses that the deep cultures which have unconsciously affected people already deeply root in people’s mind, and it has formed by different kinds of human activities and experiences for a very long time, so it is the main thought and value to make people to think and react, and it is difficult to change. On another hand, the surface culture extend from the deep culture, and people completely understand what they are, so it will be easily influenced by many factors, such as the impact of different cultures and the change of local cultures. Another Aha moment for me was when I heard the explanation of Culture Shock because I think this is what I am thinking and experiencing now.

    Bumper Sticker: Culture is created by human, but culture also influences on human.

    Now, I did not know that how to define the people are brainwashed by the other cultures or they just fit in the new cultures if they begin to transmit and prize the other cultures? How to prevent the invasion of foreign cultures?

Movie Reflection – Bend It Like Beckham

Movie Reflection – Bend It Like Beckham

The movie, Bend It Like Beckham, is directed by Gurinder Chadha, and the main characters are Jess, who is played by Parminder Nagra, and Jules, who is played by Keira Knightley. The movie happens in the Britain, and it is a story about an Indian girl Jess, who has a dream to be a soccer player, and Jules, who also has a soccer dream, try their best to fight for the cultural difference and traditional views in order to chase their soccer dreams. In the story, Jess’s families do not agree Jess to play soccer because they think a girl should not play soccer which is defined as a boy sport by the traditional view, and they want her to behave like a girl that is defined by their culture. Jules also has the same experience. However, through their effort and persistence, their families began to support their soccer dreams, and they finally walk on the way to their dream.

From Jess’s families, I found out many details that could reflect the cultural and traditional problems. Indian cannot allow women wear revealingly, and the girls cannot have too much touch with the boys. Also, good girls should be good at doing housework, but not behave as a boy, like playing soccer. If women does not marry and have a success marriage, they do not think those women achieve success although they have a very great success in their works. Woman should not be concerned and worried about anything, but only the marriage. Indian should not marry with Whites and Muslims. Indian women should have long hair. If a woman who can complete all these requirements that are defined by traditional Indian view, then she can become a proper Indian woman. In fact, these are what Jess’s families want Jess to be. Different cultures have their own rules for their lives.

In the movie, some of the traditional views remind me that Chinese also have the same opinions as them. For example, Chinese do not like their daughters to play soccer either; instead, they also require their daughter to do the housework which is defined as a women’s task by the traditional views. Moreover, in China, the general success for a woman is that a woman should be married, should be responsible for housework, and should conceive a boy. If a woman who does not complete all these tasks, everyone will think her life is extremely failure without any reason even thought how high the achievement she has gotten. Sometimes, a successful marriage is the only one standard to value women’s success. Before Jess’s parents want to open the letter to check Jess’s grades, they need to worship. It is the same as some of the Chinese that every time when they have some important events, they will worship the Buddha. I think the thoughts of some people have been restrained by the chain of the traditional views.

In the movie, it reflects many events to show the difference of the different cultures; wearing, behaviors, religion, racism, sexism, gender, regional discrimination, and traditional customs. However, the most attractive thing for me is the sentences which are said by Jess’s father: “I don’t want her to make the same mistakes that her father made of accepting life, accepting situations. I want her to fight. And I hope her to win…I don’t think anybody has the right to stopping her”. These really touch my heart because it lets me remember the love of my parents. Sometimes, parents are just worried about their children may be hurt by the things that they think they are dangerous. They do not want to control their children they just want to protect them. Maybe, it is too protective, but this is the love of parents. As the soccer coach Joe said, “But your parents don’t always know what’s best for you, Jess.” However, her parents still wants to give the best to Jess.

    I like this movie because it expresses that no matter the religion, the skin, the country, and the culture people have, if they like soccer, they can enjoy the soccer as well as the famous soccer star David Beckham. I, as Beckham fan, I think I can understand why the movie use those plots in this movie. In the game, Jess was rudely fouled and abused by a player, and she immediately pushed that player after she woke up. Then, she gets the red card. It maps Beckham had the same experience as Jess in the game of England and Argentina in 1988 World cup. Furthermore, Jess missed a penalty in the game. This maps Beckham missed two penalties in the 2004 European cup. Finally, Jess was fouled by a player again, but this time she used a Beckham’s style free kick to score. It maps Beckham was fouled by a player again, but this time he scored by his free kick in 2002 world cup. This score is very import for England because it helped England qualify. Even though Beckham never appears in the movie, but audiences can find his trails anywhere.

Speaking Avatar

Explanation of My Poster

Hi, I will introduce each element of my poster in order. There are 6 parts in my poster; the song: Descendants of Dragon, the main religion: Buddhism, the first Chinese president: Mao, the symbolic places, the important educator and ideologist: Confucius, and the kung fu: Tai Chi.

The first part is the song: Descendants of Dragon. This song is very popular in China. In some important and traditional Chinese festivals which want to express national cohesion, people always sing and use this song for a performance. In fact, this song is created for Chinese. The lyric of this song includes some significant characters of Chinese. For examples, it uses descendants of dragon to name Chinese because dragon is the symbol of China, and Chinese always call them descendants of dragon. Next, it talks about two Chinese mother rivers: the Yangtze River and the Yellow river. In addition, it says some biological symbols of Chinese; black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin. This song has a great influence in China, and it lets and gives the power to Chinese to improve their national senses.

Then, the main religion in China is Buddhism. Most of the Chinese believe this religion; especially the old generation. Maybe, today many Chinese think they are not the Buddhists, but what the other religions that they believe are the branches of Buddhism. In China, it still has quite a lot of Buddhist buildings in cities, villages, and even on mountains. In the important festivals, many people will go to these temples to worship.

    In addition, the greatest person who no one can replace in China is the first Chinese president, Mao. He created quite a lot of miracles for Chinese. A popular saying in China is that, “If we do not have Mao, it will not have China”. Therefore, until today, it still has many people think the as a god for China, and they worship Mao’s portraitures and statues as they worship a religion.

    I list three symbolic places which are very famous in China and even in the world. The Great Wall, which is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, the Imperial Palace, which is the world heritage, and the West Last, which is an extremely beautiful and famous tourist resort.

    Furthermore, I will simply talk about a very important Chinese educator and ideologist, Confucius. His Chinese name is Kong Zi. In China, most of his methods of educations and theories of ideology have become the Chinese cultural mainstream. In class, someone asked me why he has an English name, I think it may be his thoughts and theories have been affecting and transmitting to abroad. When I do research on the Internet, I found that a famous American writer, Emerson, said, “Confucius is ther center of Chinese education, and he is the Washington in philosophy.

Finally, I want to introduce a Chinese kung fu, Tai Chi. I think many people watched the movie, Kung Fu Panda, and what the Kung Fu the main character, Po, uses is Tai Chi. Tai Chi is very common in China because it is very easy to find out that many people practice it in the parks and squares. Playing Tai Chi is a very good way for people’s healthy. On another hand, Tai chi is an ideology in China. It includes the psychology and philosophy.

Thank you for reading.

Cultural Identity Poster