CAPS #5

 What we see in the media can effect us in many ways, some that we aren't even aware of. The media not only has the power of effecting people's mindsets and forming peoples opinions, but also has the ability to create and reinforce stereotypes to a mass audience in a matter of seconds. For example, the TV show How I Met Your Mother, reinforces multiple stereotypes in our society. Being a fan of the show, it is easy to fall into the story and believe that some of the ridiculous circumstances that take place on the show actually take place in real life. I will focus on the three stereotypes depicted in the show that stand out most to me: 

1. Guys will do ANYTHING for sex.
2. Pretty girls are dumb and gullible.
3. Good guys finish last.

Barney Stinson, played by Neil Patrick Harris, is one of my favorite characters in the show. He lives a perfect bachelor's lifestyle, has a beautiful apartment, wears nothing but the most expensive suits, is rich and powerful and hooks up with hundreds of beautiful women. But what makes Barney so intriguing is how he goes about getting women to sleep with him. Barney is the definition of a womanizer and is proud of it. He represents an exaggerated stereotype that men will lie, cheat, and do whatever else it takes to get "the one thing every man wants"...SEX. 

 

How I Met Your Mother- Barney's Playbook 

The YouTube clip above, shows Barney's Playbook which is filled with hundreds of ridiculous ways to take a woman home. These "plays" are a perfect example of how this particular media outlet reinforces a cultural stereotype. Everyday woman accuse men of lying to get sex and this show has shown every possible way how through Barney. Resistance could take place in this instance because men know that this depiction of a Bachelor is an hyperbole. I also feel that women would agree that men aren't that bad but the majority of a woman's resistance would be driven by the second stereotype reinforced by this show.

Barney Stinson Picks up Girls as the Terminator 

The YouTube clip above shows another one of Barney's ridiculous plans to pick up a woman. This plan show's no creativity and is pretty dumb right? But then how does it work? How does any of his ridiculous plans work? Its simple, because the women in the show are just as dumb, if not dumber then the plans. Of course the woman are gorgeous with perfect bodies, but it ends there. HIMYM show's all of these beautiful women as dumb and naive, which is a stereotype that people have. Some people look at pretty women and think that they use their looks and bodies to succeed, instead of having to be smart and use their minds. HIMYM supports that stereotype perfectly. I feel that all women would resist this stereotype because they know that in the real world being pretty isn't always enough.


HIMYM-lot of alcohol drinking

The above link shows a video of the shows foundation; drinking. Every single episode of HIMYM has at least one scene of the friends at a bar drinking and having a good time. The main apartment for the show is even connected to the groups favorite bar. If you knew nothing about American culture and watched this show I can guarantee that you would think all American's do is drink. And sadly that is a stereotype that a lot of people hold. I personally resist this notion because even though I am a college student surrounded by alcohol on a regular basis, I don't drink and although with that mindset I'm a minority, I'm not alone. I think that many American's would resist this stereotype because there's a lot more to our culture then beer and liquor.

 

Although HIMYM is one of my favorite shows, I do recognize that there are some stereotypes that the show reinforces. With that being said I don't feel that this show is detrimental to our society because the way they portray these stereotypes are so intense that it's more funny then offensive. 

Concept Applications Blog-C.I.P

For this blog report, we were asked to discuss a specific course concept, then explain how we could use that concept to help us better understand the culture group that we are studying. The cultural group that I chose, Arab-American, have such strong values and traditions that the most logical concept for me to focus on is Arab-American's cultural values. Cultural values are defined by the worldview of a cultural group and its set of deeply held beliefs (Martin and Nakayama p. 100). Based on the definition, one would believe that every member of a particular culture group would have the same cultural values...that is not the case. 
To someone that has no knowledge of Arab-American culture, the idea that they all have the same cultural values would sound correct. With my research I have found that the cultural values and personal values of some Arab-Americans are actually vastly different.
Being half-way through this semester and this course, it is evident that communication and culture go hand and hand. I plan to gain the majority of my knowledge of Arab-American culture by conduction interviews and communicating with individuals of that culture. Each Arab-American I plan to interview have learned the "traditional" cultural values, but has chosen which values they agree with. Some follow all of the traditional values of Arab culture and others have only incorporated a few of those values in their lives. I also plan to interview a white Arab-American; someone who chose to convert and has adopted the Arab values.
I feel that in comparing all aspects of Arab-American culture and their values, I can truly understand this intriguing cultural group.

CAPS4

Our class was asked to read three different articles that depicted stories of refugees that live in Lincoln and what adapting to American culture is like. We were then asked to pick one concept on intercultural transitions that could be used as a lens for understanding the articles. There is no better concept to use then the U-curve theory. The U-curve theory is a theory of cultural adaption positing that migrants go through fairly predictable phases—excitement/anticipation, shock/disorientation, and adjustment—in adapting to a new cultural situation (Martin & Nakayama p.337). All of the phases of the U-curve model can be used in understanding the feelings of the immigrants talked about in these articles. 

                                  

The anticipation phase is the first phase of the U-curve model and is based of the idea that when a migrant first enters a new cultural context, he or she may be excited to be in the new situation and only a little apprehensive. Although none of these articles directly say the immigrants were excited at arriving to the U.S., it is safe to assume that they were. As a refugee anything is going to be better then the country you are fleeing. Yes, you are leaving your home, but knowing that you are going to a place that’s safer for you and your family is always going to leave a little room for excitement. For some people that have never been to America before; America is a place of opportunity and a chance at a fresh start. One of my closest friends is a refugee and he told me that the excitement he felt arriving to America was unparalleled.

The second phase, culture shock, is shown in all three of these articles and happens to almost everyone in intercultural transitions. Culture shock is a relatively short-term feeling of disorientation and discomfort due to the lack of familiar cues in the environment (Martin & Nakayama p.338). All three of the refugee’s admitted to struggling with learning the culture especially English. Moe Free, from Burma, said, “My family and me too, no speak English. Shopping, talking, somebody come to my house and I couldn’t understand. It was very, very hard work for me. I know that I don’t know the language. No speak English. I don’t really know English.” You can even see the struggles of grasping the English language in the context of the quote. What would be harder then being in a place where it is almost impossible to directly communicate to someone?

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The third phase, Adjustment, is where migrants learn the rules and customs of the new cultural context. Khu Say, a 14-year-old freshman at Lincoln High School, has only been speaking English for three years. Khu Say said that when he does have a question, he opens the dictionary; a perfect sign of adjusting. His older brother, Khu Htoo, shows another sign of adjustment by asking his teachers for help. “When I don’t understand something,” Khu Htoo said, “I will stay after class and ask the teacher.” If his question will take some time to answer, he said he sets up times with teachers before and after school to meet. With these adjustments, immigrants can better adapt to the obstacles of being from another country.

The interpretive perspective may be the best way to inform the process of refugee resettlement in Nebraska and intercultural transitions overall, because that perspective holds that communication not only reinforces culture but influences it as well. The more that immigrants communicate with citizens of the U.S. the better they will understand our culture.