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Essential Question:
•What is the meaning of culture?
Culture is…
•System of beliefs, values, customs, practices, norms, and social behavior of a nation or people
• It is learned
• It is UNIVERSAL!!
Culture is like an iceberg. Some aspects are visible; others are beneath the surface.
Invisible aspects influence and cause the visible ones.
How the World Sees Us…
•Americans…▫ Are always in a hurry to get things done!▫Insist on treating everyone the same!▫Always have to say what their thinking!▫Always want to change things!▫Don’t show very much respect for their
elders!▫Always think everything is going to get
better! They’re so optimistic!▫Are so impatient!
The Concept of Time?Time in Society Traditional Western
5 min. before appointment
Servants on time All on time
5 min. after Mumbled apology
10 min. after Servants late Slight apology needed
15 min. after Mildly insulting
20 min. after Full apology needed
30 min. after Rude
1 hr. after On time Very insulting
1hr 15 min. after Late Unforgivable
The Concept of Beauty?•Definition:
▫Something pleasing, impressive to look at, listen to, touch, smell, or taste
▫Personal physical attractiveness; something very good, attractive, or impressive of its kind
▫An excellent aspect
•Western?
•Mauritania, Africa = Fat
The Concept of Hello?• Cambodia- One puts hands together like "praying hands" holding them
against your chest. The higher you hold, the more respect you show.
• Greece- Back-slapping takes the place of shaking hands in many greetings.
• Guam- There is a Filipino tradition on Guam to put one's right knuckles against an older person's forehead.
• Maori- Some press noses together while closing their eyes.
• Niger- The Kanouri people shake a fist at head level and call "Wooshay! Wooshay!" ("Hello! Hello!")
• Tuvalu- Relatives press a face to a cheek of the other and sniff deeply.
• Zambia- Some greet each other by gently squeezing a thumb.
The Concept of Food?
The Concept of Food Continued…
Ode to SPAMOh SPAM! Oh SPAM! Gourmet delight!
My food by day, my dreams by night.To carve, to slice, to dice you up -
pureed in a blender and sipped from a cup.
On some corporate farm, a pig has died.Eyes, tongue, and snout end up insidethat cube of SPAM hidden in the can
I now hold in my trembling hand.
More than mere food, SPAM is for mea pleasure-seeking expression of gluttonous glee.Mottled with pork fat, the pink cube engrosses.
My mouth takes it in, my intestine disposes.
That glistening pinkness beckons mewith gristle and fat.
Oh SPAM, my SPAM - the taste, the smell!The sacred meat product, from Hormel.
The Concept Polite Behavior?• "Would you like a banana?" I asked Yulya.
• "Yes," she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. "What now?" I thought.
• "Which one would you like?" I fumbled.
• "That one," she pointed at one of the bananas. So all the while thinking about Russian politeness I picked the banana Yulya had pointed at and peeled it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Yulya and Nicolai's faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I spent much time letting the world know that in Russia, the polite thing is to peel the bananas for the ladies.
• Sometime during my third trip I was politely corrected.
• "Oh no, Grigorii Davidovich," a Russian graciously corrected me. "In Russia, when a man peels a banana for a lady it means he has a romantic interest in her." How embarrassed I felt.
“Reality is a product of language and culture, that’s what I learned.” ~ Richard Wiley (Peace Corps volunteer)
Essential Question:
•How does culture shape the way we see…
Ourselves?Others?
The World?
Views on Culture: Cultural Relativism vs. Ethnocentrism
•Cultural Relativism▫Judging someone based on what THEY
believe.▫"...civilization is not something absolute...[it]
is relative…our [beliefs]…are true only so far as our civilization goes.“ ~Franz Boas 1887
•Ethnocentrism▫Judging someone based on what YOU
believe.
What are the dangers of being too… Cultural relative?
Ethnocentric?
Case Study: Team MascotsAre we being too ethnocentric by keeping Native American mascots?
The Question of Mascots?Native Americans in HollywoodMajor League ClipBrave's Tomahawk Chop
Honorable?
The Real ThingSmoke SignalsTyra Banks Show
Racist Imagery of the Past…
Sambo and Buckwheat
The Jewish “Poisonous” Mushroom
How to Tell if it’s a Jew
The Irish Frankenstein and Harper’s Weekly
The Other Side of the Story…
The Fans Argument:
1. I am honoring you!2. There is such a thing as too politically
correct!3. Not all the images are offensive!4. Not all Native Americans are on the
same page!5. Native Americans’ socio-economic status
has NOTHING to do with mascots!6. Removing mascots will create more
racism!7. It’s my mascot too!!!!!
Chief Illiniwek Half Time Last Dance
If these images were removed could it change the status of Native Americans in the United States?
Are we being too ethnocentric by keeping Native American mascots?
