Singapore Day, is a new thing the Singapore government has adopted to bring a homely nature to the various countries. Last year, it was held in the ever famous, New York City, this year, it was held at Melbourne, Australia. (: Why hold such an event? Because of the numerous Singaporeans in these places. With such a large number, so much so that an event is created for such, it is inevitable that the Singapore culture "rubs off" on the citizens of these places. What more, with an event like that held, it is practically first hand advertisement for Singapore. With the array of Singaporean food available at the event, one would be enticed to visit Singapore, and one would be curious to learn more about the culture.
As mentioned by Trenholm (2004),
"culture is learned, shared, dynamic..."
So our culture is shared overseas through events as such, and learned by the foreigners, or well, locals of the country.
So, kudos to Singaporeans overseas! Spread the love! Teach our unique Singaporean culture - Singlish, our multifaceted/diverse culture, kiasu-ism, and more!
Cultural Imperialism can be defined as the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture or language of one culture into another.
The most obvious culture that we can see that has imperialised other cultures, would most definitely be the western culture. This dates back to as far as the World Wars, as with colonialism, cultures and traditions of the Westerners are injected and infused into the various cultures.
Let's start with the fact that Singapore's actual native language was not English, and in fact, Malay. With this is mind, why then am I typing in English? Why is it you can comprehend what I'm typing? And, why do we converse in English and not Malay? It's all because, we were colonised by the British. :O (hahahaha) Well yes, and because of that, some of their culture has "rubbed" off on us, like our education system and government runs similarly to the UK system. As the Western culture is so prominent throughout the world, this Cultural Imperialism has had a positive impact on us. Why? Because, with it, we have grown and developed so much more.
And it hasn't stopped there. In today's day and age, our media is constantly bombarded with US programmes. If one were to watch local channels like CH5, one would notice that there are more US series being played, compared to local TV shows. Furthermore, there are high numbers of people who subscribe to cable TV, which is overloaded with even more US programmes. With channels like Disney, HBO, Discovery, Animal Planet, if one were to visit the US, one would probably be able to relate to all the shows being aired! Even if it is not aired on TV, it is widely and easily available to watch, for example, (my favourite ;) ) Gossip Girl. So with the Western culture so blatantly bombarding our local culture, one should not be surprised that we have adopted many of their practices.
One example of how the influx of the Western culture through movies or TV series has influenced us, would be in dance. Traditional Chinese, Malay, Indian dances are not as popular among youngsters as Hip Hop or Breakdancing is. This is because the youngsters, like myself, are more opened and exposed to the Western Culture, having grown up with mainly these movies and TV series. Or for the generations above, Mambo! Or Discotechque times, influenced largely by the movie Grease. ;)
So although we may have the impression that Cultural Imperialism erodes our own culture, one can see that we have embraced it and fused it with our own, retaining most of our own culture, while at the same time evolving with time. I personally find that Cultural Imperialism (on a moderate scale) is actually quite enriching for the various cultures, as one learns more about others, while at the same time, trying to infuse the two (or more) together, diversifying our cultures and making them more and more unique, or more and more wholesome.
This week, I've chosen to do my entry with regard to teamwork/group work in relation to sports, work and socially.
As defined by Trenholm, a group is "a collection of individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time, become interdependent, developing shared patterns of behavious and a collective identity"
Sports is a very common theme in which we see group communication at its best, how so? Well, think about it, team sports like Soccer, Rugby, Basketball, all involve more than one person, and as long as there's more than one person involved, it becomes a group activity! And hence, group communication is essential. ;)
Group communication in sports is essential as team effort sports thrive on teamwork to succeed, and hence in order for teamwork to be successful, group communication is present. In each group, be it sports or not, there are certain roles that indivuals play, and these individuals with each unique trait, come together and form a group. In relation to sports, each individual has a certain role to play, and they work together to achieve a common goal.
Watch this short video, on the Rowing event in the Olympics. (:
Do you notice how they do not row individually but as a team? And how is this possible? If you notice, when interviewed, all the members say "we" and not "I", they row in synchronisation, and this is not possible without group communication during training. There has got to be a counting or timing system and the team is to familiar with it that their "shared patterns" is seen. It is not as obvious as a person counting the timing to show the different roles, but it is clear enough that there was some form of group communication.
A more obvious sport would be Soccer or Rugby, in sports of these sort, you constantly see players shouting at one another to pass the ball, or shoot, or which way to go. Why? Because in a big group like that, in such a big area, it is important to communicate. Each player is dependent on the other as they need each other to succeed. Take Soccer for example, one cannot expect just one player to run back and forth on his own right? Hence, the only logical thing to do is to communicate with your team mates around you and pass the ball to them. A "devil's advocate" can also be seen in these games, the coaches, they scream/shout/yell at mistakes made, making it clear to the team what to do ad what not to do.
Even kids are taught teamwork. ;) (okay, this video doesn't show much, but i think its absolutely adorable, and im in the soccer mood, haha. (: )
With regard to work, Group Communication is definitely essential. Imagine no group communication between the members of your current Com group, how hard would that be to do a GROUP PROJECT? haha. Well basically, in each group, as Ms Hui has pointed out, there are certain individuals that play certain roles in our groups, and even though we were grouped way before knowing each of our individual traits, we tend to mould/shape into the environment needed, don't you think? What I'm trying to say is that given different situations, we react or act differently. In a group of all passive people, eventually, someone has to start speaking up. Or in a group of headstrong people, some one will have to eventually give in. Agree? So basically, what I'm saying is that, no doubt we did not group ourselves according to our traits, but our traits are definitely shown in each of our groups, and we are important to our groups in one way or another. One definite way is Group Synergy, I personally experienced this with my com group, Disinhibition, right girls? :D With our joint effort and ideas, our video was a success, different from other groups, unique. (: I'm sure other groups experienced this too, yes? (:
Lastly, group communication with regard to our social life. Just look at the cliques we're in, do you see the different roles your friends and you play? I certainly do in mine. (: So much so that we are so interdependent on one another, and we know what to expect out of each other in the different situations. What about your cliques? Do you see this too? Comment and tell me more! (:
look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love, love. ♥ (:
This week's entry is on interpersonal relationship. (: It's all about love, baby! haha. Well, for starters, I'll be cross referencing the video I've chosen this week, with Knapp's Model of Relational Development, more specifically, the first phase, "Coming Together", I'm more of a happy ending kind of person. (: And for the video of the week,
drum roll please, (:
*drum roll......*
GOSSIP GIRL! (season one, the compiled journey of Dan and Serena. (: )
After carefully scrutinising the different videos available on reliable Youtube, I chose this, as it is the closest in relation to Knapp's Model of Relational Development. (: So, let's get started, please watch the following video, and prepare to go awwwwww. haha, well in my opinion, its lovely and sweeeeet. (:
click the "play" button people. (:
How was that? Simply lovely? I know. Now don't you just wish you were them? awwwwww. Okay, back to the topic at hand, Knapp's model of relational development. (:
At the start of the video, we see how Dan notices that Serena is back, [ fyi, Dan has been in LOVE with Serena for the longest longest ever time. Just that dear Serena has yet to notice him.] you see from his shock expression that he's happy that she's back. In the next scene we see how Serena bumps into Dan, dropping all her things, and in the midst of her mad rush, she leaves her phone behind, an opportunity for Dan. ;)
So he goes to the hotel where she lives, and we see how it's a bit awkward between the two, as Dan tries very hard to put up a "cool" front, a part of Initiating(stage 1), self presentation,to present oneself in a desired state, to try to appeal to someone else.
The next scene, we can see, through Proximity, where Dan tries to teach Serena how to play pool, that they are really close, showing how their relationship has developed sightly, and they have "small talk" at the pool table - Experimenting(stage 2), "feeling each other out".
At the masquerade party, we see how they're definitely at Stage 3 - Intensifying, where we see that Dan attends the masquerade party, not because he wants to, but because Serena was there, and the kiss, Physical Contact, confirms this stage.
The next scene, we see the couple in school grounds, hence exhibiting Stage 4 - Integrating, where they make it clear to everyone, "we are a couple". And from there, the rest of the video, we see how they are now a relational unit, attending social events together, like the Debutante Ball, and spending Christmas together.
Though Stage 5 is not seen, it is evident that Knapp's model of relational development is quite precise in showing the developments of a relationship. With this, I end asking, how closely does your relationship with your significant other tie in with Knapp's model? Does this apply to everyday, real life, or can this only be applied to tv shows/movies? I think it quite showcases this, what bout you? (:
Perception, the process in which we make sense of the world around us. Physiological and cognitive, it is influenced by psychological factors and social factors.
Let's start, everyone has a different perspective on things, we conceive and "see" things differently. What would your perception of these men be, if you saw them walking on the streets of Orchard Road?
Would your perception change if you saw the first man in a tribal village in, let's say, Africa? And the second man, walking along Coney Island. (not to stereotype of course, just to prove a point).
Personally, given the different contexts and scenarios, I would say that I would have different perceptions of each of them in the different situations. To me, a typical Singaporean, seeing someone like that along Orchard Road, would scare me stupid. (no offence or anything) I would personally think someone like this is mad, or have the perception that this person likes pain, or enjoys being pierced.
Given the second situations, one would take into context the environment, and maybe understand that for the first man's case, it may be a cultural thing, and for the second man's case, he may be a performer, or part of the act.
That is my take on it, my perception of seeing someone with full on piercings, as a person with only ONE pair of piercings.
What if I were someone with multiple piercings like them? Would i still see things the way I saw? Probably not, I would probably think that they were cool, and maybe on day aspire to have as many piercings as them.
What do you think? What are your thoughts? Are they different from mine? Why do we percieve things differently?
Nonverbal communication, it is defined as communication that occurs when a stimulus other than words creates a meaning in the mind of the communicator. It is nonlinguistic, contains intentional symbolic behaviour, is a right brain activity, and consists of nonverbal behaviors intentionally sent and perceived that people within a given group recognise as having a consensual meaning.
The common theme of this weeks entry, among a couple of my groupies, is the movie Wall-E, and how apt it is.
Executive producer John Lasseter said of the film's lack of dialogue that "the art of animation is about what the character does, not what it says. It all depends on how you tell the story, whether it has a lot of dialogue or not." And from watchin this movie, one can tell that the use of nonverbal communication is essential in everyday life. Seeing how robots cannot talk, the use of the expressions and their actions helps the audience to understand the robots' feelings and what they mean/want.
In this video, we see how Wall-E expresses his fear from Eve in the begining when she fires her laser at him, he shivers and stoops really low. In other parts of the trailer, we see Eve's eyes, they change depending on her mood or how shee feels, we can tell when she's laughing, when she's angry. All these of course are made by out perceptions of the shape of eyes. Hence we see that although Wall-E has minimal dialogue, the use of nonverbal communication is essential, and although not as direct as verbal communication, it does pass the message to the audience the same way, and in some cases more effectively.
Moives are a great way to see nonverbal communication at its best. Here's another movie, watch the clip, its pretty old, but hey, im sure we all know it. ;)
TADAH! LOVE ACTUALLY! (: haha. Okay, focus.
Now, what do we see in this video, see how the guy wants to tell the girl how much he loves her, (if you all don't know the background, the guy is her husband's best friend/best man, hence the restrictions on his love) watch as he changes the cards, he keeps a very straight face, and naturally, one would feel hurt, knowing we want something so much, but we cannot have. Agreed? So what am i saying here, though nonverbal communication sometimes shows how we really feel, it can also conceal what we really mean. For example, i can say yes, but shake my head, say no but nod. Which is the true meaning? That we can never really tell, but in this video, its clear that his straight face is not how he really feels, look at his eyes. Only when he walks away, if you watch clearly, his true feelings appear. To know he's lost all that he wants, but there is nothing he can do about it. Nonverbal communication, he never mentioned a word to the audience, no words saying, "I feel like crap/ I'm SAD" no, not a single word, but we can tell through his facial expressions, nonverbal communication. (:
Another way in which we know nonverbal communication is necesary in everyday lives is through our communication with animals, watch this video, and you'll understand why. ;)
See how the lion "hugs" the men in the video? A perfect, classic example of nonverbal communication! :D Animals cannot talk, and what more to tell how they feel by their "actions" (side note, doesn't this video make you go awwwwwwww? hahaha.) Apart from nonverbal communication, remember Pathos? This video is actually part of a plea to donate to thw World Wildlife fund, now how effective is that? I personally think that it is an excellent way of appealing to the audience and to get donations.
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thank you., (: please comment, all comments are greatly appreciated. (: ♥
Logos - the logical content of a speech, or what is communicated through language. With regard to persuasion appeals, Logos appeal to reason to persuade the audience.
Pathos - the use of rhetorics to appeal to the emotions of the audience and hence swaying them.
Ethos - the use of content to appeal to one's character, meaining, relating to the audience by using credibility or expressing modesty in order to gain the audience's favour.
Each of these persuasion appeals are used in different situations, and depends on the Kairos( opportune occassion for speech, including place and time.), Audience ( the audience plays a large role in shaping the composition of the text and responds to it.) Decorum ( words and subject matter fit together Kairos and the Audience).
In the presented situation, a campaign on television, one would regard the audience as everyone who watched TV, the length of the clip also plays a role in shaping the composition and delivery of the speech.
Watch, and think, which of the Persuasion Appeals are being used.
After watchin this video, I would say that the persusion appeal used here is Pathos and Ethos. The audience's emotion is appealed to as they see the emotion of the individual speakers in the video. Having general knowledge of AIDS, when one sees how many people are affected by AIDS, one's emotions are drawn, and thus sympathising with the situation. The use of the various actors/the filming of a varied group of people is used to appeal to the individual (audience). For example, the young guy at the start of the video and the girls in the video would be the "link" to teenagers, the other men in the video are "links" to adults. This thus further uses Pathos as one is able to relate to the person in the video and hence works as a persuasion appeal. The use of real HIV positive people in the video shows hwo Ethos is used.
Not knowing the title of the video (Every Six Seconds), one may think that the cinematography/filming was not so good. However at the end, when one learns that " Someone is infected with AIDS, every six seconds." one will realise that the video clip is broken down. Watched a second time, I realised that each person is given roughly about 4seconds to say what they want to or have to say, hence the cutting off of sentences. It emphasises the fact that every 6seconds someone is infected by HIV, and thus further appealing to the audience's emotions.
The video is also plain and simple, hence allowing the audience to keep focused on the people in the video and the the seriousness of the situation. Again, appealing to the audience's emotions.
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more videos/advertisements of this sort will be posted next,
Executive producer John Lasseter said of the film's lack of dialogue that "the art of animation is about what the character does, not what it says. It all depends on how you tell the story, whether it has a lot of dialogue or not." And from watchin this movie, one can tell that the use of nonverbal communication is essential in everyday life. Seeing how robots cannot talk, the use of the expressions and their actions helps the audience to understand the robots' feelings and what they mean/want.