Abstract This paper discusses how, although tradition has often held that homosexuality was an aberration, something to be feared and shunned, times are changing. It looks at how gay culture has become increasingly more visible and considered more valid due to high profile individuals, movements, and trends made accessible through various types of media. It shows how the ever-visible presence of homosexuality is challenging traditional views, changing what society considers an acceptable lifestyle and how these societal alterations are observed in the media, the church, government, and economics in a time when gay culture has become an integral part of pop culture and mass society, in general.
From the Paper "There seems to be a need for token homosexual character on all sit-coms currently on the air. This incessant need for a gay presence may be to prove that the show is, in a sense, current and cool. Greenman (1998) outlines the chronology of gay appearance in television. The first major gay character on television appeared in the seventies, when Billy Crystal played the character Jodie Dallas on the program ?Soap.? However, the presence of his character on the show was only due to the fact that his homosexuality was seen as a problem. The eighties saw attempts of legitimacy for gay characters on television, which often did not succeed. AIDS became a prominent health threat for the gay populace, and homosexually then took a turn towards drama on television."
Abstract This paper focuses on language as it defines cultural identity. The paper examines the lives of individuals that have experienced a cultural separation from society, discovering their personal and cultural identities through language. The paper then further discusses how school age children develop their attitudes about their lives and the world through the acceptance by society of their cultures and their languages of origin.
From the Paper "Language As a Definition of Cultural Identity Individuals that are born into specific cultures are taught through the practices of the culture how to relate to one another, what is acceptable in society, and what their roles are within the constraints of the cultural system. Just as children comprehend gender specifics from their interactions with parental figures from the time that they are born, culture becomes a significant part of the identity of the child because until socialization with the rest of the world begins with school enrollment, the child understands the world specifically through the culture that he or she is associated with. Language is a significant part of that cultural identity. Regardless of the language, each culture communicates with one another with variations of the proper spoken word, such as through slang, phrases, or abbreviated words."
Abstract The paper explores how a dominant culture can create a devastating effect on the less dominant groups of a society in a variety of ways namely; isolation, usurpation of power and economic deprivation. The article cites American literature to qualify the view points stated.
Isolation
Power
Economic Deprivation
From the Paper "When a dominant culture exerts cultural influence so strong that it eliminates cultural influences of any segment of society, the result is isolation of the subdominant culture. This isolation is both physical and psychological.
Toni Morrison describes such a dynamic in eloquent simplicity in her book The Bluest Eye. The book opens with words familiar from early reading primers in which a white family is so strongly presented as the norm, the black children in the story are surrounded by stereotypes with no one that is remotely similar to them or to their families. The author emphasizes the constant bombardment of these "foreign" cultural influences by repeating the passage while gradually running all the sentences and, finally, even the words together to represent the effect of a virtual backdrop from which they feel completely detached."
Abstract This paper analyzes how cultural norms affects society, government and science in the books "Bad Blood" and "Cigarette Wars". It also explores government experimentation on African Americans. The author discusses the moral issues involved.
From the Paper "Cultural norms have always played a predominant role in the workings of human societies. In today's empirical world where rationality is prized and the scientific method rules supreme the role that cultural norms can play in shaping both science and society can sometimes be overlooked. As Oliver Wendell Holmes once noted medicine professedly founded on observation is as sensitive to outside influence political, religious, philosophical, imaginative as is the barometer to the atmospheric density. ..."
Abstract This paper examines how the 'making' and sentimentalization of a child is something that is addressed very differently, depending on the culture and the society. The paper explains that in some cultures, emotional issues are more important and significant than physical ones, and when this is the case, the emotions of a person are seen as a prime source for that individual's motivation. The paper looks at how anthropology has conceptualized the relationship between emotional competence and the child. The paper also points out that the politics of a nation becomes that of the child that is raised in that nation, whether that is good or bad.
From the Paper "Lutz (1983, p. 247) infers that the parents often show the child how he or she 'should' react to something specific. If a parent reacts with anger to every little slight, the children will likely react that way as well. In a sense, they have been conditioned to react that way because it is what they see as normal, based on how their parents act. The more time they spend around others, though, the more that they see that there are different ways of reacting to specific stimuli, and they might then begin to question whether the way that their parents react is the 'right' way, or the way that they want to react. This begins a period of socialization where the child learns what is acceptable in society and his or her place in that (Lewis & Saarni, 1985, p. 4)."
Abstract This paper is an analysis of "Bless me, Ultima," by author Rudolfo Anaya. It examines the quest for identity of a young boy named Tony, in order to demonstrate to the reader that true knowledge and understanding takes a lifetime, or longer, to achieve.
From the Paper "In Tony's search for understanding, he comes along several dead ends, but as he begins the next chapter of his life he finally realizes that the understanding he was searching for may take a lifetime or more to gain. In the key passage Tony's dad explicitly shares with Tony the revelation he had. "Understanding comes with life…sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding."(Pg. 248) Although Tony had started to realize the quest for knowledge was an unending one before his father told him, his father's words only confirmed those beliefs."
This paper uses two sources, "The Story of Noriko" and "Golden Arches East" to examine how the younger generations from Japan and China, standing between the traditional identity and the new identity, are reacting to new cultures and mindsets.
Abstract This paper demonstrates that the young generation from Japan and China has a mindset that is not quite similar to their parents? and traditional society's expectations, which often cause a great deal of conflicts between the young and the old. The author shows that in "The Story of Noriko" the traditional Japanese society is known to frown on the increase in the number of women pursuing a significant career goal, rather than minimal tasking individual, because the conservative and relatively older generations believe that women, especially young women, are not qualified to manage the responsibilities and tasks men perform. The author uses the book, "Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia" to describe how the life style of Chinese customers, especially the younger generations, have changed as McDonald's has entered the local Chinese society. The author concludes that, when a new lifestyle or culture develops, the young generation creates a hybrid culture to accommodate living in the 21st Century and traditional China or Japan.
From the Paper "In "The Story of Noriko", Noriko is a young woman who resides in Tokyo who is forced to encounter one of her dramatic real crisis. She is looking for a career where she can actually utilize her potentials instead of being just another Office Lady whose task is minimal and enduring without any chance of obtaining a significant position at a corporation. The traditional Japanese society is known to frown up on the increase in the number of women pursuing a significant career goal rather than minimal tasking individual, because the conservative and relatively old generations of the society believe that women, especially young women, are not qualified to manage the responsibilities and tasks men perform."
Abstract This paper analyses Esther Greenwood's "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept" and Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar". In particular, the paper examines the two women in the stories and their problems in society. One may wonder, the paper proposes, to what extent people are responsible for their own happiness in life. In the case of Esther Greenwood and the woman from "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept", the paper proves, the different circumstances surrounding their distress play a crucial role in determining their emotional outcomes.
From the Paper "She feels that Doreen corrupts her and rejects her as a friend, AI decided I would watch her and listen to what she said, but deep down I would have nothing to do with her. Deep down, I would be loyal to Betsy and her innocent friends. It was Betsy I resembled at heart."
Tags: elisabeth, plath, smart, society, sylvia, women
Abstract This paper discusses the diet culture, first outlining the origins of contemporary diet culture. It then reviews the feminist critique of this culture, as a political agenda reflecting on women's place in society. . The goal of this paper is to answer the questions: What is ?diet culture?? What are its origins? What impact does it have on the everyday lives of young women? How do feminist writers relate to the prevailing diet culture?
Contents:
Introduction
The Origins of the Diet Culture Feminist Critique of the Diet Culture Diet Culture in Israel
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Diet culture is the cultural force disciplining the female form and regulating its size, contour and texture. Though diet culture pertains to both sexes, its influence is far more significant for women than for men (Chernin, 1981, Goodman, 1995, Wolf, 1990). Diet culture encompasses the range of practices, beliefs and images that work together to direct women towards the disciplinary goal of body regulation. Under the current "tyranny of slenderness" (Chernin, 1981) women are forbidden to become large or massive. The current body of fashion is taut, small-breasted, narrow hipped and of a slimness bordering on emaciation. It is a silhouette that seems more appropriate to an adolescent than to an adult woman (Bartky, 1998). In order to possess bodies of the desirable size, women must maintain strict control of their food intake and expenditure of energy. Dieting is used to control the calories entering the body; exercise is used to increase caloric expenditure and shape the body's flesh to the desired contour."
Abstract The paper discusses how cultural revolution of the 1960s was a time when young people were angry at the world. The paper explains that they were angry due to losing a president, angry about Vietnam and determined to be different than the past generation of Americans. The paper describes how the cultural revolution of the 1960s brought about technology changes in communication and the media, saw young people take drugs and become hippies and they loved rock and roll. The paper discusses how many became activists for civil rights, women's rights, Vietnam, the war on poverty and domestic issues.
Abstract This paper discusses how in her short story "Aunt Moon's Young Man", Linda Hogan captures some of the deepest and most fascinating aspects of her Native American culture, which make up most of the symbolism of the text. In particular, it looks at how Hogan emphasizes the differences between the Indian and the white cultures, using the imagery of windows and mirrors.
From the Paper "First of all, the mirror and the window are symbols of the domination exercised by the white culture through reflection, that is, through the construction of identities for the other. Thus, the characters in the story seem to be separated in two sets as well, Bess and Isaac as the preservers of tradition, both through their gestures and through the ways in which they live their lives, and the other members of the community as representatives of the mixed culture which emerged under the influence of the white people. When the men and women in the tribe condemn the relationship between Aunt Moon and Isaac they become symbols of the white culture, which usually attributes fixed identities and codes for behavior for every member of society."
This paper focuses on the Armenian refugees that came to the U.S. in the 19th century, primarily to escape religious prosecution, while also discussing if and how they adapted to America's culture.
Abstract The writer of this paper details the events that resulted in the formation of a sizeable and significant Armenian presence in America. One reason the Armenians fled their country was that they would have faced extinction had they stayed. The writer contends and explains why the Armenian cultural influence is not as strong as that of other minorities in America. It is believed that some 150,000 Armenians currently reside in North America. This paper examines the various reasons Armenians have failed to have an impact on American culture while also discussing the fact that most young Armenians have quickly assimilated and accepted the more powerful culture of the U.S. The writer contends and explains why Armenian culture has had some influence on U.S. culture but that the reverse influence is far greater in magnitude and impact.
From the Paper "Armenian culture has had some influence on the US culture but the reversed influence is far greater in magnitude and impact. While we can say that the shape of American culture today is developed with the help of bits and pieces from other cultures including Armenian, there is no denying the fact that Armenian youth is no longer as interested in their own culture as they are in the more powerful American culture.
When they first came to the United States, things were different. Armenians were influential in the sense that they had a better grip on their roots, heritage and culture. They did not assimilate quickly and resisted it for some time. Since they were mostly concentrated in one area, they interacted more often and had their institutions built in the area."
Abstract The paper discusses how one of the most important issues surrounding cultural anthropology is the effect of culture on the individual and the collective social cognition. This paper presents three positions. The first case demonstrates culture as a contributor to different cognitive processes among individuals within the same society/culture. The second case looks into the role that culture plays in affecting collective decisions on what ideology to choose, maintain and dominate in a particular society/culture. Lastly, the paper examines how an excessive influence of culture over the individual's thought processes lead to the development of more than just a different worldview, but a change in the individual's physical health.
From the Paper "The hypothesis that culture shapes the individual's way of thinking or thought processes is reflected more explicitly with the use of language, language being the most manifest form of culture through a specific code system specifically unique to the culture. However, apart from language, there are also other precursors that develop an individual's cognitive processes. Ultimately, cognitive outcomes include differences in thought processes among individuals, create a solid or collective thought process that becomes the dominant ideology in that specific culture, or it can also translate into more concrete terms by influencing the individual's worldview and physical well-being."
Abstract The paper identifies a definition of culture and examines how it is transmitted, generically speaking. The paper discusses the need to be nurtured and socially taught so that as we mature, we will meet the cultural guidelines in each developmental phase of our lives. The paper also talks about a sub-culture; a group within a society whose values and norms are different from that of the accepted dominant view. The paper utilizes the example of American society's rigid emphasis on gender roles to demonstrate how Americans transmit culture already from the time of birth.
From the Paper "Before one can understand how an aspect of our American culture came about, and how it is being translated today to nearly all members of our society, we must see how culture is transmitted. Before we can even do that, we need to understand what culture actually is; everyone has an idea of what culture is, but whether we know it or not, we associate the words "culture" with "American culture" and use the two interchangeably. We may think that "American culture" is "culture" because of the idea of ethnocentrism, the idea that one's own culture is the right culture, and all others should follow. However, more times than not, most open-minded and fair people that use "American culture" and "culture" interchangeably will do so without meaning to and will do so because their "American culture" is all they have ever known. Therefore, since that culture is the only one they have been exposed to, that is the only viewpoint on the world that they possess (Nanda and Warms 86)."
This paper describes how influential children's literature can be in forming ideas and stereotypes with relation to gender issues. It explains how crucial the early stages in life are in forming opinions of the society we live and grow up in.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 3 sources, 2001, $ 45.95
Abstract This paper describes how influential children's literature can be in forming ideas and stereotypes with relation to gender issues. It explains how crucial the early stages in life are in forming opinions of the society we live and grow up in.
From the paper:
Books are not only an important resource for helping to develop the language skills of a child, adding to his imagination by presenting to him new ideas and thoughts as well as to the child's vocabulary by presenting to him or her new words and phrases. The books that a child reads also play a significant and important role in transmitting the culture of the society to the child of which the child is a member. An important part of the culture of the society where the child is born and grows up are the various gender roles. The way that genders are portrayed in the children's books in this way contributes to the image children develop of their own role and that of their gender in society.
