The Implicit Definition of Culture as a Social Science Approach - Essay Example

The implicit definition of culture is in line with social science approach. The consequence of applying this definition is that this culture can be lost, once it is not been practiced in its native country and it might be “modified” with time and misplace its essence. For a particular example case, the cultural objects would be the Brazilian barbecue. The example that I found was a Brazilian restaurant ad in a local newspaper. It is an invitation to get to know part of the “Brazilian culture” by trying one of the most traditional dishes there. The message would be different in the ad, if it would not use the word culture. Let’s say for instance an “American way” to make a Brazilian barbecue. It sounds better because it is not harming Brazilian traditions. Let’s take as an example the “Candomblé” – a cultural object that is an Afro-American religion practiced mostly in Brazil. To understand the “Candomblé” in Brazil, we would have to know three things; firstly its origin, secondly, the African Gods that are “possessed” during a religious ritual by its practitioners, and lastly, the impact that this religion has in the social world in Brazil. An application of cultural diamond could be made to this cultural object, which would enhance the ease of its understanding. It can be stated that the people in Brazil are closer to nature than people in other countries because of the “Candomblé” or that the “Candomblé” make people in Brazil be closer to the nature. Thus, the cultural object stands as the “Candomblé”, the creators are the “Candomblé” chiefs, receivers are the practitioners, while the social world includes everyone who is affected somehow by the “Candomblé” 1 – Listening stories to understand the history of a culture is a good way my opinion stands otherwise. The information may and probably will be changed over time. The tendency is not to preserve the culture in its essence but create a new one based on its history. It is related to the reflection model in the following way: The culture changes because people change or, should I say people change because the culture changes? 1- We might find vestiges of organic solidarity in the music business. A writer will compose the lyric, the singer will perform, the band will play the instruments, the record company will record and publish the song and the audience will listen to and by the records. One sacred symbol that comes to my mind is the picture of Iemanjá. She is a goddess, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American religions. In Brazil, 2nd of February each year is celebrated as the day of Iemanjá, which people present the goodness with flowers, perfumes, jewelries, etc. Another contemporary sacred symbol would be the tattoos. It has a religious meaning in many religious, but in some societies, tattoos are a way to express femininity and masculinity. So, we conclude that we still need such symbols outside of religious life. 2-I would like to talk about gothic subculture. It has been popular since early 80’s in many countries. Adepts to Gothicism - usually teenagers –enjoy certain type of music (“gothic bands”) and certain types of literature (Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Byron and Mary Shelley for example).And appreciate things like “vampirism” and interest in death. I think that this particular type of subculture is maintain in today’s days thanks to some singers like Marilyn Manson – although he is not considered to be a “gothic singer” people get confused with his androgyny obscure image, conclude he is “gothic” , search for gothic materials and start “being gothic.” 1- The audience might have the final word deciding which record is going to be a hit on the market, but the record companies are who will give the public a few options to chose. In one way they are deciding what the public will listen to. The creator (musician) may compose a classical song. The record company will decide if the public will listen to this type of music or not. The record companies try to guess if the song would sell it. If they think it would not, they will not record it at all and the radios will not play it. The record company then, thinks that people might like something more appealing like a young girl that can bare sing, but can dance and perform for example. That would sell, they think. Then, the radios will play the music over and over again until the audience get used to it. Then, there will be MTV video clips, playing over and over again. What will happen? The receiver – probably young girls and boys – had just been brain washed. The record company had chosen their cultural object. 2- Opening my newspaper, what called my attention as a social problem was illegal immigration. It has been brought to public attention due to shocking number of “undocumented” immigrants – citizens from other countries who do not have a valid visa to stay in U.S.. Some sources speculate that it can be more than 20 million people in this situation. In the newspaper the problem is identified as a crime and the illegal immigrants should pay for this, just like any other American would if he/she breaks the law. The editorial points out that most illegal immigrants are not seem as people who have criminal personalities, although they do commit crimes. No question about it. I think that illegal immigrants are not just criminals. They are the result of a global social problem which I am going to call social inequality. It does not make the “crime” right but it sure helps to explain it. It is a consequence of a horrible Country administration, where kids have no access to schools and people must live without water, electricity and food. Having cars in a third world country is like winning a lottery. If one asks a 10 year old American child what she needs, the answer will probably be something like:” I need a new IPod and a new laptop.” In third world countries like Brazil the answer will be: “I need a job, so I can help my parents to put food on the table. And I also need papers and pens so I can go to school.” People chose to be illegal immigration as a last resource. They take jobs because there are jobs and some employers would say that if he/she does not hire an alien no one would take the job. Illegal immigrants take jobs that Americans would not take. I’ve heard this once at television. I am not saying it is true. Only that it could be. 1- According to the author, cultural symbols and strategies often blend together in everyday life. The symbolic form and strategies of action in religious communities vary greatly. As an example we have a persuasive sermon in the Catholic Church, which is made possible by bringing seemingly symbols (words) to life though the strategies of rhetoric composition. Another example is the Christian bible. An example of religion with reference to subculture is evangelicalism; it has its own organizations, institutions, denominations, TV stations and magazines. 2-The four cultural archetypes are the Rational Patriarch, the expressive Egalitarian, the tender warrior and the Multicultural Man. The Rational Patriarch refers to traditional masculinity with radical gender differences that link manhood to rational thinking while naturalizing patriarchal authority. The Expressive Egalitarian refers to men liberation. It is more conciliatory toward feminism, it subscribes to androgyny while championing men’s open emotional expression and marital egalitarianism as the true marks of the godly man. The PK discourse of poetized manhood is called “the Tender Warrior”. This discourse brings together a uniquely masculine blend of strength sensitivity, and servant –leadership. The PK discourse of Multicultural Man recognizes differences and divisions among men, however, it urges men to unite under the banner of Christian brotherhood. 3- The PK meet in stadiums, where thousands of men make promises like to be responsible to God, to their wives and children, to the church, and to each other. The conferences provide men with resources for renegotiating their gender identities and revaluing their family relationships. It teaches men about humbly serving their wives and children. PK uses the sport as a means of promoting a specific style of masculinity and male leadership. PK conferences are both engaged with and distinct from the mainstream cultural domains of sport, gender and religion. 4- Promise Keepers leaders strongly believe in the importance of accountability, brotherhood and confessionalism. They are against in individualistic stands and give emphasis to “fixing” the men’s innate tendencies toward isolation. PK leader’s states that one must help the other and confessions must be make to a small group, unlike the traditional Catholicism. Men talk openly about private topics during the confessionalism. The accountability groups help the men to share his innermost struggles and in so doing, he becomes a better man. Accountability groups have the task of preserving a sense of social order. 5- PK is a multicultural movement because they believe in the importance of establishing personal relationships among men from different ethnic background, like African, Latinos and Asian Americans, for example. Racial reconciliation is a major theme for Promise Keepers. Man who attends stadium conferences must commit themselves to racial equality. Racism is something unacceptable among the Promise Keepers community. 6- The book offers a few reasons to explain the demise of the Promise Keepers movement. Most of them are about economic issues. The cost to attend conferences could have collaborated to the absence in the stadiums. It could have been considered high or too much. And later, the PK adopted the policy of to do not charge anything at all. This decreased even more the value of the conferences. We do not estimate a value for what we get for free. The most acceptable explanation is that the conferences were not offering anything new. Why should one attend a conference next week if it will be the same than the one last month? 7- The students must see the equipment as a learning tool that must be handling with care for safety and better learning purposes. Whenever technology is been used, safety becomes a concern for the instructors. Mishandling equipment such as a microphone or a slide projector can cause injuries to children and adults of any age. Being careful with the equipment helps the safety in using it. But it is also important for maintaining the laboratory’s expanses low. Replacing equipment that was not handled with care is an unnecessary cost that should be avoided. Multimedia is one of these equipments that play a vital role in your laboratory. Multimedia may come as a kit. It is a collection of teaching materials that may include CD-ROMs, slides, audiotapes, videotapes, still pictures, study prints, overhead transparencies, maps, worksheets, charts, graphs, booklets, real objects and models. It is very helpful to the teacher and it facilitates activities for the students. Everyone likes to manipulate real objects in class and transport it outside to the classroom as well; these are some of the advantages in using multimedia kits in the class room. Sitting arrangements are directly related to safety and technology. Whenever the student is exposed to a slide show, for example, he/she must sit no closer the twice the inches of the screen and no farther in feet than the size of the screen. Finally, the students and instructors must take good care of the equipment, including multimedia tools and sit in a proper arrangement in order to work and study in a safe environment. Read More