"As a culture we are represented through politics and media." This statement is very limiting and unfair, and considering that I'm about to get an MFA in acting, I hope those aren't the only two places where a culture is expressed. Culture is not defined by media, tv, or even clothing and film. Culture is defined by ACTION, ie - Cameron Diaz WORE a pink shirt so now all the girls in this country wear pink shirts. Star studies from last semester indicate that our society has chosen stars because they represent the best traits of a cultural maxim - or identity. I think Doug, you may be confusing cultural identity with personal identity. There is a big difference between the two - my own subculture represents a part of the larger American culture...I think what I would like to study next is the environmental effects on culture because these are the things that really define collective action - like people in the south. It's culturally acceptable to wear less clothes - because of the temperature. I think those things really explain the human condition more than understanding why a No actor turns his hand to the left instead of the right.
"There's no such thing as a collective we" -Yes, yes there is - we Americans, we humans, we women, we men. On a simple level, the word 'we' is a pronoun - so yes, it's meant to identify and therefore separate. And in America we live under a (false) democracy that says that our course of ACTION should be the one that's best for the most amount of people. Since it works that way, everyone of this country is given the chance to voice his or her opinion. It seems in America more than anywhere else, we're taught to value our vote more than anything, but very quickly we point culpability towards those in charge. We voted for Bush - saw how foolish he was - and then voted for him again. WE - the Americans, even if it was indirect.
"Can you as a student try to represent an entire culture?" (1) First and foremost I am a human - always will be. The notion of 'student' carries with it negative connotations and I think by asking about students we are limiting the scope and power of this class. I thought in the last class we discussed the nature of geographical culture shifts - so I think for the most part I'm aiming to experience this culture. That's the only truth - experiencing the culture, so, for instance as a very crude example - if the Japanese eat raw tuna, I would eat raw tuna. I'm not going to become Japanese but I'm going to experience something that a Japanese person experiences, thus connecting us on a very basic human level. That to me is the point of studying another culture.(2) Do or do not, there is not TRY. You can't try to represent anything. You represent it or you don't. Trying is what students do because they won't lose their job. We're actors - our job concerns action - I perform actions from other cultures all the time. My entire thesis was built upon the entire culture of Jewish comedy - I performed a different culture than my own and was therefore connected to the other cultures that shaped the alien culture. That contrast defines my personal identity and strengthens my cultural identity. The two work together - but are definitely not the same.
1 comment:
I agree there is a difference between personal identity and cultural identity, but I think this is an American way of looking at the two as different. We are taught to strive for individualism while at the same time conforming to the ideals of main society. This is what keeps our country capitalist and democratic. But other countries govern their people solely on cultural identity. In some countries, a muslim woman in order to be seen as a "good muslim" has to assimilate her personal identity to the overall cultural one sometimes just to stay alive. I think this is an important factor when we study cultures. Our way of thinking is just our way of thinking, but it can bring bias to the cultures we are studying.
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