(:

Consumers of the mass media cannot fail to be aware of the seemingly endless catalogue of apocalyptic scenarios predicted for our not-too-distant futures. From the traditional, linear (one-way) form of communication, to the current interactive (two-way) form of communication, the mass media has influenced the lives of many. According to the Powerful Effects Theory (aka the Magic Bullet or Hypodermic Needle theory), people are seen as passive targets of the media, and their perceptions become distorted. This is particular prevalent amongst the youths.

Explicit sexuality, casual sex without consequences, glamorized violence, the idea of cohabitation before marriage and drug and alcohol abuse. Don’t we all know that these have been portrayed irresponsibly by the media? Look at the music video of Pitbull’s single, Hotel Room Service (below), which is creeping its way up on the top 20 charts. Women are often depicted in the media as submissive to male advances and men who get the girls are seen to be empowered. This is an obvious distortion of reality as men are no longer seen to be dominant creatures in today’s society.

As the declination of the Powerful Effects Theory began, the Cultivation theory began to surface. Cultivation theory in its most basic form, suggests that the media is responsible for shaping, or ‘cultivating’ viewers’ conceptions of social reality. The way the media perceives beauty attributes to the obsession of being thin faced by youths today. Internationally known runway models such as Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham, and Singapore’s very own 20 year old blogger, Fauzi Rassull (picture below; http://fauzirassull.blogspot.com/) send subliminal messages to youths that only thin is beautiful. On his blog, Fauzi Rassull laments about wanting to be thinner and even shares tips on eating, when ironically, he himself is suffering from an eating disorder. He created a rage in the media for his 900-strong Facebook group – “Get Thin or Die Trying”, which saw a spike in membership before it was taken down by site administrators in April this year.^[1] Coupling with the mockery of the fat people with television shows such as Ugly Betty and movies like The Handsome Suit, the perception of what is attractive causes eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as youths strive to achieve the desired ‘look’.

Fauzi Rassull (Picture credited to http://fauzirassull.blogspot.com/)

An advertorial poster for Ugly Betty

Movie poster for the Handsome Suit

That said, it is also not fair to make the mass media shoulder all the blame. Because of its vast influence and the tendency for people to shrink their responsibilities away from issues that are hard to be dealt with, the mass media has been scapegoated. The media becomes an all too convenient excuse for many of the societal ills, especially those that youths face today. The lack of parental guidance, dysfunctional families and poverty due to unequal income distribution could be other reasons resulting in the wayward behavior of the youths today. Problems are usually multi-faceted and resulting from many factors, and should not be blamed on just the media alone.

To conclude, although mass media is responsible to a large extent for the problems, especially that of youths face, we cannot totally disregard the contribution of other societal problems.

I’m sure we all have a moral mind of our own don’t we? (:

References

^[1]http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/lifestylenews/view/444240/1/.html

Fancy marrying a dog? Some tribes in Eastern India believe marrying a dog could prevent the coming evils and bring good luck.  ^[1]

What about getting covered with grub before your wedding day and parade down the streets? Before a wedding in Scotland, the tradition of “Blackening the Bride” makes it clear to everyone that she is “off the market” and if any guys don’t care, they won’t want her anyway because she’s nasty looking and she reeks.  ^[2]

And throwing your newborn from 50 feet above for good luck?

Every year in Solapur (a region in Maharashtra, India) parents get together to throw their babies off the top of a 50 foot tower. The parents believe that the practice will give their children long and healthy lives.  ^[3]

Or breaking your limbs for a block of muddied Gloucester cheese?

In UK, the annual Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill is one of the most spectacular and hazardous of rural English customs. Participants roll, slide and tumble down the hill to keep the double Gloucester cheese.  ^[4]

Found these traditions bizarre?

You just practiced ethnocentrism, whereby the belief of one’s own culture is superior to others and the tendency to judge all cultures by one’s own criteria. Yes, it might be human nature to feel prejudiced or discriminate against what’s different. I’m sure every one of us does it. But who are we to define what’s normal in the first place?

Every littlest tradition we practice and take for granted at home may seem strange to someone else at the other end of the globe. A typical weekday for a Singaporean student would mean going to school in the day, finishing up homework in the evenings and if time permits, facebook-ing or msn-ing the entire night away till lala land calls us. Someone else of the same age in an agricultural society in Vietnam might think going to school, homework and using the computer is a waste of time. He’d probably not even know what in the world a computer is. Instead of being a liability to the family, he is an asset. He’d start working on his father’s farm and harvest every single grain of rice that is humanly possible from dawn till dusk, generating as much income and food for his family.

This shows that culture is learned. It is something that tells us who we are. It defines what groups we belong to and how we live our lives. In other words, cultures are ‘templates for living’. Without culture, the entire world would be a boring and homogeneous society. The only positive outcome would be that conflicts would be eradicated. But then again, with everything and everyone being just the same, the vibrancy of our world would lose its colour and meaning. Without diversity and intercultural contact, what’s the point of human existence?

The difference in cultures is what makes the world it is today. Intercultural communication is something we can never avoid in our lifetime. Although ethnocentrism is a barrier to intercultural communication, it isn’t necessary a bad thing. At least it gives us a sense of rootedness and shows us that we are all unique in our own ways. The crux of the matter is to look at differences in culture as a platform for learning and understanding, rather than as deficiencies.

The paradox of the matter is, with ethnocentrism there will never be successful intercultural interaction, but with intercultural interaction, ethnocentrism will always persist, whether or not we choose to acknowledge it.

References

 ^[1]Marrying a dog. Source (http://trifter.com/asia-pacific/india/10-bizarre-beliefs-in-india/)

 ^[2] Blackening the Bride. Source (http://weddingpros.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/top-10-most-bizarre-wedding-traditions/)

 ^[3] Baby tossing. Source (http://www.in.com/news/wild-n-wacky/another-10-bizarre-traditions-10596833-0d3bb62339550d354417c86402e1bc3a0f8a6c62-1.html)

 ^[4] Race for cheese. Source(http://www.thisblogrules.com/2009/05/bizarre-tradition-with-cheese-in-uk.html)

As humans, we are all social beings by nature and we require being part of different groups in order to survive. In this week’s entry, I shall discuss about one of the many groups that I’ve been in before, and am still very proud of. By definition, a group is a collection of individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time become interdependent, develop shared patterns of behavior and a collective identity.

In my years of being in junior college, being part of a CCA has had a very strong impact in how my school life turned out to be. We were individuals who interacted twice a week before, during, and after trainings, and were not only dependent on one another during training sessions, but also on school work as well as leisure activities. We had a collective identity that was made known to the entire school – The sailing team.

The team during our land training

Leisure activities outside of training time

Being a relatively large group of eleven, (in the context of expert recommendation whereby an optimum group size is from five to seven people) there was a need for specialized roles such as captain, secretary, treasurer and quartermaster, so that messages could be conveyed through specialized networks and communication within the group could be smoothly carried out. Being a team, the eventual outcome of our sailing regattas were not just an individual effort, but a collective effort by the entire group. This further emphasizes my point about the interdependency within the members, which is indispensable in any team or group. We could leverage on the skills of the more experienced sailors to help novice competitive sailors, spurring our team forward as a whole. This is one benefit of being in a group, whereby groups can provide more input than do individuals alone.

Helping each other by leveraging on the skills of others

Also, another benefit of working together as a group is the support, motivation and commitment we provided each other with. After a full training session out at sea, we would usually be drained out but it was still required of us to unrig and wash our boats, as well as keep certain parts of our boats back in the shed. We would then share the workload, making the task seem much easier to complete and offer each other encouragement and support. This is also applicable before and when we prepare to launch out to sea.

Launching out to sea during the interschool regatta

However as I’ve mentioned earlier, we were a large group and this had a certain impact on the group’s cohesiveness. Though we worked well as a team, we still had our own little groups formed within the group itself. Thankfully, this did not have drastic effects on the team and I’m sure this is inevitable in every large group. Also, members who were not chosen to represent the college during the interschool regatta received lower individual rewards and lesser member satisfaction. Naturally, their level of commitment to the team was drastically reduced and they were marginal members who eventually became ex-members.

All in all, I have to say that even though all of us have graduated from junior college and the sailing club had to close down due to financing reasons, we still very much acknowledge the fact that we once belonged to the sailing team, and still meet up on an occasional basis. It was once part of our lives and definitely had, in one way or another (as of any other groups we belong/belonged to), shaped us in being who we are today.

The team after a training out at sea

Release date: 17th September 2009

Official site: http://www.thetruthisntpretty.com/

Official trailer

Sypnopsis: Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a morning talk show producer and has a flawless track record of failure when it comes to dating. When her show suffers a ratings slump, Abby is forced to team with the newly recruited special correspondent Mike Chadway (Gerald Butler), a man who is an outrageously racy and gleefully chauvinistic that rubs Abby in all the wrong ways. Then Abby meets Colin, her neighbour who is everything Mike Chadway isn’t—suave and polite. This time, Abby doesn’t want to blow it and needs Mike’s insight into the male mind to make the right moves. As Mike coaches Abby and she puts Mike’s provocative seduction theories to the test, they are both about to discover an ironic truth: as different as we might be, men and women share some of our most secret feelings in common.

In the relationship between Abby and both guys, I will use the Knapp Model of Relational Development to make sense of what was happening in both interpersonal relationships (of Abby and Mike and of Abby and Colin). This model describes the progression and development of relationships as a series of 10 stages in two phrases.

Between Abby and Colin, the initial stage was nothing below perfect. They created a favorable impression onto each other and had the willingness to engage in further interaction. They then moved into the experimenting stage where they started to search for common ground to build their relationship. However, because of Mike’s coaching and Abby’s paranoia to get Colin romantically involved with her, Abby was not true to both herself and Colin during self disclosure and mutual exchange. However, the deluded Colin allowed himself and Abby to move into the intensifying stage of their relationship. They saw each other regularly and there was increased commitment, awareness and participation. They finally moved onto the integrating stage where they became a couple. However, the Abby that Mike created which would make Colin fall in love with could not be maintained and Abby and Colin very quickly moved through the coming apart stages. (differentiating, circumscribing, stagnating, avoiding and finally, terminating). I am very sure the very facade Abby created was the biggest downfall in her relationship with Colin.

Abby and Colin in their experimenting and intensifying stage

In the case of Abby and Mike, their initiating stage wasn’t a bed of roses. Abby started off feeling very revolted by Mike and I feel that it is only because of Mike’s constant coaching to Abby on how to get Colin that gave them the chance to have a very long experimenting process, which both parties were unaware of. It was a subconscious process of self disclosure and the exchange of psychological information. It took them a long while to move into the intensifying. At the end of the movie, Abby and Mike finally moved into the integrating stage, where they finally became a couple.

Abby and Mike in their initiating stage

Through Abby’s experiences, we can see that the stages of the Knapp Model are not linear. Abby and Mike skipped the initiating stage but still had a happy ending. I personally believe that the ‘coming together’ stage in any kind of relationship is crucial to the outcome of the relationship. As much as we cannot control how fate brings people together, it is within our means to control what happens between them. I feel that the relationship between the duration of the ‘coming together’ stage and the ‘coming apart’ stages has a somewhat direct relationship. The longer the time two people spend to ‘come together’, the longer it will take for them to ‘come apart’. The reverse is also true.

That said, the non linearity of the Knapp Model must be emphasized. Every relationship may not necessarily end up getting terminated, and every relationship may not necessarily start with both parties being fond of each other. Yes, complications in every relationship are inevitable but through proper communication, things can be smoothened out.

I still chose to stick my head in the clouds and believe that the oh-so-famous fairytale happy endings do occur in reality (:

Product launch: 9th September 2009

We send messages to the people around us all the time, even if we are silent. Besides the world of words we are all so familiar with, we also live in a world of silent messages. During the course of a conversation, we will incorporate our spoken language with the languages of gesture and posture, space and time. These languages are tied in together and of equal importance, but we tend to undervalue nonverbal communication.  

In this new fifth generation Apple iPod Nano advertisement, nonverbal communication is a key advertising strategy the company used. In fact, no words were used for over 20 seconds in this half a minute advertisement. The characteristic of this advertisement is receiver-orientated, whereby we as viewers are the ones who will attach meaning to the nonverbal cues.

The study of body movement and gesture (aka kinesics) is seen throughout the entire advertisement. Kinesics can classify body movement into five categories namely emblems, illustrators, regulators, affect displays and adaptors. Our bodies are an important and extremely influential source of nonverbal meaning. For example, the body language of a person at the customs in an airport will give authorities an idea of whether or not the person has anything to hide. We can see how much our body language sends messages to the people around us. From the start till the end of the advertisement, we see nine different young people dancing. Dancing is a form of nonverbal communication. People dance to release their frustrations, or they can dance to celebrate. Why then, can we tell that all nine people are sending positive and not negative vibes?

The facial displays of the nine people captivate and intensify their delightfulness. All of them look ecstatic, and we can easily figure this out without the use of words or verbal communication. When we make a face, we may not realize how much of what we think and feel is being displayed to others. Our faces are hence, an arena whereby information can be given off to others. Besides our facial expressions, our eye behavior can also help to further exhibit and intensify our emotions. This is the study of nonverbal meaning associated with the eyes (aka oculesics). The eyes act as nonverbal regulators and their behaviors are good indicators of our negative or positive emotions.

The physical appearance of the people also plays an indispensible role in this advertisement. The use of young people clearly shows that the target audiences of the advertisement are mainly youths. Furthermore, the use of vibrant colored clothes – in the same colors as those that are available for the new fifth generation iPod Nano adds to the visual appeal of the product.

This advertisement by Apple makes use of the undervalued form of communication – the nonverbal communication to attract potential customers to their product. This shows that although language is an important source of human messages, words are not our only means of communication. I personally feel that the advertisement is successful in promoting the new product, as well as showcasing one of the new main features of the iPod Nano that is integrated with the video camera. As much as verbal communication has brought about an impact onto us, so has nonverbal communication.

We communicate, even without the involvement of words.

An advisory committee has raised concerns over the use of Singlish in some local children’s productions.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_424489.html

One of the properties of language is that it reflects an individual. We can infer many things about a person just from the language they use. We practice this by expressing affiliation with individuals and groups through their language. Singaporeans clearly indicate our distinction from the rest of the world by sharing a style of speech – Singlish. We use a particular set of vocabulary that is exclusively ours and there’s even websites and books that attempt to explain the correct meanings and pronunciations of Singlish words. (E.g., http://www.singlishdictionary.com/ and the Coxford Singlish Dictionary)

I very strongly believe that Singlish gives Singaporeans an identity. Where else on this universe are you able to find a language that represents an entire nation so significantly? Singapore is a multi-racial society and consists of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians and many other racial groups. Hence it is of no surprise that the language Singaporeans create consists of a mix of words originating from the English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese language. Not forgetting, the dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew, Canonese, Punjabi, Bengali etc.

Given the identity that Singlish brings upon to Singapore, one might expect Singlish to be highly raved upon in the nation. However, the reality is a far cry from that! Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that though we should strengthen our common Singaporean identity, Singlish should not be part of it. ^[1] He feels that Singlish should be eradicated and the government tried to do so by launching the Speak Good English Movement. The government believed that Singlish was a barrier hindering Singapore’s progress in the global market.

In spite of this, the use of Singlish on television and radio has proliferated as localised Singlish continues to be popular among Singaporeans, especially in comedies such as Phua Chu Kang (PCK). In fact, PCK has become an iconic symbol for Singapore and can be seen in many nation wide campaigns such as the graciousness campaign started by the Public Transport Council (picture below). Singlish comedies have also scored higher viewer ratings in Southeast Asian markets than BBC comedies such as Black Adder. So why make should the use of Singlish in local children’s production be made an issue?

I refuse to believe that Singlish a hindrance in Singapore’s competiveness in the global market. Yes, the use of proper English is important, but this does not equate to eradicating Singlish. Why destroy a language that defines us as a nation? The Singapore government may have a negative connotation to the usage of Singlish. But how does the international community define this language that’s exclusive ours? I quote from a collaborative international source.

“Singlish is an English-based creole used in Singapore. It is the first language of many Singaporeans, and the second language of nearly all the rest of the country’s citizens. However, educated Singaporeans are able to code-switch between Singlish and standard English.^[2]

I cannot emphasize more on the last sentence. If this can be highlighted by the international definition, why not our own government? We should not attempt to eradicate Singlish, but instead focus on the code-switch between Singlish and standard English. The situation at which we choose to use Singlish or standard English is the key whilst Singaporeans communicate in the global market. Code-switching must be emphasized in the young and this can be fostered through increasing presentations and exposure to public speaking in schools, where standard English must be used.

The bottom line, don’t destroy Singlish please? (:

References

^[1]Source (Speak good English Movement website, available from http://www.goodenglish.org.sg/about/over-the-years/2004/official-speeches-2004/dpm-lee-hsien-loong-2001/)

^[2] Singlish

Source (Wikipedia, available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish)

“The universe is nothing but random encounters, and since there is no actual pattern to life, you just have to find all the enjoyment that you can get out of it. You have to find whatever works.”

Boris in the comedy movie Whatever Works by Woody Allen (2009)

Release date: 10^th September 2009

Official site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/whateverworks/

Watch the official trailer here!

Synopsis: Boris is an eccentric New Yorker who leaves behind his upper class lifestyle in favor of leading a more bohemian (unconventional) existence. He perceives that there is no comfort in this world and virtually secludes himself, criticizing everyone whom he comes across for not having his level of intellect. He then meets into a simple-minded 21 years old female, Melodie, whom he eventually marries despite their 40 years age gap.

Without a doubt, everyone has different opinions about the various situations we come across in our lives. Because of what we believe in (or make ourselves to), we behave in different ways. Our perception thus plays an important role in the way we carry ourselves.

That said, where do individuals get their perception from?

I believe in this particular instance of Boris, the analysis of perceptual bias by Francis Bacon in the Modern era (1600-1900) can be applied. Boris is an intelligent man and was even considered for a nobel prize in Physics. Because of his brilliance, he subscribed to his personal prejudices (Idols of the cave), and practiced elitism so openly, he was obnoxious to the rest of the world. So obviously, he was unlikable and I feel that this is the main reason why he perceives that there is no comfort in this world. Seriously, how can anyone feel comfortable when everyone around label you a freak? :/

People get along when they have shared ideas, experiences or beliefs. We build and establish relationships through communication. Through communication, our perceptions can be managed and we can constitute a degree of shared perception. In Boris’ case, he chose to shut himself out from the world and hence, deny himself of this chance to communicate, further making himself an alien to the society. This behaviour of Boris has an uncanny resemblance to the Hikikomori ^[1] phenomenon in Japan.

Possibility through fate, Melodie lands up at his doorstep and she is worlds apart from Boris. She is nothing more than a typical dumb blond and incredibly dense. But hey, she one thing right that cannot be any better. She brought Boris out of his isolation (at least virtually) from the world. As cliché as this can get, they eventually fall in love and get married.

I believe this marriage would be pretty controversial due to the four decade age gap between Boris and Melodie. If what my sociology professor said was true, that a generation changes every ten years; this would be four generation gaps between the both of them! Evidently through our relationship with our parents, we know that a twenty or thirty year age gap is already a hugeeee (I cannot emphasize this further) problem at times. What more a forty years age gap in a romantic relationship between a couple!

Believe it or not, there’s even a mathematical formula to judge whether the age difference in an intimate relationship is socially acceptable! This is used by some in Western cultures. As the name suggests, the formula for this “half-your-age-plus-seven rule”^[2] is

 Personally, I think the formula is totally useless because we can always rely on our own personal judgment (that is managed through communication) should we decide that someone is too young/old for us. Like we want to have anything to do with formulas besides school! :/ But that said, I still feel that forty years between a couple is ridiculously huge. When you’re still young, happy and dancing around, your other half would be old and frumpy sitting in his rocking chair or something. (p.s, I do not have a personal vendetta against old people I swear).

And what gave me the perception that the forty year age gap is too wide?

My environment and my cultural background I’m sure (:

 References

^[1]Hikikomori (ひきこもり or 引き籠もり,is a Japanese term to refer to the phenomenon of reclusive individuals who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement because of various personal and social factors in their lives.

Source (Wikipedia, available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori)

 ^[2]Half-your-age-plus-seven-rule

Source (Wikipedia, available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_disparity_in_sexual_relationships)

my group’s introduction video,

a parady of the potter puppet pals in the mysterious ticking noise on youtube (: