Here is my post on evaluating intercultural behaviors. With no idea what to write, I look into my moldy sociology textbook, a module which I took years ago. Chapter Three, Culture, flipping on, a huge word came up to me, “ethnocentrism”.
In India, the cow is a religious symbol of life so no one would slaughter cattle and eat beef. Cows are allowed to loiter the streets freely, defecate anywhere, eat grass in the middle of the road whilst the traffic halts for it to finish. In fact, using “it” here may sound a little disrespectful, I think. The state also funds homes for aged and sickly cows. Moreover, police stations come accompanied with fields for abandoned cows to stay. All these money is spent amidst the poverty and hunger in India. Most westerners will think that they must be crazy; to some, beef may be considered their staple food.
However, cherishing cows turns out to be an economically rational practice in rural India. Cows have multiple uses besides giving us beef. In farming areas, cows provide the strength to plow the land, cow manure can be used as fertilizers and even cooking fuel. Farmers there cannot afford synthetic fertilizers, large powerful tractors or even cooking gas, so preserving cows makes the most sense. Not to mention, cows provide us with milk. Furthermore, those qualified to dispose or eat dead cattle are the lowest ranking in their caste system, “untouchables”, which also includes myself since I am quite into beef. Therefore, considering the benefits one can get from cows, cow worship in India makes perfect sense economically.
So what is “ethnocentrism”? It is something that most of us are guilty of. As you are reading, you are thinking “beef tastes so good, how come they don’t eat it” then you are guilty of it. Ethnocentrism is judging someone else’s culture with the standards of your own culture, you have probably committed it when you compare other cultures to your own, more so, if you had criticized them.
Lastly, I have one recent personal experience to share. Last week, I asked my friend from India if he wanted anything from Mcdonald’s since I was ordering Mcdelivery. He said he loves to eat Big Mac, he has been eating it since he arrived in Singapore last year. He stopped eating Big Mac after I told him why they didn’t serve it in Mcdonald’s in India.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I hope I don’t get penalized for veering off topic from evaluating intercultural behavior. After reading Mr Blackstone’s post on the 2 films and the hype about Slumdog Millionaire sweeping the Oscar awards, I felt compelled to speak up for the other best picture nominee The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which I felt was another great movie. Bizarre it may sound but The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is about a man who grew younger, he was born wrinkled in a body of an 80 year old man. He was considered a freak and abandoned. He was raised in an old folk’s home and finally died in the same place as a baby.
This movie was not a feel-good film, it wouldn’t be nominated if it was, but it was soothing. It discussed about birth and death in a subtle manner. Life (elderly admitted into the old folk's home) and death came regularly to Benjamin Button as he grew up in the old folk’s home. He proceeded to be a sailor, had an interesting affair with an English lady and then married his childhood sweetheart. The English lady and Benjamin only met in the hotel lobby every night, never looked at each other in the day if they met and never said “I love you” to each other, it was their pact. She was never happy with her “day” life, very much like us, I felt.
His childhood sweetheart, whom Benjamin eventually abandoned, he really loved her. Since Benjamin was growing younger whilst she was naturally growing older, they figured out that they were at the “middle” of their lives and enjoyed each other's company. I never understood this statement until a few days later when I read a newspaper article, a critic on this movie discussing about parents and their children meeting also “at a phrase of their lives”. The author elaborated about spending this precious phrase with her parents. Maybe, I thought to myself, this was what the director had intended to mean. That’s my interpretation.
Overall, I felt the acting was not Oscar-worthy, probably the reason why Brad Pitt didn’t win. However, I felt the story and the movie as a whole deserved the same amount of hype as Slumdog Millionaire.
This movie was not a feel-good film, it wouldn’t be nominated if it was, but it was soothing. It discussed about birth and death in a subtle manner. Life (elderly admitted into the old folk's home) and death came regularly to Benjamin Button as he grew up in the old folk’s home. He proceeded to be a sailor, had an interesting affair with an English lady and then married his childhood sweetheart. The English lady and Benjamin only met in the hotel lobby every night, never looked at each other in the day if they met and never said “I love you” to each other, it was their pact. She was never happy with her “day” life, very much like us, I felt.
His childhood sweetheart, whom Benjamin eventually abandoned, he really loved her. Since Benjamin was growing younger whilst she was naturally growing older, they figured out that they were at the “middle” of their lives and enjoyed each other's company. I never understood this statement until a few days later when I read a newspaper article, a critic on this movie discussing about parents and their children meeting also “at a phrase of their lives”. The author elaborated about spending this precious phrase with her parents. Maybe, I thought to myself, this was what the director had intended to mean. That’s my interpretation.
Overall, I felt the acting was not Oscar-worthy, probably the reason why Brad Pitt didn’t win. However, I felt the story and the movie as a whole deserved the same amount of hype as Slumdog Millionaire.
Business letter critique
I know I am very late. Sorry Mr Blackstone.
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Consultancy Fees for Staff Training and Development
Our professional fees are based upon the degree of responsibility, the skill involved and the amount of time required to complete the engagement. Such fees are based on various standard charges and reflect different categories of personal.
It is appreciated that we have been invited to submit our quotation for the provision of proper staff training resources to enhance the management skills of your company. Should you require any clarification on any aspect of our proposal, please do not hesitate to contact out head office so that our salesman for your district can make an appointment to call on you.
Obtained from: http://www.editorsoftware.com/images/plain-english/business-letter-example-1.gif
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I got the above business letter when I googled “bad business letters”. I believe this is a quotation to an enquiry from a company providing staff training and I would probably not engage this company’s services after reading this.
First and foremost, I feel that the author can be more courteous and thank the other company for enquiring first then go on and elaborate further on their charges. I think this letter will surprise the enquiring company as the opening paragraph starts discussing about the charging scheme. Although it may be direct to the point, I feel that it is very discourteous. On the topic of conciseness, the letter could be shortened and more succinct. The first 2 sentences could be shortened, translated into point form or may not even be necessary,
The last sentence of the first paragraph lacks clarity, what is meant by “reflect different categories of personal”? I would suggest a graphic or a tabulated rough fee scheme be presented for clarity. Moreover, the vague description of the type of charges lacks concrete. In view of this, I think this letter is incomplete and thus not served its purpose to inform the enquirer.
The last sentence requesting to call on the head office to dispatch the district salesman sounds odd. The district salesman could have possibly directly corresponded to this enquiry instead. However, this business letter, despite its rude tone, is grammatically correct and cohesive.
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Consultancy Fees for Staff Training and Development
Our professional fees are based upon the degree of responsibility, the skill involved and the amount of time required to complete the engagement. Such fees are based on various standard charges and reflect different categories of personal.
It is appreciated that we have been invited to submit our quotation for the provision of proper staff training resources to enhance the management skills of your company. Should you require any clarification on any aspect of our proposal, please do not hesitate to contact out head office so that our salesman for your district can make an appointment to call on you.
Obtained from: http://www.editorsoftware.com/images/plain-english/business-letter-example-1.gif
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I got the above business letter when I googled “bad business letters”. I believe this is a quotation to an enquiry from a company providing staff training and I would probably not engage this company’s services after reading this.
First and foremost, I feel that the author can be more courteous and thank the other company for enquiring first then go on and elaborate further on their charges. I think this letter will surprise the enquiring company as the opening paragraph starts discussing about the charging scheme. Although it may be direct to the point, I feel that it is very discourteous. On the topic of conciseness, the letter could be shortened and more succinct. The first 2 sentences could be shortened, translated into point form or may not even be necessary,
The last sentence of the first paragraph lacks clarity, what is meant by “reflect different categories of personal”? I would suggest a graphic or a tabulated rough fee scheme be presented for clarity. Moreover, the vague description of the type of charges lacks concrete. In view of this, I think this letter is incomplete and thus not served its purpose to inform the enquirer.
The last sentence requesting to call on the head office to dispatch the district salesman sounds odd. The district salesman could have possibly directly corresponded to this enquiry instead. However, this business letter, despite its rude tone, is grammatically correct and cohesive.
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