Sociology: Culture

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  • What are 5 rituals that caught your attention in the article and how would you describe these same rituals in a more modern or Americanized context?  
    • Well, to put it simply, mouth-rite is the satirical way of saying brushing our teeth. Daily rituals that keep our bodies clean hint at daily showers. The curse refers to people losing patience, specifically hinting at parents that lose patience with teaching their kids essential skills, such as how to a toilet. Notgnihsaw is essentially Washignton spelled backward. Latipso is referring to hospital and medicine men who are basically doctors. And lastly, potions are practically medicines.
  • What is the importance of the language used in this example? Do these acts really seem foreign or extreme?
    • It would always feel foreign when we read it for the first time. But it will only feel extreme if we are looking at it or reading the article through the lens of looking at some manic or simply uncivilized barbarians. And quite frankly, this is the exact reason why we should be slow to judge.
  • What happens when we describe these rituals as a part of the “culture” of a “tribe” vs. “American” culture?
    • If these cultures were real, it would be absolutely absurd for us, but for these tribes, it would be the same if they heard about the American culture, or just simply humans driving cars would give them a cultural shock.
  • Were you surprised to discover Nacirema as American? Explain.
    • Actually, I am not very surprised. But the reasoning behind this is that I have read the article before in my English 1C class. And one of the things that the professor wanted us to know was the “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” effect, or concept. Basically, the things that we sometimes take as odd or even absurd might just be a cultural norm in other countries. An excellent example of this is the gifting culture in Chinese society, especially in the mainland. During holidays, the younger generation is “culturally” obligated to bring gifts to the elderly in the family and to greet them. When you don’t do that, they will often look down upon you and you risk breaking bonds and friendships. Also, when you typically visit a friend, especially close family friends, you should never go empty-handed because that would suggest that you don’t regard them respectively. This type of thing is seen as out of the ordinary for a typical American, but just because it sounds absurd to Americans, it is actually culturally acceptable and promoted in China.
  • If you had to choose, do you think that people in the United States are more Ethnocentric? or Xenocentric? Is there a specific example or event that you can use to describe your perspective?
    • Well, the very definition of the U.S. accepting more immigrants and being seen as a “nation of immigrants” is enough to say that we are definitely more Xenocentric. Although there are certain events in the U.S. in the past decade that points us to a degree of nationalism, we are still no way near as Ethnocentric, in my opinion. However, I would say that more nationalism would definitely sway us to be ethnocentric in the future. An excellent example of this in action was Nazi Germany. The nazi party gained political seats in the then-german parliament through political ballots, and their idea was foreigners were to blame for the pains that Germans were feeling during the economic downturns following the defeat in WWI.
  • Please define “subculture.” Choose a specific subgroup and describe the subculture (language, beliefs, norms, symbols, etc.) of this particular group. (include images if needed).
    • Subculture happens when a group of people holds specific cultural values that are different than the values that are more widely adopted or, in some cases, accepted by the mass public. An excellent example is the recent debt ceiling debate in Congress. Both sides of the aisle have their reasoning for and agendas as to why we should or should not raise the debt ceiling. None of them are willing to compromise or sit down and conduct good-faith negotiations. It has for the past decades; political debates have more or less turned into a cultural war issue where both sides are attacking each other for the sake of just pure attacking rivals. And quite frankly speaking, social media and mass media have not played a good role in this fight either. They are also more or less fueling the war, in my opinion.
  • What are some examples of cultural lag that are present in your life? Do you think technology affects culture positively or negatively? Explain.
    • Speaking of politics in the previous question, I believe cultural lag exists in our economic policies. An excellent example of this is, quite frankly, the recent rate increase by the federal reserve. Materialistically, we need to boost the jobs market to keep people in their positions. And the way we can do that is to stop raising the rate. However, non-materialistically, the federal reserve has no other option but to raise rates to drive down inflation, and it is the textbook’s version of controlling inflation. So because of the amount of money supply in circulation due to money printing, the federal reserve now sits between a rock and a hard place. But, Americans are feeling the pain of their rate hikes, so until the cultural lag, or in this case, the broader American sentiment wishing them to stop raising rates, catches up to the federal reserve, the federal reserve will continue to lag behind and issue monetary policies that contradict to the broader American sentiment.
  • Please apply ONE sociological theory from Chapter 3 (conflict, structural-functionalist, symbolic interactionist) to your example of cultural lag, describe.
    • Quite frankly, the way federal reserve and treasury secretary Yellen approached at the beginning of this imminent recession calling it a transitory inflation is the very definition of symbolic interactions. They try to paint a promising picture so that it does not stoke panic in the financial market and, in turn, maintain social stability. But, this approach also gave people a false sense of hope, and because of that, the broader public are not prepared or set aside enough rainy day funds for the hardships ahead.

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