My Intercultural Relationship

          Landon Young and I have been in a romantic relationship for a year and a half now. Both being skeptical about beginning a relationship, I have been lucky enough to get to know him for 4 years. Although we are the same age, we belong in different cultural groups. Landon is a Californian with a white mother and black father. He has some ties to his father’s Southern Baptist religion, yet knows little to nothing about his full ethnicity and nationality background. I am from Nebraska, have white parents, no specific religion, and am highly involved in my Greek heritage. Needless to say we have difference, which brings forth benefits and challenges.  

           Benefits include relational learning, or “learning that comes from a particular relation but generalizes to other context” (Martin & Nakayama 2013). I’ve become humbled about where I’ve come from, when learning about Landon’s family and their troubles. I’ve also become more knowledgeable about perspectives, religion and African American culture through his family.  There is always something new we are able to teach each other. However, there are some challenges that come with different cultures. Many times we can’t relate to each other. An example would be Landon upset after his football game, because someone used a racial slur towards him. I can be empathetic, but I will never know that feeling. Whereas he doesn’t understand why my big Greek family is so important, because the only family he has is intermediate. The main challenge is Landon and I being in a romantic relationship at all. I’d be lying if I said my family was 100% okay with it, or that we don’t get looks out in public. It’s hard, but it really does make our skin thick and bond strong.

     Leslie A. Baxter describes six different dialectics of intercultural relationships, that apply to the relation Landon and I have. Two in particular that apply would be differences-similarities and static-dynamic. Our text explains that we look for people who are similar to us, but to enhance a sense of novelty, we also seek differences (Martin & Nakayama 2013).  When it comes to Landon and I there are present novelties. He has interests not like many Nebraskans when it comes to food, clothing, sports, etc. I learn a lot more about different cultures through this uniqueness. However it is important that I can relate to Landon on some sort of level, so we have similar interests to bond over. This includes our love for classic movies and Kanye West. When it comes to our static-dynamic dialect, the best example would be our age. Landon and I are the same age, both 20, and going to college. We are at a point in our lives where we are planning our futures, and aiming to become our true selves. Going to different colleges and having different experiences keeps our relationship in flux. However, with the positive communication and understanding, I am hopeful that we will continue to grow even closer, no matter our cultural standing.

Resources

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in context. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

CAPS 6: Intercultural Relationships

Teal Anderson: More Than Just A Color

A look at the intercultural relationship between two friends

Teal Anderson is not only my former co-worker, but she is also my best friend. We literally can do everything together. From going on runs to sitting around on Saturday nights watching Audrey Hepburn movies, we have a great friendship. I had the privilege of meeting Teal this summer at work. Teal is a beautiful combination of heritages, with her mother being white and her father being African American. We both grew up in the same town but never got to know one another until this past summer. Teal is artistic and idealistic and is one of the strongest women I know. She always gives the best advice, and after experiencing racism in a very “white” small town, she has grown confident in who she is and owns it. Teal has opened my eyes to how hurtful stereotyping can be, not only for African Americans, but many other cultures and races.

Leslie A. Baxter’s dialectical model explains the dynamics of relationships. One of the dialects is the Privilege-Disadvantage relationship. Though I do not believe this relationship describes Teal and I, it does describe the relationship Teal has with some people she has encountered at school, work, and in small-town Nebraska. There is a stress of power and power differentials in intercultural relationships. Some people form an entire intercultural relationship based on this idea of one person being the one with privilege and the other being the one with a disadvantage (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, p. 399). Teal and I come from similar socioeconomic backgrounds: we both come from middle-class families, have always worked, and have both dealt with personal issues that have affected our family situations; therefore, I cannot say one of us is “better” or “worse” than the other. However, certain individuals that attended her high school or her fellow co-workers have portrayed Teal as “having a disadvantage” because she is half-black. They see her coming from a different background and different race and automatically associate those difference with the “lesser”. It is unfortunate that our small town must resort to such thinking.

I believe that the Differences-Similarities Principle most closely matches the relationships between Teal and I. “According to the similarity principle, we tend to be attracted to the people who we perceive to be similar to

ourselves, and evidence indicates that this principles works for many cultural groups (Osbeck & Moghaddam, 1997)” (Martin & Nakayama, 2013, p. 398). We need people who are similar to us in order to carry on conversations and form strong bonds for a true relationship to form. Teal and I have a lot in common: we enjoy the same music, same movies, and same hobbies. Though she is from a different racial background, we are very much the same person. However, the text also goes on to say that “in intercultural relationships, we may be attracted to persons who are somewhat different than ourselves.” There is a part of me that is drawn to our cultural differences. I enjoy having a close friendship with someone of another race. It is refreshing from the Caucasian norm of our small town. Though Teal may not experience such feelings due to her being the minority, I do believe that part of my personality wants to be friends with those of different races, religions, and sexual identities that are different from my own because I hope to grow as a person and also have a diverse group of friends.

Overall, I am very thankful that I have Teal for a friend. Not only has she made me a better person in improving my personality and always being up for fun, she has also allowed me to build upon my diverse group of friends from whom I can learn more and more from and grow as a person. 

Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2013). Experiencing intercultural communication: An introduction (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

CAPS blog 6

This year I had the opportunity to talk to some of the other campus tour guides who I didn't get the opportunity to talk with much last year.  One of them, Justice Jones, has become a friend outside of work and has made this year a blast!  However, sticking with the theme of this blog, Justice is black and from Virgina while I am white and from Nebraska.  Justice is the kind of guy who recognizes who is and where he is at so him being in the racial minority never seems to affect him.  We talk regularly and have hung out almost every weekend together for the past few months.  Justice always gives me a different perspective on everything and it is my favorite part about our relationship.  Sometimes though it can be a little difficult to understand where we are both coming from, this mainly stems from the different customs and language used from our different upbringings.

"According to the similarity principle, we tend to be attracted to people who we perceive to be similar to ourselves, and evidence indicates that this principle works for many cultural groups (Osbeck & Moghaddam, 1997;  Tan & Singh, 1995 via Martin & Nakayama pg. 398)".  The Differences-Similarities Dialectic describes how similar people tend to congregate or the age old "opposites attract" philosophies work in intercultural communication.  The similarity principle is a piece of this Differences-Similarities Dialectic.  The book goes on to describe how sometimes people intentionally seek out others with the same thoughts or others who have a different outlook compared to theirs in order to expand their knowledge on life.  In terms of my relationship with Justice, I think it is more of a case concerning the similarity principle.  We both are very laid back and take life as it comes kind of guys that share a cherub like demeanor.  In isn't often Justice and I disagree on anything which keeps our relationship flowing smooth at all times. 


(I would put a picture of Justice and I up but unfortunately we have a lack of pictures taken together)

"The Static-Dynamic Dialectic suggests that people and relationships are constantly in flux, responding to various and personal contextual dynamics (Martin and Nakayama pg. 400)."  The Static-Dynamic Dialectic explains intercultural relationships by looking at the changing identities of the two individuals in a specific relationship.  Sometimes when people meet they will both have the same identity like being a students at the same university or single bachelors at the same time.  However, eventually one may get married before the other and then the two individuals will have to start communicating in different way due to the identity shift.  Right now between my friend Justice and I, we follow the first portion of the scenario I laid out at the beginning of this paragraph.  We both attend UNL and are single.  However, neither of us are planning on staying here in Nebraska after graduation and I assume one of us will get married at some point.  So right now we are in a Static portion of the Dialectic but one day we will identify with the Dynamic portion of the Dialectic.  This is definitely a good thing for all relationships because if nothing ever changes, the relationship may get to stagnant and boring which could result in losing a friend.


Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Experiencing intercultural communication: an introduction (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Culture Reporter

                  My culture of interest is the LGBT community. I became interested in the community when I started to get really close to a few friends of mine that were gay. My main reason for researching this subject was to better understand what they went through growing up and identifying with the LGBT community. I also wanted to better understand the differences between a straight person’s experiences and a Lesbian, Gay, Bi, or Transgender person’s to see if anything connected. Although I have no problem with people who aren’t straight, I also wanted to make myself more familiar with the community. There are several factors that go into the development of a human being. Cross culture communication and identity development are big factors in whether a person can become comfortable identifying with the LGBT community.

            The concept I focused on was identity development. I approached this subject by focusing on the several aspects that make up one’s identity. These aspects included individualized, familial, spiritual, gender, sexual orientation, age, and racial identity. Each aspect shed a new light on the individual impact on the identity as a whole. It was especially important for me to focus on researching each component since so many people who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, or bi can have issues with identity development through positive and negative influences. Some things that help with coming out were family and social support, acceptance in school, and a liberal relationship with others. Some things that led to people feeling as if they couldn’t be themselves were no social support, religion, and being bullied in high school. These influences both positive and negative eventually lead to an individual either becoming comfortable in the LGBT community or not addressing the person they really are.

            The first theme I noticed throughout my research was that bullying through adolescence is eminent. Each person I interviewed had internal struggles with the effects of bullying which often led to drastic changes in their identities. Bullying can be a struggle for any kid but it is especially difficult for individuals that are trying to find their place in the LGBT community. John Rector states “After I came out I got bullied more. Before that, people just kind of suspected it so the people that would have bullied me before, but weren’t sure, had a reason now.” (Rector, 2013)  These individuals are already struggling with identity development and then have the added pressure from their peers that are tearing them down. Bullying can lead to the individual hiding the fact that they are gay or far worse consequences. According to bullyingstatistics.org, “Gay and lesbian teens are two to three times as more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths.” This proves that during the high school years it is especially hard for teens to deal with identifying with the LGBT community and admitting to others that they are gay.

            The next thing I noticed was that religion had a considerable effect on whether the person decided not to tell others they were lesbian, gay, transgender, or bi. I also noticed that religion had an effect on how long it took for the person to except that they were indeed lesbian, transgender, or, bi. Ana-leigh Avery stated that she was forced to go to church growing up, but when she came out to her family they did not support her because it was against their religion (Avery, 2013). Sydnie Murphy chose to stay with her church and not be open about being a lesbian in the church setting she stated, “I think there would be so many more gay Christians if the church was more accepting. They [gay people] won’t be open to the idea of religion even if they wanted to…And it’s shameful of Christians to make people feel that way.” (Murphy, 2013) Sydnie is currently battling whether it would be better to keep quiet about her true identity or come out as being a lesbian and face the “consequences.”

            The final theme I noticed was the effect of family and social support. When individuals had strong family support they were able to be more comfortable with themselves and more public about being lesbian or gay. Dustin Hayes stated, “My siblings were accepting off the bat but my mother and father were the last to come around. My grandparents even came around before they did.”(Hayes, 2013). Social support from others outside the family is also an important factor. Without the support of friends individuals have a hard time being openly gay and tend to hide their true selves from others. Ana-leigh expressed her internal struggle with coming out to her friends by saying, “Friendships became a little uncomfortable; especially with girls. You don’t want them to think that you will disrespect their friendship” (Avery, 2013). Working on rebuilding friendships is an unfortunate consequence of admitting to one’s true identity. Sydney struggled with the fact that she has lost friends from coming out as a lesbian, “I feel like I have the people I need, but I wish I had everyone. I live a life where I lose half the people I love over the way I want to live.” (Murphy, 2013)

            Through researching this community I found that people in the LGBT community experience a lot of internal struggles. These struggles occur mostly through the teen years and usually don’t get solved until the early 20’s. In order to resolve this conflict one must come to terms with themselves as well as others without compromising their identity. I found that religion can make one deny that they are gay or hide who they really are in order to make others happy. This can lead to bigger problems  later such as low self-confidence and low social interaction. Social support is very important. The people who received little or no social support took longer to be comfortable with themselves and identify with the LGBT community. These interviews and research have opened my eyes to the daily struggles of these individuals and I can’t imagine the strength it takes to stand up for who you are when the world is trying to push you down.

References

Bullying statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/gay-bullying-  statistics.html

Hayes, D. (2013, October 30). Interview by M Waltemath []. Lgbt community.

Murphy, S. (2013, October 27). Interview by M Waltemath []. Lgbt community.

Rector, J. (2013, October 30). Interview by M Waltemath []. Lgbt community.

Avery, A. (2013, October 28). Interview by M Waltemath []. Lgbt community.

CAPS

           Friendship Overseas 

             One of the most prominent intercultural relationships in my life is with my good friend Zoë. My relationship with Zoe is especially unique sine we only see each other once a year for work. Zoë is about 4 years older than me but we connect on different levels such as school, family, work, and social interests. Although we only see each other once a year we try to stay in contact through Facebook and email. A benefit of our relationship is that when we get together it feels as if we were never apart. We have so much fun and we get along so well that the friendship remains strong throughout the year when we are apart. A challenge of our friendship is that we do not always stay in contact.  We may go months without speaking and we miss out on events that have happened in each of our lives. Not speaking on a regular basis can put a strain on the relationship but it also can be looked at positively. Through not speaking we have so much to catch up on when we get together which leads to amazing times and unforgettable memories.

            According to Martin and Nakayama benefits of intercultural relationships are acquiring new knowledge about the world, breaking stereotypes, and acquiring new skills (2013). Zoë opened my eyes to the world that was previously unknown to me. I have learned about little nuances that are different in America that I passed day to day never realizing that it could be different. One particular time I remember we were entering in data for our job and she had no idea what the abbreviations of the states meant. I had to explain that each state had two unique letters that stood for the state.  I have never been out of the country so Zoë tells me of all the things that are different between the countries. She also had to learn several languages to accommodate other people where Americans typically learn one or two. I also had this stereotypical picture of how her country was and how people acted. I am slowly learning that although the countries are very different, we actually have a lot in common. Zoë is understanding of the things I am not aware of and when I mistakenly refer to something stereotypical she corrects me and teaches me the proper term. I am humbled by the amazing things I have learned about the culture from just one person.  I would like to learn more of the Belgian language but our relationship is so relaxed I have only learned a select few phrases. She learns new things about America every day she is here. It’s something quite magnificent to see the wander in her eyes when she is taught something about America she never knew. One of my favorite things is to bring her new foods and just watch her experience something she has never had in her culture. We plan on meeting this summer in Belgium so I can better understand her culture and experience some of the amazement she has.

            Although Zoë speaks English very fluently she does not have a complete grasp on the language. Language barriers are one of the challenges in intercultural relationships along with cultural differences in communication style, values, and perceptions (Martin and Nakayama 2013). When Zoë and I speak we can go on and on but occasionally I forget that English is not her first language and I will say a phrase like “don’t worry, we will get you all set up and you will be good to go” and Zoë won’t understand what it means. Often it is because the literal translation doesn’t make any sense to her or they use different phrases in her country.  Zoë and I have never run into a challenge that we couldn’t overcome. The first time we met we were good friends within a few days. We quickly got over the initial awkwardness of cross-culture communication and never looked back. Now I forget that she is even rom a different culture because we are so much alike. At times I don’t even notice that she is speaking with an accent. Becoming close to Zoë was an easier task than becoming friends with people who share the same American culture as me.

            My relationship with Zoë fits in with Baxter’s Dialectal Approach because there are many things that we share but there are also things that are quite opposite. For example, our relationship falls into one Differences-Similarities Dialect which explains that we tend to be attracted to people that we believe to be similar to ourselves but who are somewhat different from us (Martin & Nakayama 2013).  Like I stated before Zoë and I have many similar interests such as books, movies, personality traits, etc.  We also have differences like age, language, location, etc. These similarities and differences create a balance of predictability and novelty that make our relationship successful (Martin & Nakayama 2013). Another dialect that this relationship fits into is the Privilege-Disadvantage aspect which explains that two people share similar and different privileges and disadvantages (Martin & Nakayama 2013). Zoë and I have different privileges and disadvantages that make for interesting conversation but don’t really affect how we view each other. We like to discuss how lucky we are to have an amazing job together which is an advantage that we share but Zoë is graduated which is an advantage that we don’t share. Another important aspect of our intercultural relationship is the History/Past-Present/Future Dialect that explains that relationships are constantly in flux (Martin and Nakayama 2013). This is especially true for Zoë and I since we rarely see each other. After each of us returns home from our week on the job our communication generally drops off for a while. It may pick up after a few months and we will talk briefly, but it eventually tapers off again. Although this communication style seems as if it would hurt a relationship, it really doesn’t affect us. As soon as we see each other we get past all of the intercultural barriers and we just realize that we only see each other once a year. Intercultural relationships are complicated but they are helpful in broadening one’s view of the world and obtaining new and important skills. 

References

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in context. (6th ed.). New             York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Intercultural Relationships- Eaton

            My sister and I are very different.  Rachel has long, dark, curly hair while I have blond and straight.  Rachel enjoys nature, fields, and the wind, while I would prefer to watch it on the Discovery Channel.  Rachel is compassionate and thoughtful, while I avoid emotional situations and lack self-analysis.  But there is one thing that keeps our sibling relationship going: our shared love for Beyoncé.  We are both obsessed, and this is our big connection.  But even with this, our three-year difference in age is noticeable.

            We both gain from our age variance.  I learn about her high school culture, and she’s updated in the real-life college culture, which she will be attending next year.  Rachel also keeps me up-to-date on our family life.  She lets me know the latest happenings with the rest of our family, as I am the oldest of four and hundreds of miles away at college.  But Rachel has acquired much knowledge about college life through me.  Her junior year, the college search process became a reality for her and she is continually seeking advice and information about my day-to-day life.  Psychology Today even found that many sister siblings bond to share their resources and ideas (Marano 2010).  While I gain knowledge from her about high school changes (like how the tennis team is compared to when I played) and our family, she is learning from me about the out-of-state college experience.

            Even though I was a high school student not long ago, I find my sister breaking that teenager stereotype often when talking with her.  She’s not boy-crazy, a shop-a-holic, or acts selfishly.  I can be tough on her, but her mature personality shines through.  At college, I think I am breaking the sorority girl stereotype for my sister as well.  She thinks we’re a large group of girls that hangs out, paints each other’s nails, and watches movies every night.  This is not the case.  In fact, I have emphasized that we all still have alone time, and the sorority is a lot more “real” than is depicted in movies and television shows.  Our age difference allows us to recognize these stereotypes and their disparities.

            However, there are also some challenges with our relationship.  As Rachel is still a teenager, I notice when she is acting overemotionally or being dramatic, and sometimes don’t act nicely towards parents or siblings.  I was similar in high school, and I do recognize this.  She also is very indecisive and, as I am not, it really bothers me.  At both our ages we are rather busy, so it is hard to keep in touch and see each other as well, so this has posed to be a challenge. 

            The personal-contextual dialectic is situational.  There are some instances in which the individuals are consistently comfortable, whereas other areas, topics, or instances result in more discomfort (Martin and Nakayama 2013, p. 397).  My sister and I are always comfortable around each other for the most part.  We do save some topics for friends, however.  This includes things having to do with social behavior, like parties, along with romance topics.  I don’t care to share about each other’s love lives; I just don’t feel comfortable doing so.  I am glad to note that we are always comfortable with how we look or act in front of each other, regardless of how embarrassing it may be.  I think our sibling relationship is much similar to most, there just is a certain line.  Certain conversation topics are handled better when talking to friends.

            The differences-similarities dialectic points out that people are more drawn to others who share their same similarities.  This leads to cognitive consistency; liking others who share our views, since we tend to like ourselves.  Obviously, Rachel and my relationship is a little different than the example of attraction discussed in the book (Martin and Nakayama 2013, p. 398).  I still do feel that Rachel and I bond over our similarities and avoid each other’s differences.  Again, Rachel is much more emotion-based, and I tend to stray away from her emotions.  I also avoid any drama that has to do with high school and her friend group.  I feel that since I recently graduated from those high school days, I don’t want to be brought back to them.  Rachel doesn’t ask me about my social life as much, either, because I am a little more outgoing than her.  A final example could be in relation to television shows, as low-culture as that is.  We both share a love for How I Met Your Mother, and watch that on a regular basis together.  However, I love Breaking Bad and she loves One Tree Hill.  We both haven’t adopted each other’s television shows and don’t plan to.  These differences in television shows are addressed, but we tend to avoid those. 

            While Rachel and I have our differences and might avoid certain topics haphazardly in a conversation, I feel that, despite our differences in age, our intercultural relationship works out very well.  In fact, the U.S. News and World Report found that siblings encourage us to be different from them (Lyon 2009).  Rachel and I have maintained a good amount of dissimilarities in our lives, and I think that because of this, we are actually closer. 

Lyon, L.  (2009).  7 ways your siblings may have shaped you.  U.S. News and World Report.  Retrieved from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2009/07/31/7-ways-your-siblings-may-have-shaped-you?page=2

Marano, H. E.  (2010)  Oh, brother!  Psychology Today.  Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201006/oh-brother

Martin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K.  (2013).  Intercultural Communication in Contexts (6^th ed.)  New York, N.Y. : McGraw Hill. 

History to Histories: Turkey

As you can see, much of Turkey's modern, wealthy cities
are located in Western Turkey.

           Culture forms our perception of our own personal history whereas histories refers to the many different outlooks on history that exist among different peoples of different cultures. “When people of different cultural backgrounds encounter one another, the differences among them can be hidden barriers to communication” (Martin & Nakayama, p.127). What shifting from history to histories does is it allows people to eliminate those barriers and engage in more meaningful conversation with those of different backgrounds.

            Turkey serves as a gateway to the Middle East and a large portion of Asia for much of the Western world. However, a recent shift towards a more Islamic-influenced Turkey has threatened to close Turkey off to much of the modernized world. A republic that dates back to the post World War 1 era has undergone a process of de-modernization as of late in an effort to more closely follow Islamic law. In order to understand this shift it is important to have a better understanding of why exactly this shift has been occurring.

            Turkey was founded in 1923 as the Republic of Turkey by the military general Ataturk. Turkey was founded as a modernized state, with legitimate efforts to become a more European country and less of a Middle Eastern country. To this day Ataturk is hailed as a visionary in Turkey and it is almost unheard of for someone to speak out against the late Ataturk. However, that is just what the Prime Minister of Turkey Erdogan has done during his tenure in office. Erdogan has made a habit of attempting to cover up the economic and social issues of Turkey as a nation by stressing reforms based around making the country a more Islamic state. For the most part his efforts have been applauded by the majority of Turks although their support often more from a position being unaware of what is really going on.

Prime Minister Erdogan has been a
controversial figure since his
appointment in 2003.

            Erdogan’s reforms to make the country more Islamic, less modern, and more religious have been somewhat effective in covering up the larger issues. Although there are murmurs among the wealthy, educated, elite that Erdogan’s reforms are hurting the country more than they are helping; the majority is still in favor of the current prime minister. Issues like unemployment, a large socioeconomic gap, and vast drops in quality of living as you go from west to east in Turkey have been largely downplayed under the current regime. As tensions rise internally among the people of Turkey, support increases from the Muslim run states throughout the Middle East. A solution to these issues is nowhere in sight but all we can hope for is that everything ends peacefully and that conflict of any sort can be resolved civilly.

Ataturk: The founder of Turkey,
the modern state

                The shift from history to histories allows us to develop a richer understanding of intercultural communication. It is able to do this by removing limitations that are placed on encounters of those from diverse cultural backgrounds. When you look at intercultural communication through the lens of histories as opposed to the viewpoint you may have from the perspective of just one singular history, you are able to understand where others may be coming from or what ideas others may have about a certain event or maybe even individuals throughout history. After all we are shaped by our history and if we can understand one another’s history and think more on a larger scale we are able to more fully indulge in intercultural communication.

Works Cited

                http://data.un.org/_Images/Maps/Turkey.gif

                http://geopolitika.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/erdogan-Turkish.jpg

                http://travelogue.travelvice.com/postfiles/2009-01-17_ataturk6.jpg

                Martin, J. N. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts (Sixth ed.). New York, New                  York: McGraw-Hill.

Caps 5- Duck Dynasty

Caps 5 - Duck Dynasty

This chapter focuses on Popular culture and how many cultures are influenced by different cultural texts primarily from the United States.  The text book describes cultural texts as, “television shows, movies, advertisements, or other widely disseminated messages” (364 Martin, Nakayama).   These different outlets all deliver messages about what “life is like” or how we live as a culture whether true or false other cultures view these cultural texts and based on what they decode from the messages they make an assessment of our culture.   From the cultural texts, people create stereotypes about what they see.  This weeks assignment was to watch a television show for a week and relate it to popular culture and the text.

I typically do not watch television, but for the assignment I watched a few episodes of Ducky Dynasty on A&E.  I’m not sure if they were reruns or not but whatever the case they definitely reinforced the idea of stereotyping.  The idea behind the show is to film a family of white Americans or as the stereotype calls them “rednecks” and to show what goes on a daily basis with the family and friends.  The only ethnic group portrayed in the shows that I watched were white Caucasian and in one episode the characters visited a Mexican restaurant where they encountered Hispanic workers.  None the less it was mostly just the family on the show.  In the show Willie and Jace, brothers, are constantly arguing and fighting which is the good vs. bad role.  This positive vs. negative is what gives the show its humor along with the crazy uncle who is usually sandwiched in between the two brothers and their arguing.  The women in the show were the men’s wives.  Their role was to give advice and to keep the men in line.  They showed stability and seemed very motherly to their friends and family.  They were constantly planning get together for the family where the could cook and spend time with their kids.  Based on the actions of the men and their daily habits, one could conclude that they fit under the stereotype of rednecks but at the same time the high class of the women offsets the redneck of the men and the show creates a new stereotype, a “high class redneck”.

As you can see through the cultural context of television, examples of stereotypes can be found.   I feel that if a book was written about these men on Duck Dynasty the same stereotype would be present to people reading the book or watching the show.