Westernization (Sumblog 11)

Westernization is a process where societies adopt Western culture in different areas such as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion, philosophy, and values.
Westernization has been a prevalent influence across the world in the last few centuries. It is usually a two-sided process where western influences and interests themselves are joined by a wish to change towards a more westernized society. They do this in the hope of attaining western life or at least some aspects of it.

Towards the end of the 17th century, Russia began undergoing many dramatic internal changes. Peter the Great led the first westernization of Russia in history. These actions permanently changed how Russia acted. Westernization was used by Peter and his successors to promote Russia's expansionist empire without planning to transform Russia into a truly Western society. 

Peter made Russia more culturally respectable in Western eyes. He slightly promoted the status of women in society and encouraged women to wear Western-style clothing to social functions. These small reforms were mainly aimed at upper-class women and he made no move to change gender relations. He tried to change it, or westernize it, just enough for others to view them differently as a country.

There have been other instances when westernization has been present in Russia. While Peter the Great lead the first wave of Westernization in Russia, Catherine the Great introduced the second. Like Peter, Catherine was a selective westernizer. She reformed only the areas that she deemed acceptable and harmless to her power.

Westernization not only changes how a country acts but it vastly changes how a country is viewed by others. 

Culture of Fear (Sumblog 10)

Without knowing it, we may have been sucked into a culture of fear. We are taught to be afraid of many aspects of society and our everyday interactions. 

We have been programed to be afraid we do not have enough or will not be good enough if we do not have the right material goods. They have convinced us that our personal worth is represented by a $1500.00 Louis Vittion purse, or a BMW . The government might try to hide the problems that would generate real fear, because the government may really have to stand up to the multinational corporations.
CNN, Fox, and other new stations sell fear. If there is no fear to sell they will create some. They have taken the news and made a soap opera out of it. Some of the fear they sell is Racism and poverty. It is almost impossible to turn on the TV and watch something without having fear pressured on you by the media.

The media and news vastly contribute to the culture of fear. They need to keep people watching so they want you to think death is around every corner, that without them you won't know about all the horrible things out to kill you. For example they run reports every Halloween about razor blades in candy and abductions, they don't what it does to the normally great American tradition, they just want you watching their station. Given enough time they'll blow every random 1 in a million accident that occurs into a full fledged panic, remember the "zombie cannibal attacks"? Or the "brain eating lake amoebas?". They won't be happy until you're just sitting inside all day long watching them tell you what to be afraid of.

Fear is portrayed all around us. The perception of fear has increased, not the risk. This is due to the fact that fear is profitable. It is important to recognize the impact this fear has on our daily lives.

Cultural Hegemony (Sumblog 9)

In class we discussed the concept of cultural hegemony and related it to media in the United States of America. Cultural hegemony is the idea or concept that one nation or culture has an excessive influence into how other cultures should conduct themselves, both in terms of values and political and economic goals. The idea of cultural hegemony was promoted by the writings of the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, but he did not necessarily create the concept. A ruling class social structure has existed throughout human history in many regions.

 

American culture is centered on a thriving and diverse media industry. Through movies, television, music, and print entertainment, as well as the marketing of products through extensive advertising, American culture has a huge influence on the values of many nations where people aspire to a more consumer-based lifestyle. This influence is often seen in a negative light, as it has the potential to suppress local cultural expression to the point where diversity, in many forms, is lost.

One of the main arguments against cultural hegemony throughout history is that it is wrong to assume that smaller cultures are forced to take on the identity of more dominant ones. They do it by choice, and often go to extraordinary efforts to obtain access to foreign cultural ideas and products, despite an attempt to suppress this by their own governments. Another main argument against the concept of cultural hegemony is that, while dominant cultures may spread their influence to diverse regions, these regions tend to not abandon their own values and interests, but merely incorporate the new ones into a broader view of the good life.

Overall, cultural hegemony determines who has the most influence on those around them. This includes what the media portrays and how society acts. It is something that we do not often think of but is a vital part of our society.

Immigration Myth vs. Reality (SumBlog 8)

Immigration is something that is commonly debated and misunderstood in the United States of America. During each election this topic is discussed and debated, causing a lot of controversy. It is not uncommon in the debates and discussions on immigration that different myths are brought up. I put together some of what I believe are the most common misconceptions and myths out there right now concerning immigration.

There are many myths out there concerning immigration and unfortunately it is the myths that people tend to believe. One of the most common myths is: “Americans want undocumented immigrants to leave. The way forward is to deport all the 11 million immigrants who are here illegally.” However the truth is that most Americans want change. In all reality, the majority of Americans want Congress to create an immigration process allows a way that aspiring citizens can become legal.

Another common myth about immigration is: “We need our jobs back. Immigrants take jobs from Americans and harm the U.S. economy.” This is not true. Immigrants actually create jobs for American citizens and are vital to a diverse array of businesses. Immigrants are twice as more likely to create and start their own business than U.S. born citizens. 

A third myth is: “If we approve undocumented immigrants for legal status, it will just encourage more illegal immigration in the future. Granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants rewards law-breaking.” However, there are currently large amounts of aspiring citizens living in the United States because the law makes it nearly impossible for them to become legalized.

As you can see, many people tend to make judgments about immigration. It is common for a person to make assumptions about whether immigration should be allowed, how it is being run, and what it is turning in to. It is important to learn the facts about immigration and how it truly affects those who are currently in our country and those who are aspiring to become citizens.