Thinking about film culture

Thinking about...Film culture

Human culture is being influenced by a significant amount of media and art movements that have changed the ways we think, feel and interact as a global entity. Many critics have described the process of globalisation as both trendy and controversial; they see the world as subjugated by American or Western ideals, demonstrated through pop-culture and the dominance of Hollywood productions (Hatchen, WA, Scotton, JF, 2002). Indeed, most of the films we watch are based or produced in America, and have inevitably changed the way we perceive the world.

Movies themselves have been shaped by technological changes and social developments (Nederveen Pieterse, J, 2004), enabling people to affiliate demographically with the media content they are so frequently exposed to. However, a majority of the films we do watch are produced and framed by American ideals and beliefs. This constant exposure to their way of thinking has undoubtedly influenced the way I think and perceive the world. 

I notice a few common themes within the movies I watch, which are defiantly no coincidence. Often, there is a strong-jawed, stereotypically attractive male lead with biceps pulsating out of his tight-fitting t-shirt. He’ll romance and save the damsel in distress, a blonde Barbie who lets herself be dependent on Hercules to save her from her impending doom. And no, I don’t just watch action movies. Across many genres of film we are influenced to believe an ideal of feminism, masculinity, and cultural normatives. An over-dose of Hollywood movies has quite obviously diluted me. Wary of this, I still firmly believe that Ryan Gosling will one day fall for me me despite our social differences, buy me a dream house to convince me to love him after years of separation, and will still love me even when I have dementia. 

The process of globalisation has allowed Hollywood productions to be viewed in many countries. My position stands that even though there has been shifts in the ideals permeating films, we still succumb to adapting and upholding American perspectives due to the ‘supremacy’ and multitude of their film productions. Even though Hollywood productions can be based in different countries, there still seems a need to promote American supremacy, which we seem to easily accept. Think about it…did the skilfully trained Japanese Samurai REALLY need to lay their future in the hands of American pretty-boy, Tom Cruise, to help them defeat the fierce rebellion group (who interestingly were opposed Western influence)?   

Sources

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRrckyRrG20

Nederveen Pieterse, J, 2004, ‘Globalization: consensus and controversies’, Globalization and culture: global mélange, Rowan & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., pp. 7–21.

Hatchen, WA, Scotton, JF, 2002, ‘News communication for a new global system’, The world news prism: global media in an era of terrorism, 6th edn, Iowa State Press, Ames, pp. 3–14.

Thinking about ethnoscapes

Thinking about...Ethnoscapes

The process of globalisation has elicited a sense of curiosity amongst human beings to explore the world beyond the confines of their hometown. Geographical boundaries are becoming inapt limitations for people who endeavour to experience new cultures and lifestyles. The term ethnoscapes is used to describe this movement of people cross-culturally and encapsulates the notion of humans gaining different perspectives of historical, linguistic and political situatedness (Rantanen, T 2005). Tourists, migrants and refugees are all examples of the labels humans assume when experiencing this flow of cultural movement. The process of ethnoscapes in the scheme of globalisation has alluded to a more informational society, one which connects humans in a way that compresses geographical space and time, and has ultimately changed lives.

The development of ethnoscapes in the process of globalisation has changed the life of my mother, Anthoula Chand (and by that note, me too!). Anthoula’s parents were immigrants from Greece, who sought a better life in Australia. When the family moved back to Greece for a short time, Anthoula could compare and appreciate the lifestyle she had in Melbourne. In 1990, Anthoula took a trip with friends to Fiji, and became immersed in the country’s culture and lifestyle, experiencing and seeing things she wouldn’t back home. That trip is also when she met James, a local Fijian hotel worker, and fell in love. The ability for Anthoula to cross multiple borders and meet different people of different nationalities led her to not only gain a worldly knowledge, but to meet her husband of 21 years.

In my eyes, ethnoscapes have broadened the knowledge of human beings, exposing them to different perspectives, ways of thinking and traditions. Globalisation in this respect has created various opportunities for individuals. Consider the example of Adeline Yen Mah, a Chinese woman who endured a childhood of neglect and hardship. The ability for Adeline to migrate to London brought about a better and more successful life, leading to the publishment of her award-winning novel, “Chinese Cinderella”, a novel that is now read globally.

Ethnoscapes have a created a culture in itself of learning, acceptance and sharing. Sharing of information, of cultures, of traditions and of knowledge that have been embraced and explored by curious, individual minds.

Sources: 

Image: Wikipedia, 2008, Chinese Cinderella Book Cover, retrieved July 23^rd 2013, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_Cinderella_2_cover.jpg

The Guardian, 2013, “Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah – review”, Sunday 28^th of April, retrieved Tuesday 23^rd of July 2013, http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2013/apr/28/review-chinese-cinderella-adeline-yen-mah

Rantanen, T 2005, ‘Theorizing media globalization’, The media and globalization, Sage, London, pp. 1–18.