Sunday, 30 October 2011

Definitions

1. Affluence = wealth.

Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.

The opposite of affluence is poverty.

2. Ethnicity is related to culture, race, language.

Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians.

3. Ability = skill = aptitude.

He has the ability to get good grades.

4. Diversity = difference.

The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.

5. Assimilation = absorption.

People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.

6. Demographics = the study of population.

You can study a country's demographics in many different ways, e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender.

7. religion = a set of beliefs.

Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.

8. race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.

People of Malay, Chinese & Indian race share Malaysian nationality.

9. multiculturalism = many different cultures.

A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.

10. personality = individual character.

She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.

11. prejudice = bias.

Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.

12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.

It means different cultures borrowing from each other.

13. Bias = prejudice.

Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.

14. Discrimination = treating people differently.

Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.

15. Fringe = edge, margin.

A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.

16. Population = the number of people.

A census is a count of the number of people in a country.

17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.

Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.

18. Gender = sex.

There are two genders, male and female.

19. Resistance = opposition.

There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.

20. Advantage = a favoured position.

If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.

21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.

The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.

22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.

Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.

23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.

The company's productivity rates are rising.

24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.

The students' behaviour is very good.

25. Belief = confidence, opinion..

I have great belief in her.

Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.

26. Majority = most.

The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.

27. Income = salary.

All employees have a monthly income.

28. Adverse = bad, harmful.

We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.

29. Values = beliefs.

I value honesty very highly.

30. Traditions = customs.

They are handed down from generation to generation.

31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.

In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.

32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.

She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.

33. Slang = slightly improper language.

Have a shufti at my blog.

34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.

An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.

35. Stratification = rigid division of society.

The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.

36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.

Language, race, affluence are all socio-cultural factors.

37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.

Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.

38. Poverty = being poor.

The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.

39. Nationality = the country you belong to.

You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.

40. Minority = less than half.

Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.

41. Class = group.

You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.

42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.

Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.

43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.

Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.

44. Barriers = obstacles.

To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

Blindsight






1.   What types of cultural diversity are present in the movie?

There are two types of cultural diversity; firstly is western culture shown by the German woman who sets up a school for the blind in Tibet and Erik the blind American mountaineer volunteers to guide blind children up Everest . Both are western and the culture is based in Christianity.

Secondly the Tibetan tradition is based on Buddhism. The traditional Tibetan view is that blindness is a form of divine punishment for sins committed in a previous life or incarnation. As the Tibetan woman who said ‘without eyes a man is not complete‘. On the other hand the western desire to overcome disability, to achieve, to get to the top. For example the support that Erik received from his father when learning to hike.

2.   What are some of the challenges people in the movie encounter?

The first challenge that they face is blindness. In addition is a physical challenge of lack of oxygen at high altitude. Also family problems, such as: Erik was losing both his sight and his mother at an early age. And the blind girl is with 2 blind brothers and a blind father, Her mother died of a heart attack, leaving her daughter with no effective support.

3.   What are some examples of stereotyping, prejudice, bias and /or discrimination in the movie?

Tashi finds it difficult to gain acceptance because he is a street kid. . Also, the boy who was sent away to live with a Chinese couple and he was beaten by them when he failed to beg enough money, or when the money was stolen from him. 

4.   What challenges do people face as result of personality rather than culture?

The Chinese couple are beating the blind beggar and this is a challenge caused by personality, rather than culture, like the cigarette burns on Tashi's body.

5.   What benefits are there for the people in the movie as a result of their differing cultures?

The benefits are the Tibetan girl gets a place in an English language school. Also Tashi found his father with a lot of help from the western culture.

Sunday, 2 October 2011

Reflection

      
My reflections on the demographics are:

The graph shows the percentage of the UAE Arab population in the year 2000 .It was 12.2 , because the life was more difficult than now . But now for sure the percentage has increased, because of many reasons such as, life becomes easier than before, better health care,higher income, government support for young people for marriage.