الأحد، 16 أكتوبر 2011

Definitions

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.

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. 
 

الأحد، 9 أكتوبر 2011

Blindsight

Blindsight
What types of cultural diversity are present in the movie?
There are different types of culture in the movie such as the German woman who set up a school for the blind in Tibet, Eric who is Christian from America, and the blind man who volunteered to guide blind children to climb up Everest. The traditional Tibetan defined the blindness as a form of divine punishment for sins committed in a previous life or incarnation. On the other hand, we see the western desire to overcome disability, to achieve, to get to the top.

What are some of the challenges people in the movie encounter?
They face many problems during their trip. The first challenge is that they face the blindness. The second problem is that they face the lack of oxygen at high altitude. Also, they have to climb the world's highest mountain. The last thing is that all of them have a different problem with their families and they are missing them during the trip.

What are some examples of stereotyping, prejudice, bias and/or discrimination in the video?
Tashi finds it difficult to be accepted by the others 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.
What challenges do people face as a result of personality rather than culture?
People are beating blind beggars when they fail to beg enough money like the Chinese couple and the boy.

What benefits are there for the people in the movie as a result of their differing cultures?
They gained a lot of useful things from the trip. The advantages are that they became more confident with themselves; got a place in a language school; the Tibetan girl and they felt better about their ability to live, to achieve and to learn.

السبت، 1 أكتوبر 2011

Reflection

The percentage of the UAE Arabs twenty years ago was 12.2. My reflection on this point is that the life was more difficult than now. Now the percentage is going to increase because the life becomes easier than before. Now the requirements of life are available such as food, water and garments and this leads to attract people to live in the UAE. In my opinion, the percentage of UAE Arabs will be two or three times than what it was before.