Sunday, May 13, 2007
Downside Of Cultural Globalisation
Image from
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gwh/lowres/gwhn74l.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/h/high_streets_gifts.asp&h=262&w=400&sz=26&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=d
PICTURE ANALYSIS
In the pictures above, it can be seen that cultural globalisation has its downside after all. The first picture shows two confused tourists who do not know what town they are in because cultural globalisation has made it such that all towns look the same, having the same food outlets (McDonalds’, Starbucks and Burger King), the same music stores (HMV) as well as the same fashion outlets (Dorothy Perkins). In the second picture, the situation is pretty much the same. As the signboard says “Welcome to HomogenizedVille- A place just like everywhere else”, emphasising my point that cultural globalisation has caused the whole world be alike, having shopping malls (in the background of picture 2), cars and modern machinery.
MY REFLECTIONS
As can be seen, cultural globalisation may not be such a good thing after all. With the world having global trends, global cultures and global crazes, lifestyles of people all over the world has become the same. The sense of uniqueness that each country used to boast of is now lost. Rich cultures and traditions are gradually being lost, with everyone following the trends of the rest of the world.
Culture is defined as the bond between individuals in the community and the sharing of common set of values, traditions and beliefs. These cultural elements bind the members of a community together, shaping the character and identity of these individuals. Therefore, since individuals are part of the cultural constructs, cultural globalisation thus threatens the identities of people since their cultures are being threatened.
The impact of globalisation on cultures is thus very great, as it has changed the way people perceive things, their ideals, lifestyles and mindsets. Cultural globalization has thus made the world a more boring place, as no matter where you go, the environment would be the same as global brands and cultures are spread all over the world. All countries now offer almost the same experience and the place where you want to holiday does not really matter much anymore.
2:55 PM
Saturday, May 12, 2007
The Global Festival:Christmas!
Image taken from http://www.joehockey.com/useruploads/Image/Xmas%20Card%20Pic%20Winner%202005.JPG
PICTURE ANALYSIS
From the picture above, we can see that Christmas is a global festival which is celebrated not only in western countries, but throughout the world. The characters in the cartoon are all from different nations, all of them representing their different cultural backgrounds and traditions. However, despite their differences, they can come together on Christmas Day (depicted by the holding of hands) to celebrate this global festival.
REFLECTIONS
I feel that the way people all over the world celebrate Christmas together is simply amazing. It is quite a phenomenon as the whole world is celebrating a festival even though they do not even know what the actual cause for celebration is. This shows how globalization has affected the world, that cultures and customs can be spread so far and wide.
Christmas originated from the West, as it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, and is actually a deeply religious event. Christmas is a special time for Christians, as it celebrates the day in which the Lord Jesus Christ was born. Christmas is often associated with winter because in Western countries such as the United States, Christmas always takes place during winter. Perhaps the sense of warmth the festival brings people joy in the cold winter.
Christmas is known as the season of love, joy and giving. Thus the exchanging of gifts is one of the most practiced Christmas traditions around the world. This is because it expresses our appreciation, love and gratitude to one another. The tradition stemmed from the gifts which the three wise men brought to Jesus when he was born. However, children are usually told the story of Santa Claus bringing gifts on Christmas, which makes the festival more exciting for them.
Due to the practice of exchanging gifts, the weeks leading up to Christmas are usually the most profitable for retailers and they can earn as much as 70% of their revenue. Therefore retailers often try their best to hype the event, and even make use of Santa Claus to attract children to the malls.
Personally, I feel that Christmas is a wonderful event, but I think people should remember what the actual cause for celebration is, and not to celebrate because everyone else is doing it. The true purpose of the season is really to celebrate love.
1:10 AM
Monday, May 7, 2007
Group Post (Photo taking)- GLOBALISATION IN TJ
Hi everyone! This is Group 4 of 2A'06! This is our group photo post. It was previously in the old blog before we changed the skin. Forgot to post it... Look below for globalisation in Tj!
COMPUTERS
The internet is defined as the worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks. Internet connects the world together and allows people to reach out to the world. Sharing of information around the world through this invisible connection is available just a click away. For example, exotic images and sceneries are available for viewing through the internet without the hassle of going to the particular place. The internet also improves global connection between people as programs such as MSN messenger helps people to communicate more easily and allows people to view each other through webcams. In TJC, the computer labs allow students to reach out to the rest of the world and find information .
TEMASEK IDOL
The idol fever started off with the UK reality program pop idol, but it shot to fame with American Idol. The reality show was viewed worldwide and the idol fever soon spread to the rest of the world, with everyone having their eyes on the show. Many countries started their own ‘idol’ shows and even in Singapore, there was Singapore Idol and project superstar. Temasek Junior College also held their very own Temasek Idol recently this year and the students were equally fanatic over it. The spread of the show shows how globalization influences cultural aspects by causing trends and cultures to spread quickly over the world. It also allows the media and sponsor companies to gain profits.
NIKE AND ADIDAS 
Shoe brands like Nike and Adidas are famous throughout the world. Sports like football and tennis help to advertise for the brands. Nike started in America while Adidas started in Germany, so the fact that they are now global brands shows how the company has globalised. Nike and Adidas are popular in Singapore, especially among students. Students buy products from Nike and Adidas which are globalised companies, because they try to keep up with the latest fashion trends, most of which include Nike and Adidas products. Thus, the image of TJC students wearing Nike and Adidas shoes show how TJC is becoming connected and linked to the world.
SUBWAY
Subway is a multinational restaurant franchise which sells sandwiches and salads and is renowned for its fresh and healthy ingredients. Though it first originated from America, this popular food outlet soon set up branches all around the world and became a global company. Subway is popular among people as it not only provides healthy meals, but also tastes delicious. Even here in Singapore, it proves to be a very popular choice among people of all ages. Here in Temasek Junior College, we are very privileged to have Subway in our campus. This shows how globalization has spread and affected the world and its trends.
RECYCLING FEVER 
Recycling has become popular ever since the Industrial Revolution. The mutual concern for the environment links different countries together as one. There is a common goal of saving the environment through environmentally friendly initiatives like recycling programs. The Kyoto Protocol, was a global movement to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. In TJC, we have our very own recycling bins and recycling schemes such as the old newspaper collections. The recycling bins show how globalization has caused environmental concern to spread to the rest of the world.
9:31 AM
ARTICLE TAKEN FROM: http://www.americans-world.org/digest/global_issues/globalization/culture.cfm
Globalization of Culture
A majority of Americans has a favorable view of American popular culture, though a large minority of the public is pessimistic about the quality of US movies and television. Americans are divided about the spread of American culture, but only a small minority considers the dominance of US culture a threat to other cultures. When it comes to globalization bringing greater cultural influences into the US, Americans express a positive attitude.
One of the most controversial aspects of globalization is the worldwide spread and dominance of American culture. Just as US goods flooded world markets in the post-Word War II era, US culture is now penetrating every continent through the dramatic growth of mass communications such as music, television, films and the Internet, as well as through the penetration of American corporations into foreign countries. From China to France to the Middle East, foreign leaders and activists have expressed fear that global culture may become too Americanized, destroying their own cultural, economic, and religious traditions. Where does the majority public stand?
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REFLECTIONS
The article above shows how globalization has led to the spread of the American cultures to the rest of the world through the mass media. The term “Americanization” is thus used to describe the way the United States of America (U.S.A.) spreads and globalises the world with its dominating culture.
The start of Americanization first began in the 20th century, with the invention of mass media. Americans were portrayed in the media as accomplished and successful, creating an idealistic lifestyle which the rest of the world wanted to imitate. This not only led to the spread of ideals, but also of American goods and products, as well as the idolization of Hollywood actors and music celebrities. People all over the world started adopting the American way of life. American trends such as the eating of fast-food (McDonald’s) soon became part of other cultures around the world. (McDonald’s is currently the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million people in more than 119 countries each day.) As can be seen, the American culture has indeed affected people and cultures in all parts of the world.
America is also the most dominant cultural source for entertainment in the world. American television programmes are viewed all over the world, dominating the screens and influencing the minds of many people, not only the young. People around the world yearn for lifestyles like those of Americans, and quickly catch up to imitate trends set by America (e.g. American Idol). Movies shown in theatres around the world are dominated by Hollywood films, and American hits on the pop charts are heard worldwide. As can be seen, globalization of media has led to cultural globalization and has influenced the lifestyles of people around the world.
7:50 AM
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Soccer: The Global Game
The cartoon above depicts appropriately how soccer is a global game, and how the entire family, even the children, can enjoy it together as age boundaries are not present in the game. The caricatures in the cartoon have the soccer balls as their head, showing how obsessed they are with soccer. Even the dog watches the television, showing the exaggeration of how addictive soccer is. As can be seen, it is through globalisation that soccer is spread, e.g. world cup/ through the news—this would be elaborated on later.
Reflections
Soccer is known as the most popular sport in the world. It is played at a professional level around the world and millions of fans go to stadiums just to watch their favorite teams play. However, even more people watch the game on television, up to billions of people, especially during the world cup season. This shows how globalisation has played a major role in the spread and creation of global cultures.
Perhaps the spread and popularity of the game is due to the fact that it presents no age and language barriers, and has simple rules and objectives. Therefore it is a game that everyone can enjoy. Soccer binds the world together being a common identity that everyone in the world can identify with. Therefore soccer acts as a unifying force between people from different cultures and languages in the world.
The book above: HOW SOCCER EXPLAINS THE WORLD, by Franklin Foer shows and explains how the game relates to a particular region's culture, politics and economy.
3:07 PM
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Introduction to Cultural Globalisation!
Introduction to Cultural Globalisation!
Popularity in the media
In 1997, retired Hong Kong judge Wayne Gould, 59, a New Zealander, saw a partly completed puzzle in a Japanese bookshop. Over six years he developed a computer program to produce puzzles quickly.[28] Knowing that British newspapers have a long history of publishing crosswords and other puzzles, he promoted Sudoku to The Times in Britain, which launched it on 12 November 2004 (calling it Su Doku).
The rapid rise of Sudoku in Britain from relative obscurity to a front-page feature in national newspapers attracted commentary in the media and parody (such as when The Guardian's G2 section advertised itself as the first newspaper supplement with a Sudoku grid on every page[29]). Recognizing the different psychological appeals of easy and difficult puzzles, The Times introduced both side by side on 20 June 2005. From July 2005, Channel 4 included a daily Sudoku game in their Teletext service. On 2 August, the BBC's programme guide Radio Times featured a weekly Super Sudoku.
In the United States, the first newspaper to publish a Sudoku puzzle by Wayne Gould was The Conway Daily Sun (New Hampshire), in 2004.[30]
The world's first live TV Sudoku show, 1 July 2005, Sky One.
The world's first live TV Sudoku show, Sudoku Live, was broadcast on 1 July 2005 on Sky One. It was presented by Carol Vorderman. Nine teams of nine players (with one celebrity in each team) representing geographical regions competed to solve a puzzle. Each player had a hand-held device for entering numbers corresponding to answers for four cells. The audience at home was in a separate interactive competition. 
Later in 2005, the BBC launched SUDO-Q, a game show that combines Sudoku with general knowledge. However, it uses only 4x4 and 6x6 puzzles.
Sudoku software is now also very popular on PCs, websites, and mobile phones. It has also been released on portable video game handhelds such as the PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance, and the Nintendo DS.
REFLECTIONS: BY CULTURAL EXPERT JOELLA
With the advancement of technology, communications throughout the world is much easier and information is available with only the click of the mouse. Thus global cultures can be spread easily because of the increase in global connectivity. Media from different parts of the world are telecasted globally and the cultures which appeals most to the crowd would influence and perhaps spark a new global trend.
Does the grid above look familiar? It is Sudoku! The objective of the game is to fill the 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9.
In fact, the media has sparked global crazes such as the spread of the popular game Sudoku. Sudoku became an international hit in the year 2005, and the rapidness of its spread was mainly due to the media. The article posted above shows how Sudoku was spread worldwide through the media. Indeed, the media plays a big part in the spread of global cultures.
Perhaps another reason for the spread is because Sudoku is a simple game with simple rules and is easy to pick up. There are also no language barriers as the game only involves numbers. I find it quite amazing how a game can spread so fast throughout the world. Such is the power of globalisation and its ability to actually shrink the world into a single culture. The impact of globalisation on cultures is thus very great, as it actually changes the trends of the world
11:08 PM
