Journal (Reflective):
When thinking about stereotypes and cultural practices, I
could not help but think about a few stereotypes that I have personally dealt
with. In high school, my family hosted a student from Slovakia through the
Rotary Exchange program. The experience overall was eye-opening and a ton of
fun. It was also a great opportunity to hear about some American stereotypes
from Europe. One of the many stereotypes that he shared with us was that all
Americans are rich. Specifically, that most Americans had pools in their yards.
I remember my mom laughing at this, saying that a pool is both way too
expensive to maintain, and that you’d hardly be able to use it if you live in
Illinois. Additionally, he and a Ecuadorian student he was in the program with
thought that Americans did not have to tip taxi drivers. They said that,
because they had never seen Americans tip cab drivers in movies, they did not
think that they needed to tip either. This really got me thinking about how
much we tend to glean from another culture based on media either from or about
that country.
Some years before we hosted an exchange student, I had
befriended an exchange student from France and decided to invite her to a New
Years party. My parents were curious about what the French stereotypes of
Americans are, and she said that she always thought that Americans were always
hunting and had deer antlers and stuffed heads of animals on their walls. My
family does not hunt, but my mother’s friend’s husband does. Not ten minutes
later, the couple walked in, husband wearing a hat with antlers embroidered on
it, as well as a camouflage jacket. The French stereotype seems to have been
proven correct.
In looking at these examples, it seems that cultural
stereotypes about Americans are most the most prevalent, at least in my own
experience. For me, I am fortunate to be enrolled at an institution that
teaches we a wealth of information about the world, especially concerning China
and Japan. My textbooks, secondary materials provided by professors, and films
that my professors have had me watch as part of an assignment have given me a
fair amount of insight into the cultures of the countries that I will be
traveling to. While I cannot say that watching a few movies and reading a
couple of books have educated me about every aspect of China and Japan, but I
feel that I am in a position to be able to reflect and think in terms of
generalizations rather than stereotypes.
I have also faced stereotypes about the countries I will be
studying in from members of my family as well. My grandmother, for example,
asked me what the differences between China and Japan are. Granted, she
definitely is not trying to be malicious, but she grew up in a time when people
were not necessarily concerned about the Asian continent in general, unless we
were at war in the region (Vietnam, Korea, etc.). She honestly thought that
they spoke the same language and wondered why I would go to both.
China/Japan: Music
AKB48 is an all-female idol group that is about 130 members
strong. The group's style is characterized by synchronized dancing and much of
their music is pop tunes with sometimes-suggestive lyrics. Their music is in
line with that of other Japanese pop groups that I am familiar with.
J-pop, a musical genre that is best characterized by its
pop, rock, and synth elements, is one of the most well-known music genres that
Americans tend to associate with Japan. Its blend of influences, along with the
following that J-pop groups have both in Japan and around the world, is both
similar to pop groups in the States and is uniquely Japanese.
Specifically, many of their songs are fast-paced with up-beat
choruses. Overall, their songs are really fun to listen to. I typically do not
listen to pop very often, more of a metal/rock person, but I think AKB48 has
given me a new appreciation for J-pop and pop in general. Their song “Sugar Rush” specifically piqued my
interest because it was featured in the recent Disney Pixar film, Wreak it
Ralph. I am always curious about foreign media being incorporated into American
media. While I would not say that this particular song is a great
representation for Japanese music as a whole, I did find it interesting and enjoyable
nonetheless. The fact that most of the song is in Japanese with some English
used really caught my attention. While this is not atypical of most Japanese
music that I am familiar with, it is still in line with the typical style of AKB48;
upbeat with a tone of inspiration. That, and the fact that Disney wanted to
incorporate a bit of Japanese popular culture into one of its films is great
for introducing the group and J-pop to American audiences.
The song is about the
ups and downs of life and combines pop and rock elements and I have not been able
to stop playing it. Overall, I would definitely recommend this song, as well as
AKB48’s other works, to those curious about Japanese music, specifically J-pop.
Li Yuchun, also known as Chris Lee, is a Chinese singer whom debuted her singing career by
winning the champion at the Chinese singing contest Super Girl in 2005.
Her particular musical genre, Mandopop, describes songs
performed in the Mandarin-language and is typically defined as a sub-genre of Canton-pop,
or C-pop.
Li Yuchan’s song. “Happy Wake Up”, is an upbeat tune about
being ready to take the world head-on. The lyrics describe how happiness can be
found everyday and that we should seek to make our lives the best that they can
possibly be, as well as to be yourself. While I am unsure if this song is
reflective of the traditionally collectivist culture of China, I believe that
this particular song is indicative of a cultural shift within the younger
generation of Chinese citizens. This song in particular combines pop and rock
elements and is right up my alley.
Overall, I would recommend more of this artist’s work, as it’s
both fun and refreshing, but also signals a potential culture change that will
be interesting to see play out.
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