Particular population or society Essay

While people consider themselves unique individuals in terms of their personality, habits, opinions, attitudes personal quirks, there are many habits, beliefs and attitudes that are common to most people, especially those living a society. The culmination of language, religious beliefs, music, food preference, works habits, etc. of a particular population or society is known as its culture (Ember and Ember, 1993, p. 6). Culture is unique for every society or social group that sometimes what some would consider taboo like eating dog meat is actually part of another society’s customs. In theory, everyone should be open to other society’s culture but in reality, that does not happen often. An individual who gauges others culture is said to be an ethnocentric (p. 159). The attitude is termed ethnocentrism . This denotes that the person has difficulty criticizing his/ her own customs and traditions precisely because his/her vision is limited to his/her owns. Ethnocentrism does not only affect the individual’s view on other persons but influences the society as well. Watching a foreign film is one way to measure if one is open to other cultural experiences. I Not Stupid is a Singaporean film tackling the intertwined lives of three primary school classmates: Terry, Kok Pin and Boon Hock (Leong, Yin and Neo, 2002). It offers a glimpse of many facets of Singaporean culture: the education system that looks down on students in the bottom (the three are in EM3, which ranks lowest), the Chinese self-loathing (in a class, one character says she wants to be Caucasian when she grows up so she does not have to speak Chinese), the high regard for English (one mother speaks English to her children, another one stresses that in order to succeed in Singapore, one must be a master at English and Math), and Caucasian (a Caucasian was hired as director even though it was clearly evident that the local staff are more knowledgeable, equipped and deserving of the position; there is even a scene when the Singaporean boss approves the Caucasian’s concept even though it was the same concept presented by the locals, which he vehemently rejected), and the over obedience Singaporeans are known for (2002). The Singaporeans’ affair with Ba gua, or Chinese Pork Barbecue as well as their reliance on gods and goddesses to grant their favors is also shown in the film. Such rituals, as evinced in the film, may be common in Singapore but a North American, especially an ethnocentric, may find it peculiar or even distasteful. It must also be stressed that Singapore has a close relation with China so some of China’s cultural beliefs and customs are integrated into Singapore. The film is sprinkled in Chinese, English and Singlish, short for Singaporean English. Colonial mentality may be picked up from the film, judging the characters’ high regard for Westerners. The existence of Singlish is also a sign that Singaporeans, albeit already successful and one of the most economically driven countries in Asia, still feel the need to level on some ways with the Western countries, which this writer finds interesting. Imagine, in North America, there are students eager to learn other languages while in Singapore and other countries where there are other main languages aside from English, they already have the advantage of learning another language easily. Again, this is ethnocentrism at work. Another glaring cultural element that is shown in the film is Singaporean’s deference to power. Terry, one of the main characters, cannot stands on his own and always follows his mother. This is supposedly a jibe at Singaporeans’ compliant nature. If a similar event happened in North American, the kid is likely to fight back. But then again, this is Singapore and as said by one character, â€Å"It is difficult to catch fish in Singapore, because fish in Singapore are like Singaporeans, they’ll never open their mouths† (Leong, Yin and Neo, 2002). Ethnocentric thinking causes people to misunderstand other society’s culture and at the same it keeps them for understanding their own. The film I not Stupid is a satirical comedy carping on some of the country’s modern culture. Perhaps the producers are also ethnocentric but regardless of it, the film provides a peek at Singapore’s norms and values, which in essence is simply the country’s way of life. References Ember, C. and Ember, M. (1993). Anthropology 7th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Leong, D. and Yin, C. P. (Producers), and Neo, J. (Director). (2002). I not stupid [VCD]. Singapore: United International Pictures.