Interesting post written after viewing of the contestants for the Miss Korea 2013 contest: beauty standards, homogenization, and the ironies of multiculturalism.
http://thesocietypages.org/thickculture/2013/04/24/the-homogenization-of-asian-beauty/#comments
“A multi-disciplinary blog about what makes cultures “thick” (public discourse, multiculturalism, technology, and civic engagement).”
Interesting commentary!
Fifty years ago today, Martin Luther King’s letter from the Birmingham jail was published. It was actually written on 5/16/63.
http://brucemulkey.com/2013/05/19/letter-from-the-birmingham-jail-published-50-years-ago-today/
I can’t wait to read her new book…
There have been a lot of stories in the press about the recent conflict between the Everest Sherpas and the Western mountain climbers. In a dangerous setting, with reputations, adrenalin, linguistic difficulties, competing interests, and vastly different expectations and communication styles, this example of intercultural conflict got heated, but luckily didn’t have a worse outcome.
http://www.adventure-journal.com/2013/05/as-details-emerge-everest-conflict-looks-uglier/
“Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.” TED Talks
Americans are taught that more choice is better, but not all cultures are the same. Sheena Iyengar studies choices and ideas about them cross culturally, encouraging listeners to question their own assumptions.
From TA-NEHISI COATES, in the Atlantic (5/15/13)
“I am not being flip or coy. If you tell me that you plan to study “race and intelligence” then it is only fair that I ask you, “What do you mean by race?” It’s true I don’t always do math so well, but I understand the need to define the terms of your study. If you’re a math guy, perhaps your instinct is to point out the problems in the interpretation of the data. My instinct is to point out that your entire experiment proceeds from a basic flaw — no coherent, fixed definition of race actually exists.”
What do most people think of when they think of China? Not Harley Davidson bikers. Here’s a fun photo essay to challenge stereotypes and provide a little window into the diversity of modern China!
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/05/harley-davidson-national-rally-in-china/100515/
Intercultural Resources 