I’m a big fan of Johnny Depp, but his casting as Tonto raises some serious questions about authenticity, stereotyping, and opportunities for minorities in many careers. This story does a good job of examining some of the issues.
Category Archives: News
The Secret History Of The Word ‘Cracker’
Another in the NPR series on language and culture:
Race in the US – LeVar Burton explains his ritual to prevent being shot by police
LeVar Burton (Reading Rainbow) and Tim Wise describe how different their experiences have been in interactions with police based on race.
Related articles
- LeVar Burton explains his ritual to prevent being shot by police (rawstory.com)
- Reading Rainbow Host LeVar Burton’s New Lesson: How Not to Get Shot by the Cops (colorlines.com)
- LeVar Burton explains his ritual to prevent being shot by police (realnewsnow.com)
Immigration Policies Around the World (National Geographic Article)
Immigration is often a touchy issues… who should be allowed and who should be excluded are questions that are often asked. Associated is the question of cultural authenticity and identity. This article compares a few countries’ positions.
Colors Across Cultures
Thanks again to Young Sietar!
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/read-our-blog/colours-and-cultural-differences.html
22 Maps That Show How Americans Speak English Totally Differently From Each Other
Thanks to Young Sietar for posting this on Facebook!
http://www.businessinsider.com/22-maps-that-show-the-deepest-linguistic-conflicts-in-america-2013-6
Here’s the site with the actual maps:
50th Anniversary of the Publishing of the Letter from the Birmingham Jail
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/
Chimamanda Adichie: ‘Dark-skinned girls are never the babes’
I can’t wait to read her new book…
Related articles
- Coming To ‘Americanah’: Two Tales Of Immigrant Experience (npr.org)
- ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ – Chimamanda Adichie (yellowigbogirl.wordpress.com)
- Black In America: A Story Rendered In Gray Scale (npr.org)
- Review: Americanah, By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (independent.co.uk)
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – review (goldenorangewrites.wordpress.com)
Intercultural Case Study: Everest Conflict
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/
What We Mean When We Say ‘Race Is a Social Construct’
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.”
Intercultural Resources 