Summary:
Individualism:
Americans were raised to believe in their own destiny. They have realized that they can make their own decision since they were children. Their parents let them think about their future and treat them as if they are mature enough, no matter what they have to make decision about buying some candies with their money. Their parents prepare them to face with the real world. Besides, Americans’ perception is to separate individuals, they also think about others must be the same. Therefore, when they encounter with the person from aboard who isn’t raised in the same condition like them. They think that the person is dependent, weak, or can’t make decision by himself.
Not only Americans prefer a freedom, but also people who live in America for long will feel “liberated” from constraints. They don’t like to be under control in any situation. On the contrary, people from other cultures assume the Americans are obedient to “individual freedom”, so that make them lack of consideration for others. Meanwhile, Americans admire people who succeed in their life or stand out from the crowd. Mostly, Americans are less respect their parents than people in family-oriented societies are.
Personal respond:
My opinion, I totally agree and accept the concept of being freedom. Everyone should be decisive and independent. Since I’ve been here for a while, I’ve realize that Americans have their certain goal in their life. They have future plan, they know what they want to be in the future, and they hardly try to achieve their goal.
On the contrary, being obedient to “individual freedom” too much, Americans seem to be selfish. They desert the important in their life such as their parents including their kids. We always see couple elderly Americans travel by alone, unlike Asian families which travel together as a big family. Americans live in other country that is family-oriented. They are considered like they are very selfish because of their individualism.
Therefore, combination of individualism and collectivism in optimal ratio is better. We have to be self-confident, not to be self-center. We have to care others, but not to desert others. We are not alone in the world, sometime we have to put on other shoes, we will know what the others are thinking about.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sunday in the Park (Bel Kaufman p.243-245)
Author's point of view:
According to the story “Sunday in the Park”, the story begins with wonderful Sunday evening. Everyone seems to be relaxed in the public playground. Then, the story goes in conflict between two families that have a big difference such as personality of those characters, manner, and lifestyle. The difference of the conflict is going to tell us about their education, career, and socioeconomic status.
Morton, the professor, is very polite, but sometime he shows his weakness to his wife in this situation. On the contrary, the big guy is very rude that show about his education and his social manner. There are definitely different. Meanwhile their children inherit their behavior from their parent.
They have a big argument in the public place. Morton doesn’t want to fight and choose to leave, otherwise he tries to defense his family but it doesn’t work. His wife seems not understand his point why he decides to leave instead of fighting.
Personal reflection:
Being polite sometime shows the weakness, yet being more powerful by getting fight each other not the best solution in this situation. Morton who the leader of the family doesn’t want to rude in font of his son and make the situation goes bigger while his wife don’t understand.
Actually, this situation happens in my life. For example, when I was in the line to the restroom in the shopping mall where was located in the middle-or-low-class area in my country. There was a girl come over my point and pretended that nothing happened. At the time I was very disappointed and considered that it was not good to argue with that person. I think that she might not be good enough education or lack of good manner. It was useless to make argument with her. I decided to be silent rather than fighting at that situation like Morton did.
According to the story “Sunday in the Park”, the story begins with wonderful Sunday evening. Everyone seems to be relaxed in the public playground. Then, the story goes in conflict between two families that have a big difference such as personality of those characters, manner, and lifestyle. The difference of the conflict is going to tell us about their education, career, and socioeconomic status.
Morton, the professor, is very polite, but sometime he shows his weakness to his wife in this situation. On the contrary, the big guy is very rude that show about his education and his social manner. There are definitely different. Meanwhile their children inherit their behavior from their parent.
They have a big argument in the public place. Morton doesn’t want to fight and choose to leave, otherwise he tries to defense his family but it doesn’t work. His wife seems not understand his point why he decides to leave instead of fighting.
Personal reflection:
Being polite sometime shows the weakness, yet being more powerful by getting fight each other not the best solution in this situation. Morton who the leader of the family doesn’t want to rude in font of his son and make the situation goes bigger while his wife don’t understand.
Actually, this situation happens in my life. For example, when I was in the line to the restroom in the shopping mall where was located in the middle-or-low-class area in my country. There was a girl come over my point and pretended that nothing happened. At the time I was very disappointed and considered that it was not good to argue with that person. I think that she might not be good enough education or lack of good manner. It was useless to make argument with her. I decided to be silent rather than fighting at that situation like Morton did.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Staying Healthy in a Sick Economy (Mandy Katz, The New York Times, October 16, 2008)
Summary:
During economic crisis, people spend less money, struggle in debt and lose job, everyone gets stress, there is no business seems to be running well including fitness center business. All of gum workouts are responding to the economic uncertainties by offering shorter, cheaper personal training session; moreover at least one fitness center offers discounts for menbers who lose their jobs. People are facing with the hard time of uncertain situation and getting panic about financial climate. Some of them said. “the only way to get away from it is to have some kind of outlet.” The people who had less exercise during years past turn to more work out at this time because of doing exercise can relieve their stress. At the same time, fitness centers provides TV’s show training video rather than CNBD, because they want their customers feel like escape from the news that would make the customers getting stress. The fitness centers, howere, give the shirts and shorts to the customers that don’t worry about laundry. Even through there are amount of people that do their exercise at home, they don’t want to pay fitness fee, but want to get relieving from stress. Not only release the pressure by doing exercise, people can be in healthy and healthy pocket because they are all stay in the same shape, and don’t want to buy a new cloths to save their money while facing with uncertain financial condition.
Personal response:
Being stress in the economic situation, people try to make themselves not panic or frustrate. Meanwhile organizations have to adjust themselve to survive from this cirsis. In my own experience, doing exercise can be alleviate the stress and depression without doubt. Every time I have less exercise, I easily get migraine attract, and digestive problem. Furthermore, being in the hard time of financial situation, people are getting more pressure than usual, so doing exercise not only stay in healthy but also getting far away from depress. On the other hand, the organinzation should adjust the strategies to maintain and keep their customer stay active by giving them suitable promotion; otherwise, customer could choose their own choices.
During economic crisis, people spend less money, struggle in debt and lose job, everyone gets stress, there is no business seems to be running well including fitness center business. All of gum workouts are responding to the economic uncertainties by offering shorter, cheaper personal training session; moreover at least one fitness center offers discounts for menbers who lose their jobs. People are facing with the hard time of uncertain situation and getting panic about financial climate. Some of them said. “the only way to get away from it is to have some kind of outlet.” The people who had less exercise during years past turn to more work out at this time because of doing exercise can relieve their stress. At the same time, fitness centers provides TV’s show training video rather than CNBD, because they want their customers feel like escape from the news that would make the customers getting stress. The fitness centers, howere, give the shirts and shorts to the customers that don’t worry about laundry. Even through there are amount of people that do their exercise at home, they don’t want to pay fitness fee, but want to get relieving from stress. Not only release the pressure by doing exercise, people can be in healthy and healthy pocket because they are all stay in the same shape, and don’t want to buy a new cloths to save their money while facing with uncertain financial condition.
Personal response:
Being stress in the economic situation, people try to make themselves not panic or frustrate. Meanwhile organizations have to adjust themselve to survive from this cirsis. In my own experience, doing exercise can be alleviate the stress and depression without doubt. Every time I have less exercise, I easily get migraine attract, and digestive problem. Furthermore, being in the hard time of financial situation, people are getting more pressure than usual, so doing exercise not only stay in healthy but also getting far away from depress. On the other hand, the organinzation should adjust the strategies to maintain and keep their customer stay active by giving them suitable promotion; otherwise, customer could choose their own choices.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Second Language Learning - (Mitchell & Myles, pp. 17-20)
Summary:
Linguists and psycholinguists have a research that excludes a child who is exposed to more than one language from birth. The research identifies second-language learners and shows the development route of learners which relates to 2 factors; cognitive and affective (emotional). First, learners are above average on formal measures of intelligence and/or general academic attainment which correlate with achievement in a second language. Second, learners have more individual motivation to achieve the particular goal and devote their effort to reach this goal; moreover, satisfy the activities to achieve the goal. Furthermore, there are 2 major differences between 2 factors of learning process of individual learner are; socially constructed elements of learner and, relationship with learning; and relationship between the individual learner and social context of learning.
(Mitchell & Myles, pp. 17-20)
Personal Response:
Everyone has both factors on himself/herself, but which factor is more effective than other one. Someone could be more effective in cognitive factor which their learning ability could be faster and don’t put their much afford on learning. Meanwhile, other could motivate himself and has good anxiety on second language learning. They could achieve this goal as well.
Linguists and psycholinguists have a research that excludes a child who is exposed to more than one language from birth. The research identifies second-language learners and shows the development route of learners which relates to 2 factors; cognitive and affective (emotional). First, learners are above average on formal measures of intelligence and/or general academic attainment which correlate with achievement in a second language. Second, learners have more individual motivation to achieve the particular goal and devote their effort to reach this goal; moreover, satisfy the activities to achieve the goal. Furthermore, there are 2 major differences between 2 factors of learning process of individual learner are; socially constructed elements of learner and, relationship with learning; and relationship between the individual learner and social context of learning.
(Mitchell & Myles, pp. 17-20)
Personal Response:
Everyone has both factors on himself/herself, but which factor is more effective than other one. Someone could be more effective in cognitive factor which their learning ability could be faster and don’t put their much afford on learning. Meanwhile, other could motivate himself and has good anxiety on second language learning. They could achieve this goal as well.
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