9. Culture As A Commodity?

The Pussycat Dolls wore black Saris by designer Rocky S at the Conde Nast Media Group's 5th Annual Fashion Rocks benefit on September 5, 2008.

8. Intercultural Communication: The Middle East

From Bahrain to Beirut, the Middle East spans from Asia to Africa, consists of 22 countries (who are also part of the Arab League), is also the historical origin of three of the world’s major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and represents a myriad of cultures, languages, history, art and architecture. Though always considered strategically, economically, geopolitically, culturally, religiously and historically significant, the Middle East exploded into mainstream news media (and also into our vernacular) after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and the invasion of Afghanistan shortly after, and Iraq in 2003. With all these political developments and attention being paid to the region (kudos also to the oil industry), the Middle East has become a "hot" topic of discussion, and unfortunately, the people too are not spared.

Though on good terms with the West, do their differences reflect a "clash of civilizations"? In this blog entry, I will be doing a case study of the Middle East and intend to debunk stereotypes of the their people, culture, values and religion, as I feel that these stereotypes act as attitudinal barriers to intercultural communication, and do not promote proper dialogue and cross-cultural understanding.

Since September 11, people from the Middle East have been stereotyped in the mass media (specifically in the West), and this has exacerbated the prevalence of negative social attitudes
towards Arabs and people of Middle Eastern origin. Here are some common stereotypes:

Stereotype #1: The Middle East is one big sandy desert with lots of camels, populated by men in turbans and long white robes, women in black with their faces covered, men waving long curved swords, etc.

Debunked: Air-conditioned super-malls, designer labels, shiny new Hummers, valet parking and trendy nightclubs are part of living in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Kuwait and Israel. Though, deserts are common due to the arid weather, areas with inhabitants are equipped with the necessary living essentials.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Stereotype #2: "Arab" and "Muslim" refer to the same people.

Debunked: Arabs are people who speak Arabic as a native language and identify themselves as Arabs; Muslims are those who practice the religion of Islam.
Many Arabs are not Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs. More than a billion people in the world are Muslims, but fewer than 15 percent of Muslims are Arabs. The Middle East is very diverse in terms of religion, as close to half of Lebanon's population includes Christian Maronites, Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants and large Christian communities also exist in Egypt, Syria, and Israel. Judaism (Israel) and Zoroastrianism (Iran) are also practiced in the region.

The women of the Middle East

Popular Lebanese Singer, Haifa Wehbe

Benazir Bhutto

Stereotype #3:

Women are oppressed and all of them have to wear the veil.

Debunked:

In Amman (Jordan), women hold important government jobs, drive, vote, and study. In many Middle Eastern countries, laws allow women to vote, work outside the home, and even run for office. Though, in some countries, custom and practice may not always be as liberal as the law allows. It all depends on the role and interpretation of religion in society and government, and to what extent theocracy plays a role in day to day life. In countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, the veil (burqa or hijab) is enforced, though not in countries such as Lebanon, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and Israel.

Queen Rania of Jordan (Pictured above and below)

These stereotypes have been perpetuated by the media, and can be seen in Hollywood films, and also in a lot of Western news media. Coupled with 9/11 tensions, Arabs and others who hail from the Middle East (or those who look Middle Eastern, but are not of Middle Eastern descent, in terms of ethnicity or nationality) have been targeted, harassed and discriminated against in the United States and other parts of the world. This has led to poorer relations between the United States and countries in the Middle East, and with little cultural knowledge and understanding of the Arab region, it is hard to avoid miscommunication. Furthermore, in the highly collectivist Middle East, cultural norms and values differ from country to country.

3. Verbal Communication - Hip-Hop Lingo & Culture

For my entry this week, I am going to refer to the lyrics of a song (that topped the American Billboard Charts two weeks ago and is still currently at #1 on the charts) in relation to verbal communication. Specifically, this entry is going to explore the language used in Hip-Hop culture, what it represents and how it has affected (and is still affecting) mainstream communication, media and culture. Hip-Hop has always been regarded as a sub-culture, where external elements such as beat-boxing, hip-hop fashion and hip-hop slang have derived from.

Beat-boxing by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland

Hip-Hop fashion line by rapper Jay-Z called Rocawear

However, nowadays, Hip-Hip culture (which consists of music, movies, dance, fashion, DJ-ing, beat-boxing, break-dancing, graffiti art, rap and Hip-Hop lingo), is considered more of a mainstream phenomenon, as opposed to a mere underground movement. Though the movement started out in the United States, Hip-Hop music and culture has crossed social and ethnic barriers and has spread to all other parts of the world.

One of the main reasons why I decided to focus on Hip-Hop culture this week (apart from being a fan of Hip-Hop and Rap music myself) was due to all the recent endorsements of Hip-Hop musicians by the fashion industry. Many big fashion labels and departmental stores have approached famous Hip-Hop artists such as, Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, to design their own clothing lines and thus, establish their own fashion labels. Adidas has been using Missy Elliott as their spokesperson for the past few years. She signed a deal to launch her own line called, Respect M.E. Rapper Jay-Z also has his own fashion line, Rocawear, which has annual sales of over $700 million. Thus, the Hip-Hop genre provides a huge profitable market for companies and business organizations to tap into.

Plus, lately, local television programmes on Channel 5, Channel NewsAsia and even media texts such as, The Straits Times newspapers, and numerous local magazines have incorporated Hip-Hop lingo into their vernacular. It is common to hear reporters in the news use terms like "bling", "phat", "dis" and "crib". This shows that Hip-Hop lingo is now very commercialised and is being used (in the context of Singapore) to appeal to a younger audience.

Language and words help to convey ideas, opinions, thoughts, emotions and influences the way we think. In terms of Hip-Hop, a lot of the influence on language has come from rapping, also known as the delivery of rhymes in rhythm. The quick repetition of repartee' and speech resulted in people incorporating the style of rap, into verbal communication. Rap has got American Blues, Jazz, West-African and Caribbean-style DJ'ing roots. This can be seen in the Jamaican, reggae, and dancehall influences in today's Hip-Hop music and lingo.

Historically, Hip-Hop emerged as a cultural movement in America in the 1960's and 1970's among the urban youth in New York (Bronx), Miami and California. As Rap was associated with gangs and crime, Hip-Hop emerged as a conscious alternative to violence. The White population had their Rock 'N' Roll, and the middle and upper class Black communities were into Jazz and Blues. Thus, Hip-Hop was embraced by the poorer Black and Hispanic communities and they used it to express their views about society, their social status and issues like race and gender. That is why Hip-Hop artists use expletives to express themselves in their music, as that is how they want to talk about their problems; without any restrictions or censorship, as that defines their reality and represents the "raw" aspect of their culture and socialisation. Thus, Hip-Hop lingo is viewed as a symbol of freedom and identity.

In terms of the properties of Hip-Hop, the language in the genre has a very unique and distinctive slang. Compared to other musical spheres, such as Rock, Pop, Alternative, Indie, Classical and Jazz, where the language used is predominantly mainstream vernacular, Hip-Hop has its own system of symbols. The phonemes or pronunciation of words are usually similar to mainstream English, but spelt differently. For example, "phat" is pronounced just like "fat". Plus, the semantics or meaning of words used in Hip-Hop usually differ from mainstream English. "Hood" does not literally refer to a hood, but to a neighbourhood. "Holla" (sometimes spelt as "holler"), is used to say goodbye and end a conversation. In T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" (featured below), he mentions "ice", which actually means "jewelry". Though both words might seem totally unrelated, there is a cultural connection. The rise of such slang and jargon could be attributed to their need to establish their own way of communication and the difference in the meaning of words would also represent the different socialisation and experiences of the African-Americans in the 1970's and 1980's, as Hip-Hop was emerging.

In terms of the impact of Hip-Hop, the language used tend to propagate a particular lifestyle and culture, filled with power, money, respect, sex and drugs. Thus, a lot of the terminology used in Hip-Hop culture is symbolic, in its affiliation to success and power. In reference to the lyrics indicated below, the title itself "Whatever You Like", reflects abundance. Plus, the song talks about taking shopping trips, mentions a "five million dollar home", "Bentley" and T.I. (whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.) also professes to having his own private jet. The whole song talks about living the high life, like a billionaire and being spoilt with extravagances (Bentley, stacks on deck; referring to money, ice; referring to jewelry, vacations in the tropics, etc).

Many Hip-Hop artists rave about money and power, due to the fact that they grew up poor and on the streets. Thus, now that they finally have the recognition and means, they feel that they have the right to enjoy and flaunt it. Nevertheless, a lot of Hip-Hop artists portray a persona in their music and videos, but in reality live a much simpler and less glamorous life. The persona acts as a form of artistic freedom and expression. This can be seen in the use of nicknames, such as T.I., Lil' Kim, Lil' Jon, Lil' Bow Wow, Jadakiss, Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco and Ms. Dynamite in Hip-Hop music.

In terms of language-based barriers to communication, Hip-Hop jargon is still not understood by everyone, and only those who listen to the music and expose themselves to the culture, would be aware of the slang.

The song featured below, "Whatever You Like" is from T.I.'s #1 album, Paper Trail, which was released earlier this month:

Whatever You Like

I said you could have whatever you like (you like),

I said you could have whatever you like (you like),

Yeah.

[Chorus:]

Stacks on deck,

Patron' on ice,

And we can pop bottles all night,

Baby you could have whatever you like (you like),

I said you could have whatever you like (you like),

Yeah.

Late night s**, so w**, you're so t****.

I'll gas up the jet for you tonight,

Baby you could go where ever you like (you like),

I said you could go where ever you like (you like),

Yeah.

[Verse 1:]

Anytime you want to pick up the telephone,

You know it ain't nothin to drop a couple stacks on you,

Wanted you could get it my dear,

Five million dollar home, drop Bentley's I swear.

Yeah I want'cho body, I need yo body,

Long as you got me, you won't need nobody.

You want it I got it, go get it I buy it,

Tell'em other broke n***** be quiet.

[Repeat Chorus:]

[Verse 2:]

Shawty you da hottest, love the way you drop it,

Brain so good (good) swore you went to college,

Hundred can't deposit, vacations hit the tropics,

Cause errbody know it ain't trickin' if ya got it.

Ya need to never ever gotta go to yo wallet,

Long as I got rubberband banks in my pocket,

Five six, rides with rims and a pocket kit,

Ya ain't gotta downgrade you can get what I get.

My chick could have what she want,

And go in any store for any bag she want,

And know she ain't never had a man like that,

To buy you anything ya heart desire like that.

Yeah I want'cho body, I need yo body,

Long as you got me you won't need nobody,

You want it I got it, go get it I buy it,

Tell'em other broke n***** be quiet.

[Repeat Chorus:]

[Verse 3:]

I'm talkin' big boy rides,

And big boy ice,

Let me put this big boy in yo life,

The thang get so w**, it hit so right,

Let me put this big boy in yo life,

That's right.

Yeah I want'cho body, I need yo body,

Long as you got me you won't need nobody,

You want it I got it, go get it I buy it,

Tell'em other broke n***** be quiet.

[Repeat Chorus:]