Korean Wave In Vietnam History Essay

Korean Wave In Vietnam History Essay In a lot of researches, writers in Korea state that Korean culture has entered many countries in the world, beginning in China, then it moved forward to Southeast and Central Asia. From the year 2000 to 2002, the number of films and music album bought by neighborhood countries of Korea increased dramatically ( Hyejung, cited in Lee 2007). According to Kim (cited in Lee 2007), the connection between Korean culture and other cultures are Korean films. Vietnam is not an exception. Korean dramas focus on sexual love, the promoted luxury and hedonistic lifestyles which attracted many young Vietnamese (Kang, cited in Cho 2005). According to Nguyen (Xuan 2012b), with dramas whose content was gentle, philosophical and deeply humane, Korean wave entered Vietnam 10 years ago. She adds that in the middle of the year 2005, the amount of hours projecting Korean films reduced from nearly 20% to 8.4%. However, up to now, Korean dramas have been accepted by a lot of Vietnamese because of their varied themes and indeed meanings. Dang (2009) agrees that around the year 2000s, Korean wave developed strongly in Vietnam. During 2000s, in Vietnam, from the North to the South, Korean dramas occupied much of time on television channels with four or five dramas which were projected every night (Dang 2009). At that time, Korean dramas were so popular that whenever mentioning it, everyone thinks to cancer, accidents and amnesia (Xuan 2012a). The reason for that success is their close ideology to Vietnamese culture. Different from American series films, Korean ones are filled with traditional values and technical sophistication. While Hollywood or Bollywood focused on action scenes, sexy actors and actresses, Korean movies conquered Vietnamese by nice storylines, good production values, beautiful locations, excellent and gorgeous actors and actresses (Dang, 2009). Agreeing with two above opinions, however, Nguyen (2012) suggests that an important factors helping Korean wave enter Vietnam was their cheap price. Compared to the price of films of other countries, the average price of Korean dramas was about only a quarter or even a tenth of them. Therefore, a lot of Korean films were bought and they have been popular around the ASEAN, Eastern and other parts of the world (Nguyen 2012). Besides, another feature of Korean culture is Korean music, or K-pop. Dramas are in narrow areas, meanwhile, Korean music has developed dramatically thanks to beautiful dance and music videos meticulously invested (Xuan 2012b). A lot of famous Korean bands organized their concerts and they have sold millions of tickets each concert. Im (cited in Cho 2005) indicated that during H.O.T concert in February 2005, more than 100,000 copies of their records sold and many T-shirt with pictures of H.O.T bought by young people. What are the impacts of Korean wave on Vietnamese? It can be clarified that Korean wave influences Vietnamese, especially Vietnamese youth, with both good and bad effect. Primarily, Korean wave has changed Vietnamese lifestyle positively. Contrary to people who admired Korean idols in China or Japan, Vietnamese ones consumed enthusiastically all of idols pictures and messages (Cho 2005). Luong (cited in Xuan 2012a) suggests that Korean dramas can help young people learn the way to overcome their trouble, the way to work in a community and become more independent. In make-up area, a research shows many girls and women in Vietnam have changed their make-up way since Korean dramas and music entered Vietnam. They have used darker eyes color, thinly shaved eyebrows, body-hugging clothes, and square-toed shoes like Korean characters and singers they admired and crazed (Jim Seo, 2004). They also added that the Vietnamese president, Tran Duc Luong, has had his dinner with two famous actors and actress of Korean that time. This action expres sed Vietnameses interest to Korean culture (Jim Seo, 2005). During the last 10 years, Korean dramas have gradually replaced Chinese ones in Vietnam. Especially, for young people in Vietnam, modern lives, beautiful houses and items in Korean dramas have led them to think more about better lives in Korea and they admired those so much. They considered Korea as a developed country after seeing modern sceneries in Korean dramas. Therefore, they have tried to borrow and adopt those modern things into their lives (Dang 2009). Furthermore, she demonstrates that by Korean wave, a lot of young people considered Korea as the destination for their later lives. For example, Nguyen (cited in Xuan 2012b) states that in 1994, the number of student registering for school was only 30 students but that number increased to 120 students each year. And the reason they give is because they enjoy Korean dramas and music so much. Its a piece of love young people giving to Korean culture (Nguyen, cited in Xuan 2012b). Besides, the penetration of Korean wave in Vietnam brings along some bad impact for people, especially on young Vietnamese. Korean movies use fictional material, so they can make young people illustrate about Korea and Korean dream(Thanh 2012). Luong (cited in Xuan 2012a) assumes Korean wave has attacked young people strongly and a lot of young Vietnamese has become crazy fan of Korean singers, actors, actresses. A part of the youth has wrong thought about the Korean culture, which causes some bad actions. He takes his daughter as an example. She always ask him to buy many pictures, items relating to her idols. She even can wait many hours to meet her idols in the airport and unhappily comes back without seeing them. His daughter is only one of thousands of young people who are crazy because of Korean idols. The fashion trend of young Vietnamese is also influenced much by Korean wave. It would be good if young people didnt abuse that trend. So many young people have copied the style of Korean stars and they have spent so much money on buying the same clothes to their idols ones (Nguyen, cited in Xuan 2012b). However, according to Kim (cited in Thanh 2012), another bad impact of Korean wave on young Vietnamese is that it usually causes traffic jam in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city because all of crazy fans want to see their idols in real (Nguyen 2012). As a recent study, estimate that about 500,000 viewers coming to each of big Korean concert in Vietnam. So, it is easy to make congestion. Even some crazy fans dare to suicide if their parents dont allow them to go to see their oppa (Thanh 2012). How to deal with Korean waves effects in Vietnam? Korean wave is popular in many countries around the world, including Vietnam. So, people and government should take some actions to deal with it properly. Thanh (2012) recommends that Vietnam medium should change the way advertising Korean culture now. Developing Vietnamese culture appropriately should be done too. Furthermore, other countries should cooperate to produce cultural products bringing different cultures (Dang 2009). Luong (cited in Xuan 2012a) adds that Vietnamese government had better invest to creative science after learning precious experience from Korea. In fact, Vietnam government has applied a lot of documents to local Television stations asking to reduce the number of foreign dramas, especially Korean dramas and increase the Vietnamese ones (Dang 2009). These actions will make equal between two culture and make the young enjoy them right. Moreover, family and school play an important part in dealing with their childrens craze for their idols. Parents and teachers had better unite together to educate and guide their children the best way to admire their idols and take their love to idols into the inspiration. With the right education and direction, the young definitely know the best way to behave with their love to their idols. Finally, the most important solution belongs to attitude of young people to Korean wave. Teenagers in Vietnamese should behave right to effects and drawbacks of Korean wave. People should make use of without destroying it. (Nguyen, cited in Xuan 2012a).

The Use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War Essay -- Vietnam War Essays

The Use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War Agent Orange is a plant killer, which was used during the Vietnam War to destroy the massive amount of trees (Nguyen, 1). The destruction that occurred, however, is far more extensive than once believed. Complications in health occur much more frequently to those exposed to the chemical than those who managed to avoid contact (Nguyen, 2). The use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War affected the American soldier’s health and genetics. Agent Orange is a 50:50 mixture of two major compounds, 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy acetic acid (Nguyen, 2). This defoliant also contains dioxin, which is one of the most lethal compounds known to man (Nguyen, 2). Ironically, the dioxin, which makes Agent Orange lethal to humans, isn’t intended to kill plants at all (Vancil, 1). It is extremely hard to prove, however, that dioxin is responsible for the countless illnesses acquired by many Vietnam veterans because each individual has their own tolerance to dioxin (Vancil, 1). Many soldiers in the Vietnam War encountered Agent Orange repeatedly. Their lives revolved around the 55-gallon drums, which once were filled with an extremely harmful herbicide. Unaware of the possible consequences, many soldiers built showers and hibachis out of these discarded drums (Doyle, 139). They also used the barren drums to store potatoes and watermelons (Doyle, 139). One man described to his wife how they would bathe and s...

Anorexia Nervosa Essay -- essays research papers

Anorexia nervosa is a life threatening eating disorder defined by a refusal to maintain fifteen percent of a normal body weight through self-starvation (NAMI 1). Ninety-five percent of anorexics are women between the ages of twelve and eighteen, however, â€Å"†¦in the past twenty years, this disorder has become a growing threat to high school and college students†(Maloney and Kranz 60). Anorexia produces a multitude of symptoms, and if not treated, anorexia can lead to permanent physical damage or death. Anorexic behavior is complex because it is all about the need for control. Someone suffering from anorexia has a distorted body image of himself or herself. He/she believes to be overweight, even though twenty percent of the time he/she is not (Yancey 59). The image of being overweight causes a low self-esteem. Symptoms of low self-esteem are loneliness, inadequacy in talents, a lack of trust in people and themselves, insecurity, identification with a specific peer group, and sadness. The media displays the ideal human body as thin and beautiful. Anorexic’s lives are full of confusion and lack of control. To the anorexic, to be thin is to be in control. The state of control to the anorexic is the ideal life without confusion and difficulties. In most cases, the anorexic is intelligent; popular among his/her peers, athletic, talented, and viewed as a role model to most people he/she comes in contact with. In reality, the issues in daily living are too difficult for the anorexic resulting in a lack of control in his/her life. The anorexic’s answer to a confusing life is to starve the body. The behavioral symptoms of the anorexia are counting calories, eating little food, baking treats for everyone and giving them away in hope of controlling not only the anorexic’s intake of his/her food, but also others. â€Å"Playing† with food at meal times is common behavior of the anorexic. When the meal is complete, the anorexic has disguised food intake by pushing the food around on the plate and hiding food in napkins. To dress in layers to hide the distinct weight loss and to avoid social activities where eating is involved are common behavioral symptoms. Behavioral symptoms of the anorexic can go unnoticed by most people. These symptoms are very secretive and oblivious to outsiders because the behavior is not out of the ordinary. Although the behavioral symptoms of the anore... ...cising, reading, and establishing new friendships are encouraged when the anorexic’s mood rises to an unhealthy level. Voluntary self-starvation, anorexia nervosa, is physically and psychologically dangerous. Loss of the body fat from the severe weight loss can impair the body by putting stress on the bones from lack of calcium. Dehydration can be deadly because the body needs the correct water balance, and without this proper balance, the kidneys can shut down. Malnutrition can lead to brain damage. Amenorrhea can cause infertility and put stress on tiny bones making them prone to breakage. Amenorrhea can also produce an interference of the reproductive hormone that protects the body against heart failure and osteoporosis. Severe depression in anorexics occurs from hopelessness and shame and can lead to suicide. Even though the behavioral, nutritional, cognitive, interpersonal, and psychotherapy treatment for anorexia is a long-term process, it is crucial to the anorexic person to receive treatment, or the physical consequences and psychological consequences can lead to permanent damage and sometime s death. Notable research on the treatment of the anorexic continues worldwide.

Ecstasy Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecstasy, or 3, 4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, was first synthesized and patented in 1914, by the German drug company Merck. The original purpose of the drug was to be an appetite suppressant, however in 1970 it was given to clinical depressed patients to open them up and talk about their feelings. Then in 1986, Ecstasy was determined to cause brain damage (http://faculity.washington.edu/chudler/mdma.html).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ecstasy is used at the party and rave scene for its effects on the emotional state of the user. The drug lowers the user’s inhibitions; it relaxes them. The drug also increases awareness and feelings of pleasure and joy while giving the user energy. Side effects of the drug includes: headaches, chills, eye twitching, jaw clenching, blurred vision, and nausea http://faculity.washington.edu/chudler/mdma.html). But the hangover ecstasy causes is said to worse then the hangover alcohol causes(â€Å"After the Rave: the Ecstasy Hangover).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hangover produced by ecstasy causes the user to have memory impairments. This is due to the loss of serotonin, which will be discussed later on. The reduction in serotonine affects the brains capacity to learn and remember. The memory impairment has shown to be detected up until two weeks after use, but habitual users who have become addicted show damage for up until seven years. Research has shown that the impairment is not due to withdrawal, but is heavily dose- dependent (â€Å"Ecstasy’s Legacy†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another problem with Ecstasy is the deadly combination it makes when mixed with other drugs and medications. Other drugs have harmed the body more so, because they use the liver enzyme CYP2D6 that metabolizes the drug. Thus the body can not rid itself of ecstasy and acts as if experiencing an overdose. The body then dies as if it has overdosed (â€Å"Deadly Combination†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other drugs such as anti-depressants, trigger a surge of blood pressure when mixed with ecstasy. This surge causes the heart to be overworked and eventually burn out, leading to cardiac arrest and death. Molecular Mechanisms, another medication, block the neurotransmitters that clear the nervous system of ecstasy(â€Å"Deadly Combination†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nervous system is the area of the body most affected by... ... breathing trouble, and also comas. As with GHB and ecstasy, rohypnol works to destroy the body in the nervous system. Roypnol is a type of benzodiazepine, a sedative or an antianxiety medication. The benzodiazepine interacts with the receptors on neurons in the brain. Roypnol, like GHB targets the neurotransmitter GABA. The interaction between the GABA receptors and the roypnol inhibits neurons and reduces neuronal activity. The bonding of the receptors enhance the affect of GABA and begin to reduce brain activity. Taken over long periods of time, the affect of the hyperactivity of GABA will cease all brain activity (www.faculity.washington.edu/chudler/ghb.html).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drugs kill. That is the bottom line. It doesn’t matter the dosage of drug taken, because if the user becomes addicted the body is already poisoned with the toxins. Most drugs affect the nervous system. The nervous system is what keeps the body alive, to mess around with substances that are harmful to the system is like writing a death sentence. Drugs are not going to eliminated from society but people need to be kept informed about their decisions and the effects their choices have on them.

Recent Hazing Facts

Gabrielle Henwood Professor Briggs GWRTC 103 October 28, 2011 Should hazing in school groups be banned or not? Why hazing is hazardous and needs to be fully banned. As a college student there are many things you experience that are different from you previous years of schooling. You are finally living on your own, making your own decisions. So far in my college experience I have heard many stories about groups around campus participating in hazing, many of which that are extremely disturbing. My topic of my paper is why hazing should be banned in all schools, college or high school.There are many hazards that come along with hazing, including health problems or psychological problems. Students should not have to be put through humiliating activities just to become a stronger member of a team. Team bonding is built through spending quality time together, not pressuring a new member drinking until they pass out. Hazing is cruel and unnecessary and needs to be put to an end. College sho uld be the time of your life; there is no need for students to have to worry about hazing when accepted into a group, team, or fraternity.Britton W. Brewer, et al. â€Å"The relationship Between Hazing and Team Cohesion. † Journal of Sport Behavior 30. 4 (2007): 491-507. SPORTDiscus with Full text. EBSCO. Web. 23 Oct. 2011 This journal entry explains the connection that hazing has with the bonding of a group, or sports team. There are multiple reasons why hazing is considered to be a decent way to become close, one of which is you see that victim of hazing closer then you would with any normal bonding activities.Also there are reasons given why hazing is a bad way for groups to welcome someone in, such as the victim of hazing grows a fear or barrier to the group members. They are pretty much scarred for the time being. This source is a compare and contrast for the positive and negative aspects of hazing which is very helpful for my topic. No bias was found when I read this pi ece. I do wish there was more written about the negative aspects since that is more on my side of the spectrum. Hosick, Michelle Brutlag. â€Å"TheHidden Hazards of Hazing. † NCAA News 42. 20 (2005): A1-A4. SPORTDiscus with Full Test. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. Multiple studies have been done to show the impact of college hazing and how often it occurs. Susan Limpkins, a New York psychologist stated, â€Å"many believe that proving oneself through hazing rituals increases the bond between group members and solidifies an â€Å"us† versus them mentality already prevalent in athletics, â€Å"implicating the topic that hazing happens on almost every school team to create stronger bonds.These studies brought the attention to school officials the danger that was taking place and many stories were told that caused people to be punished. This source is reliable, as it was a newspaper article in 2005 and was published. The intended audience is clearly to students, really any one who may be experiencing or know of any hazing taking place. There is no bias to this source. All the information used was taken directly from student’s statements. For my topic this source laid out many negatives to hazing which can help me more clearly analyze my argument for or against hazing. JMU – Hazing Policies. † James Madison University-Home. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. http://www. jmu. edu/multicultural/icgs/resources/hazing_policies. shtml>. This website tells the rules and regulations for hazing at James Madison University. This website is based for multicultural groups around campus. It explains in full detail the consequences one will face in such groups if broken or misused. This source is credible, since coming from a college website and contains no bias.I did not find it helpful though since it was only related towards multicultural groups and not all groups at James Madison University. If it has included all the groups, this source would have been perfect sin ce I attend JMU. Nuwer, Hank. Broken Pledges: The deadly Rite of Hazing. 1990. ERIC. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. This book is written to solve the question as to why men and women haze and the different things people can do to prevent hazing from happening. Many stories of victims of hazing are told, one of which is the main topic of the book.Chuck Stenzel, a student at Alfred University in New York was killed because of hazing in his fraternity and after such an event his mother became â€Å"Americas leading anti-hazing advocate. † With my topic being the hazing should be banned, this book will be one of the top sources with such a personal event-taking place. I don’t see any bias in this source and found it to be very reliable. â€Å"Hazing: Arguments for and against. † hazing. cornell. edu. Cornell University, nd. Web. 1 Nov 2011. . This informative web page gives straightforward reasons why hazing is a good thing and straightforward reasons why hazing is a problemati c thing. Unlike the other sources, this article is not very detailed but still gives you the knowledge I needed to know. The reasons for and against hazing are from the college student point of view and reveals the rules and regulations if such things are misused. Since this article was from such a prestigious school, Cornell University, it is quite reliable, although I wish it had more detailed reasons.This source is not one of my most helpful. I will most likely use this source still but not as much as some others. Nuwer, Hank. â€Å"Hazing Prevention. † Hank Nuwer. WordPress, n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2011. . Hank Nuwer consistently blogs about many things related to hazing. He blogs about preventions, stories, people being charged with such crimes and so on. He allows people to post their opinion on what he is saying and he also posts resources he has used to say what he posts which gives this blog credibility.There are numerous blog entries that I found extremely helpful for my research. The fact that Nuwer updates his blog on a daily basis was very helpful and gave me more recent hazing facts. I will be using this source. It was one of the most helpful ones I found. Skorton, David. â€Å"A Pledge to End Fraternity Hazing. † nytimes. com. The New York Times,01,Sep,2011. Web. 31 Oct 2011. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/08/24/opinion/a-pledge-to-end-fraternity-hazing. html. Hazing that took place in a fraternity at Cornell University, caused the life of a sophomore to be taken.This tragic event led to another student to finally step up realizing how wrong hazing is and the fact that it should be banned. This source was an article written about the pledge this boy proposed in memory of the sophomore. Once again I found this article extremely helpful for having such a personal aspect to it. This article was extremely reliable and contained no bias what so ever. Its audience is students, to show them that it is ok to step up to make what the believe it tr ue right. I would mark this source more reliable than some of the others

Psychological egoism and ethical egoism Essay

Human beings put so much value on other people’s interests. They find that if they satisfy their hunger for helping others, they (in turn) will have satisfaction for themselves. This was shown in Mother Teresa’s giving to others without taking anything back. However, as with everything else, there are exceptions. I know many people (i.e. car salesman ha-ha) that have only their interests in mind when they are taking action. This brings us to the discussion of the difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism and my position upon ethical egoism. I will begin by defining both psychological and ethical egoism. I will then state the counterexamples/arguments against it, and finally critically assess my position on ethical. Psychological egoism, as Dr. Belcher describes it is, â€Å"Psychological egoism is the claim that humans are (and can be) motivated only by selfish desires or that humans can pursue only their own self-interests.† This means that every action that helps others turns into a selfish one because the action gives satisfaction or happiness to the human that performs the action. There are many counterexamples of this theory. I will give two: First, all actions are motivated by desires, therefore in seeking desires, I am doing what is in my interest. Secondly, we seek our own happiness; therefore our desires seek happiness not selfishness. Next, I will give arguments against psychological egoism. First, the argument is flawed in onto itself. When humans choose to pursue their own interests, who is to say that these interests are selfish (selfish being a purely subjective term). Secondly, if an action gives pleasure to a human, it does not necessarily mean that the human set out to get pleasure. Psychological egoism, although on first glance, may seem logical; it is flawed in its own arguments. Ethical egoism is the theory that the promotion of one’s own good is in accordance with morality. It is what one â€Å"ought† to do. In the strong version it is held that it is always moral to promote one’s own good and it is never moral not to promote it. In the weak version, it claims that although it is always moral to promote one’s good, it is not necessarily never moral not to do so. There is one solid, logical argument for ethical egoism. If, in the wilderness, two humans come across the only source of  food (which happens to be enough for one human), a dilemma arises if both claim the food. The rational idea would be to accept an equal share of the food. However, both humans would only have half as much food as they need. Therefore, there is no possible resolution and they must fight for it. They must resort to the â€Å"might makes right† theory and in the interest of living, they must indirectly kill the other one. Here are two main argum ents against it: First, only the human in question can say what is best for him/her. No human can say that they clearly know what is better for another human. Moreover, helping others is offensive to them. It is presumptuous to show a human that they are inadequate and that others are able to do what they cannot. Secondly, given that any argument that puts forth the idea of a different treatment for different groups of people without any justifiable differences is unacceptable arbitrary. Ethical egoism makes people put more importance on themselves than others; therefore, ethical egoism is unacceptably arbitrary. Although ethical egoism is trying to be helpful, it seems that the argument goes about it in a very selfish way. I will try to defend ethical egoism. The main argument I will put forth was originally created by Ayn Rand. 1) We must accept that life is of the utmost worth. Humans only live once and if we have any value on the individual, we must adhere to this claim. 2) Altruistic theories regard the individual as something that must be sacrificed for the greater good of others. 3) Altruistic theories do not take the worth of the individual life into account. 4) Ethical egoism’s main philosophy is that the individual life is of utmost value. 5) Therefore, ethical egoism is the most logical theory. The second argument for ethical egoism runs along the lines of the first. Humans ought to act on whatever will promote the interests of everyone. The interests of everyone can only be promoted if humans pursue their own interests. Thus, every human should look out for him/herself. I can see one major flaw with this argument. Although it seems that humans cannot see what is good for other humans, in most real life scenarios (the man that is about to be ran over by a truck), we can safely say that we know what is best. We should push the man out of the way. Furthermore, why are the interests of the individual so important? Is not every human being an  individual? Therefore, all of our interests are of equal importance. It is a prejudice to take our interests above others. Although, the arguments against ethical egoism seem to be solid, I believe that greatness cannot be achieved by looking out for the interests of the entire group. Genius is not a group effort. I do not believe Mozart or Van Gough could have made such great works of art if someone had been looking over there shoulder saying, â€Å"no, no, that doesn’t look/sound good at all.† Even though on average humans will get the better for themselves by looking out for the greater good, we will never see anything that is a work of genius.

Research Statement on the Impact of the American Culture to Canadian Cultural

Historically, Canada has been subjected to various cultures such as that of the British and the French. From as early the 1500s, European explorers, traders, and fishermen from England, Ireland and France helped form the basis of Canadian culture. Now in the modern era, there is another addition in the list of cultural influences affecting the Canadian society. This cultural treat comes in the form of the contemporary American culture.American influence is clearly visible but not fully acknowledge by most Canadians. Several people think that this is an implied disposition but there is also a great number who believe that this is explicitly manifested in the Canadian culture. Proximity and the migration of people, ideas, and capital were deemed to be the cause of America’s immense influence on Canadians (Canada culture).This study aims to uncover the predicament of the Canadian culture in relation to being associated to the American Culture. Public perception of the United Stat es as a global powerhouse in politics, economics and culture has produced a very potent American culture wherein in this case, Canadians have unconsciously embraced it as demonstrated in their fondness for Hollywood, U. S. landscapes and American vernacular (Kellogg, 2004).Determining the starting point, extent and effect of the American influence on Canadian culture will provide an ample amount of information that would explore the ways in which American influences have challenged Canada's cultural values and asks whether Canada is able to maintain its own identity. The period covered would start from post-modern era to present. The time frame relatively represents the age of globalization when culture is intensified and amplified to meet the clamor for innovations.Generally, Post modernism is a movement of ideas arising from, but also critical of elements of modernism. This definition embodies the present state of the American culture. Understanding Culture It is important to unde rstand and identify aspects of culture that leads to its pervasion across geographical and political boundaries. It is equally important to understand the roots of cultural disparity and differences that often places two civilizations, though geographically contiguous, at subtle levels of conflict and confrontation.The cultural spectrum holds different shades for a person, a society and a nation, accordingly helping each of them to assimilate and adapt to a common identity that is defined and shaped by culture. In the process of evolving this collective identity, culture transcends its traditional role of providing an aggregate set of beliefs, customs, norms, values, ethics, traditions, moral, social and legal codes, perceptions, and philosophy, to become the overall physical framework for the society to function.Culture attains a real form, rendering a three dimensional living space for people to experience its living force (Mahant and Mount, 2002). Culture is strongly related with geographical setting of a place, religion, ethnicity, and race, explaining why different countries have different cultures, and also why places on seashore share common elements of culture that is quite different from culture of mountainous places.The imprinting of culture on ways a person thinks, acts, perceives the environment and models his/her reaction is very strong and virtually indelible, determining every aspect of human behavior and giving rise to cultural identity in addition to individual and national identity. Although the classic rational choice framework says that people are independent in choice of their behavior and approach towards events, its seen that at subtle levels the structural model provided by culture acts as final determinant in predicting a person, a society and a nation.Although culture is dynamic, evolving and continuously upgrading itself, in essence, these changes occur within the context of culture’s own timeframe (Mahant and Mount, 2002). On e of the most important contribution of culture to human civilization is the orientation provided towards other cultures, making the culture in question receptive, tolerant, indifferent or outright hostile towards different cultures. Societies are seldom mono-cultural, displaying a range of cultural traits, achieved through generations of trades, contact, and cross cultural mixing.However, although for people belonging to a particular culture, their culture would hardly seem complex, the cultural realities are hidden beneath the surface, difficult to observe and discern from outside. These improper understanding and imperfect perceptions of culture often give rise to conflict when different cultures are required to meet or come across. Cultural Dialogue and Imprinting between USA and Canada In recent times, the Canadian cultural policy has taken an inward looking approach in order to minimize influence of United State Culture while supporting Canadian cultural elements.The rhetoric of cultural protectionism is familiar-aimed towards protecting Canadian cultural, its sovereignty and identity; assuring shelf space for Canada in a world completely occupied by Americanism; assuring a zone of creative independence to Canadians where their tales would be theirs’ alone. This introvert attitude is also promoted with an aim to counter the market dominance of American products, their selling strategies, , their discriminatory policies against Canadian goods and their challenge to Canadian sense of independence, unity, and identity (Mahant and Mount, 2002).It is no wonder that this logic is also forwarded as an argument for protecting and promoting cultural diversity. Such rhetoric have come repeatedly off Canadian politicians, cultural leaders and taken up fervently a large section of Canadian media. (Acheson and Maule, 1999, 329-48). However, these maneuvers lack a historical perspective of US and Canada relation that dates back to the earliest days of colonial settlements. At the time when United States of America achieved its independence in 1783, it comprised of thirteen principle colonies, comprising most of people, and habitable parts of the region at the time.What was left of British North America contained a large territory with scant but primarily English speaking population as a direct result of the American Revolution when most of the loyalist fled there (Maule, 2003). This predominantly English culture implied that this region, which would be later, organized as Canada would bear a close relationship with its politically and economically advanced neighbor. The binding thread of English language and same English culture provided both Canada and USA a common cultural platform, especially in a huge and isolated landscape.The cultural interaction between two countries took place at same frequency and within the same context, and it filled Canadians with a sense of creation and recognition of a joint cultural space where events in Un ited States did not take place across the border, rather across the boundary wall (MacKinnon, 1973). The feeling of continuous cultural space permeated through most of 19th century, as people across border established close links and immigration between the two nations took place with a greater ease than intra-state travel in many countries.Naturally, owing to its superior size, population, vastly greater economy and industrial prowess, USA took the role of big-brother between two nations and for the initial days, Canadians were perfectly content in following USA as a role model for practically all aspects of their life (Maule, 2003). Hence it is no surprise that education, political system and social structure of Canada closely toed on US lines (MacKinnon, 1973). By the beginning of 20th century, US media, press and broadcast were largely dominating their Canadian counterparts.Reports citing surveys conducted in the period 1920-26 state that Canadian readership for US magazines, bo oks and newspapers had gone on all time high, leaving behind British and even their own publications by several degrees (Acheson and Maule, 1999, 329-48). Meanwhile, with emergence of motion picture and wireless broadcast, Americanism, its ethics and its values found a much quicker and shorter route to penetrate Canadian horizons. The cultural extension of USA in Canada was of sufficient strength to mould its business interests to the interest of United States commercial enterprises (Maule, 2003).However, Canadian identity received a major boost post the Second World War, where their armed legions had distinguished themselves. Cultural issues now took centerstage and several commissions instituted by Canadian government were unanimous in their recommendations for establishing councils that would oversee development of Canadian art, literature, music, and aesthetics, independent of the drug laden bohemian US pop culture. By 1957, Canadian government had established the council for ar t and music and opened Canadian public library.The government even took several relatively draconian measures, such as levying tax on popular American magazines in order to divert the readership as well advertisers to Canadian publications. The government also invested in establishing a network of universities and colleges with independent curriculum than their US counterparts (Peers, 1969). Protecting Canadian Culture Canadian culture has always been protective towards its earlier British root, and although there is a continuous influx of people from around the world in Canada, the essential Canadian values hung close to colonial memories for a considerable time(Dean and Dehejia, 2006).Naturally the completely un-conventional and un-orthodox American value system and cultural symbols had always posed a threat to traditional values and cultural system of Canada. Further, the inner progress towards nationhood since 1960 has permeated a feeling of nationalism in Canada, where, coming out of British cultural dominion, they attempted to assert themselves as a national group (Fulford. 1990). Under these circumstances an assault of US cultural values was seen as a threat to the nascent Cultural nationalism and Canadian cultural-value system.Despite instituting these measures, Canadian government could not claim complete immunity by ever growing American influence through its beaming pop culture, movie world and non-conservative attitude towards system of values and ethics. The presence of an active, forward, and rather intruding American culture let Canada to retain at least five different types of measures to protect its culture were still in place. The first of these measures known as ‘Cancon’ regulations have been extant since 1930s and by 1990s they formed a essential if somewhat erratic part of the principle measures in place to check American Culture.Under the provisions of Cancon regulations, its compulsory for Canadian private broadcasters to sh ow at least 60 percent Canadian content during evening â€Å"prime time,†. Although in practice, the duration is considerably lower than what is stipulated, yet it has ensured that at the least some Canadian content is broadcasted. but most show considerably less than these figures would suggest (Kellog, 2004). As a direct consequence of cancon regulation surveys conducted in May 2000 reveal that 35 percent of all music played on Canadian radio stations is Canadian with some quota also for primarily instrumental music.To ensure Canadian presence in television programs, the government has introduced a a point system that measures Canadian-ness of programs in terms of the proportion of Canadians involved (Mahant and Mount, 2002). Although these measures did not necessarily reflect the accurate picture, neither assured Canadian-ness of content, they have remained effective from a general point of view in keeping Canadian culture afloat (Kellog, 2004). The second category of meas ures have consisted trade protection to Canadian broadcasters and media.Although, with introduction of WTO rules and regulations, many of these regulations have disappeared, yet the remnants continue to provide a structural security to Canadian broadcasters (Dean and Dehejia, 2006). In the third set of measurements, Canadian government took steps to increase investment in Canadian media and broadcast industry. The government recognized that cultural performance in Canada is linked with ownership and control. These investment policies have allowed the prevention of American bookstore chains and media industries from comprehensive takeover of their Canadian counterparts.Though the government has allowed limited foreign investment in the cultural industries, the center of its focus has remained on promoting and nurturing Canada based cultural entities (Mahant and Mount, 2002. Under the fourth set of measurement, government decided to directly subsidize Canadian Cultural entities. The s ubsidies have become central to Canadian policies to protect, and encourage Canadian cultural values, entities, art and music, especially after NAFTA and WTO have led to elimination of a number of other protective measures (Mahant and Mount, 2002).For example, according to a 1997 ruling, WTO stipulated that the postal subsidies enjoyed by Canadian magazines would be regarded as an illegal subsidy. Therefore, government has provisioned systems of direct grants and subsidies as a result of which nearly all the forms of Canadian cultural entities, ranging from from book publishing to films to readings by writers and art exhibits enjoys measures of government subsidy and supported (Mahant and Mount, 2002). The serious intents of Canadian government can be estimated from the fact that in 1996-97 government spent more than $5.6 billion dollars in cultural subsidies and grants; Apart from these measures, the Canadian government has also established a number of ad hoc measures, rules and re gulations to protect its heritage and Culture. This ad hoc approach has been necessary especially since WTO and NAFTA have continued to pressurize and impeded government’s efforts to protect Canadian cultural industries and sectors (Mahant and Mount, 2002. Certainly these measures diluted, if not ended, US cultural dominance on Canadian social space.However, US media, riding upon its buoyant economy and its technological enterprise continued to dazzle the world, and it was little surprise that, its culturally closest neighbor, Canada could hardly escape their affect. As the era of globalization, Internet and social networking has dawned upon the world, it is inevitable that Canadian cultural distinctions would at some point of time reflect the values and ethics promoted by a US dominated world (Mahant and Mount, 2002). References Blackwell, J. D. and Blackwell-Stanley, L. C.. Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources.Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. iccs-ciec. ca/ blackwell. html#culture Canada culture. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. university- world. com/canada/canada_culture. html Kellog, A. (2004). Despite American culture creep, Canadian values remain. Edmonton Journal. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. gaiecoute. com/default. aspx? scheme=2150. Large Canada Urban Areas Population and Density: 2001. Statistics Canada:2001 McGregor, G. The Beaver Bites Back: American Popular Culture in Canada David H.Flaherty and Frank E. Manning (eds. ). Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1993. 356 pp. CJS Online. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www. cjsonline. ca/articles/mcgregor. html O'Neil, D. Overview. (2006). Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://anthro. palomar. edu/change/change_1. htm Mahant. E. E. , Mount, G. S. 2001. The U. S. Cultural Impact upon Canada; American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 31. Maule, C. 2003. State of the Canada-U. S. Relationship: Culture. American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 33, 2003.Neil MacKinnon, â€Å"The Changing Attitudes of the Nova Scotian Loyalists towards the United States, 1783-1791,† Acadiensis 2 (Spring 1973). Acheson, Keith and Christopher Maule, Much Ado about Culture: North American Trade Disputes. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1999. Frank W. Peers, The Politics of Canadian Broadcasting, 1920-1951 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1969) W James W Dean, and Vivek H Dehejia. 2006. Would a Borderless North America Kill Canadian Culture? , American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 36. Robert Fulford. 1990. Canada: A Great Northern Paradox? Americas (English Edition), Vol 42.