Communication

Journal Entry 1 Journal Entry 2 Journal Entry 3
Journal Entry 4 Journal Entry 5 Journal Entry 6
Group Project--Eskimo Culture

I usually a very silent person who always afraid to speak out in front of people. Because of this, I was so seldom to have my mind expressed in the class discussions. For this part, writing journals really help, it allowed me to write freely and had no confine of what I want to express. I think this assisgnment is best fulfilled the course goal--communication.

January 8, 2000

As a child, my parents already began to discipline me to be one of the good kids. they taught me to discern right and wrong in the lessons I encountered. Sometimes when I did something bad and wrong. My parents would punish me and then patiently explain to me why they did so. After the explanation, I realized what I did was no good. I remembered the error and try not let it happen again in the future.
In addition, my parents always told me some very educational legends and stories when I was little. Those legends and stories contained many principles about our human morality and ethic. They distinguished the difference between good people and bad people; people of conscience and those without. The good and moral ones would always earn happiness and the bad immoral ones would always earn bad fortune and retribution for what they had done. I definitely believe this is truth, the good and moral people always spiritually live happier than the bad and immoral people who exist too many desires and conscienceless ideas. The stories indirectly influential me what I believe about morality and its consequences. It also inspired me the direction I wanted to tending to. Therefore, I am certain I wanted to be the one who earn happiness and live happily in going through my life.
When I grow older, I developed my thinking to a much mature level from school. Schools widen my vision of reality and increased my knowledge in a more profound way. Hence I obtained a greater ability to discern right from wrong by analyzing what I observe or in the daily live and the fact I saw from other people. I like to observe other people's behavior because I can learn many things from them. For instance, I can study their merits as reference for myself and their shortcomings as a self-reflection. Ask myself if I have those shortcomings or not, if yes then change it. I learned how lovely the people are when they are full of responsibilities and how disguised the people are when they do not keep their words and promises. Consequently, I make myself to be the lovely one because I do not want myself to be an untrustworthy person. I know I would feel very bad and unhappy if I were to not keep my promises to others and I do not want this happen.
Of course, I have principles over myself which clearly state what I can do and what cannot. Meanwhile, I also put limits and bottom lines over them and I will make myself not go beyond them as I can. For example, I won't allow myself do anything against my moral; such as betray a friend, or gain money from an illegal way. I won't let myself do anything that might have a big effect on other people. I do not expect everyone lives with them like me because every person is different and has different values over them.
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It has been the third week of the course. Everything is going well so far. Except I still need more times to practice on assumption. During all those weeks, we mainly discussed on the issue ethic and the term assumption. Following by that. I'll talk about what I know and my understanding of the terms.
Ethic is a standard of moral. Everyone is holding a different one. In reality, many times we may have to confront ethical considerations. I have a doubt, is that is wrongful or not when we lie to someone because of self-defense? I think it is okay for me to lie sometimes. For instance, if I meet a stranger and this person keep ask me information on me. I do not want to answer because the questions are very acute and personal. Behind the questions, the stranger seems tending a bad intention to me. Under this situation, what should I do? Tell fault information for protect oneself or tell the truth that might put myself into a danger position? I rather protect myself out of the unknown risk than let myself have any chances to be dangerous.
Assumption is a supposition we make with incomplete information that may not be truth. As I went through chapter five of "Thinking for Yourself". Many different kinds of assumptions are introduced. It talks about the values behind assumption, too. After I went through the chapter, I realize many faulty assumptions are caused by our stereotype. First, it give us the impression that making us judge on a thing before we contact the fact.

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If I were Ullman, I would not know what to do or how to approach such situation. It is too difficult to make a right decision. No matter what I make it would either against my moral or offend my customer. As a programmer, I have to help customers design programs. I have to do my best to fulfill customers' requests. On the other side, I also possess a limitation on what I can do and what not. I do not hope it would go beyond those limits.
I was so shocked when this guy, Mr. Banner asks Ullman to design a keystrokes system. In which to keep on track to his loyal employee, Mary. I really cannot stand his behavior. I do not understand why he did so. Have he ever think about Mary's feeling and her loyality. How sad would it be when Mary finds out her boss loads a keystrokes system on her computer. Banner's behavior is really tending to violate one's privacy. He should consider more seriously before he takes the action.
I do not understand Ullman and Brain's relationship. It seems sort of ambiguous. Their age are too far apart from each other. Ullman describes in some cultures, she even can be Brain's mom. It is against ethic.

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February 5, 2000

I have done very few formal research papers in the past. I am sort of nervous because I worry I will not know how to organize the paper well enough. I still figuring the thesis for my paper. Originally, I want to research on the issue-cloning. I changed my mind now because I found it too many people are doing the same.
I will ahead my research on genetic engineering crops. I found it interesting because lately the growing of genetically engineering crops have risen immensely in North America. Some papers shown that altered food still have not proved is safe to eat. I want to find out why it is not safe. What make it not safe.
The dilemma for my issue is genetic engineered crops can be bug-resistance. On the other side, it also making a threat to the environment. Anyway I will do more research before I can find out the dilemma. I will do most of my research on Internet because it provides many information. Most of the information will base on articles from magazines or newspapers.

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February 9, 2000

I believe one's personality is more mainly influenced by the environment they grow up in than heredity. A one or two years old boy would not have an individual nor independent thinking. they also have no special traits. One's personality is developed by the experiences and encounters they went through in their lives.
Young child usually very reliable. They influenced by the surrounding the grow up in very easily. To take an example, if a same person; yet arranged into two different environments. Would this person end up the same and possesses the same traits? I really do not think so because they grow up in different background which will directly influences who they are.
I have both of my parent's traits. They are not inherited from my parents. They are influenced from my parents. As I always live with my parents. I definitely influenced by them. Their behavior or every their act created a reference for me to imitate or study. If they are kind and treat people nice. I probably would come out the same because their behavior indirectly influence me.

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April 27, 2000

Thursday was a very excited night because Lulu and I both had our biography presentation to the class. We had our presentation on Leonard Peltier. He was a native activist and currently a political prisoner at Illinois. I think Lulu and I both were had fun on working his biography. He was a very interesting man and also very talented in painting. Before the research, I only knew he was an activist. I did not know he was also a painter. I have seen his paintings on one of his websites and they're gorgeous.

I do not know how to evaluate this man. He was someone who could scarify his freedom in order to stand up and defend his people. I do not know his action was worth it or not. Nevertheless, he was proud of what he had done.

Overall, we did pretty well on our presentation. However, I was too nervous and did not have my speech organized well enough. Other than that, it was good. I actually did not expect I would do well because I was too shy to say anything. Lulu did a good job on her part and with very detail information, too. For myself, I think I could do better if I have more practices before the presentation. I should push myself a little harder to speak out comfortably on people.

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This assignment is the first group project I had done in the course. I was very impressed by this assignment because I learned a very good lesson from it. Later it let me came to realize how important is communication and the role it plays in the group. Basically, everyone in our group was cooperated but just lacking a bit of communication among each other. I think we were a way too passive. Overall, I still enjoyed it because I really learn the significance of communication and had a very nice experience with the group members.

November 23, 1999

Technology plays an important role in all societies because its advances have enhanced the standard of living to many people around the world. The transformation of technology has led people to a easier life and a more convenient state. Technology has different influences to different societies and cultures. The role of technology plays a different part in each society. Each society's technological evolution is different also because some already are in a very advanced stage while others still stay in their former culture and the extent of their technological evolution is relatively slow. In the Eskimo culture, technology is a significant task because its transformation in their culture has improved the living of the people immensely from the past to present. Although their technology has fallen quite behind than other cultures and their expansion of it is quite slow, still technology has established certain degrees of impact to their culture. In supporting of this, I will lay out information on the transformation of technology throughout their culture. Furthermore, I will specify a particular technology and its impact do to their culture.

Eskimo, also called Inuit, are formed by three groups: Yupik, Inupiat and Siberian Yupik. The Eskimo people are of Arctic Mongoloid lineage, who inhabited small enclaves in the coastal areas of Greenland, Arctic North America (including Canada and Alaska), and extreme northeastern Siberia. The Eskimos learned how to survive in cold icy places that were frozen for most of the year. Many of the Eskimo families lived, and still live, on the flat tundra coast, because it is more convenient for them to get food from the ocean, which gives them all the food they every need. In addition, the ocean provided transportation with the use of kayaks, which are boasts covered with animal skin. In the Eskimo culture, kayaks are treated as the most important source of transportation in the ocean. Mostly they used kayaks to hunt food in the ocean, because the way kayaks designed with a round center opening that used to load the food they hunted.

Many Eskimos now are still living in the past lifestyle and mixed with today's. The early Eskimos settled in the forest and tundra part of northern and western Alaska. At that time, the Eskimos' sphere of activities were pretty narrow, and they spent most of their time to hunt food. These Eskimos hunt whales, polar bears, seals, and walruses for basic food. The Eskimos have been whaling for a long time, and it has become a basic part of their lifestyle. The seal is their staple winter food and most valuable resource, because it provides them clothing, and materials for making boats, tents, and harpoon lines, as well as fuel for both light and heat. They also fish and get a lot of other foods from the sea. Some of the other families lived inland along rivers and forests where they get food by hunting moose and caribou. They also fish in the river, too.

In an Eskimo family, everybody had a job to do and a position to be in. Eskimo men were the ones that provided the food by doing most of the hunting and fishing. Eskimo women took care of the food once the men brought it home. Women also gathered wild vegetables, berries, and eggs. Sometimes, they and a few men cut the grass and weaved it into baskets because they were necessities in the daily life. Eskimo children learned these skills by watching their parents, so they knew what to do when they grew-up. Yet, the Eskimos did take time to have celebrations, like community pot latches and dance festivals. Those activities brought people together throughout the villages, providing their children knowledge and pride in their culture.

In the early days, Eskimos dug underground homes to keep the cold out. If it was an emergency, Eskimos did build snow houses or igloos. As technology enters their society now, they no longer live in igloos, but in ordinary houses, just like anyone of us. Today, most of the Eskimos live in villages or towns. They listen to tape recorders or watch television and visit over long distances by telephone. They are also connected to the outside world through computers and daily airplane flights. Therefore, the transformation of technology changed their lifestyle gradually. In days, after technology entered their society, a lot of people began to work for schools, stores, government, and commercial fishing. Thus, they become part of the technological civilizations too.

Today, technology such as television was formed in the Eskimo culture out of concern that an inflow of "southern" broadcasting on the TV Northern Canada network would overwhelm Inuit (Eskimo) culture and language. Moreover, the Inuit leaders also became concerned that their people were losing their culture and language, partially because of TV. Hence, Canada's government responded with a program to develop Inuit TV. So in 1979, the government financed the Inukshuk Project, an experimental program designed to bring local television programming to the Inuit of the eastern Arctic. That led to the formation of the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in 1981. Inuit Broadcasting Corporation began producing programs entirely in the Inukitut language in 1982. The programs they designed to encourage natives and ethnics to maintain their own language and culture. On the TV northern Canada network, several families of Inuits are out on the sun-drenched tundra, dressed in tradition caribou coats and sealskin boots. To the outsider, their conversation is indecipherable-the program is broadcast entirely in Inuktitut. But they seem to be enjoying themselves.

Such programming is a staple of the Inuit Broadcasting Corp., a production company with both government and private funding whose shows first went on the air in 1982. The largest producer of aboriginal show in Canada, IBC was established after community leaders expressed fears that the Inuit language and culture were being overwhelmed by an influx of "southern" broadcasting. With IBC, people have been able to see their culture and traditions being projected onto the screen.

In 1996, IBC produces five hours of original programming each week, making it the biggest single contributor to TV Northern Canada, a primarily aboriginal network that is available to 100,000 northerners, from Labrador in the east to Yukon in the west. Its stable of programs include Takuginai ("Look Here"), a kind of Arctic Sesame Street, which features puppet character such as Johnny the lemming. Takuginai aims to educate Inuit children in cultural values, including sharing and respect for elders, while also teaching Inuktitut numbers and syllabics. Other popular offerings include Kippinguijautit ("Things of Pass Time By"), which showcases northern storytelling and musical talent, and Qimaivvik ("Pass on knowledge"), which exposes younger viewers to traditional hunting and sewing skills as well as Inuit legends.

IBC's programs are nonviolent, family-oriented and respectful of Inuit sensitivities. For example, the broadcaster has a policy against producing any show that prominently feature a person who has died within the last year, for fear of offending the relatives of the deceased. And while the content may seem gentle and the production values amateurish when compared to the slick programming beamed in from the south, IBC appears to have a loyal following. Audience surveys show that about 90 percent of all Inuit watch between one and three hours of IBC's five-hour-a-week schedule.

In an Interview at IBC's production headquarters in Iquluit, Joamie recalled that, as a teenager, he spoke with his friends only in English and watched mostly sports programs and American sitcoms. He says, "Without IBC I could have easily lost the knowledge of traditional ways and I probably would have forgotten my own language as well." According to this, we can see television also helps to preserve the Eskimo culture, because it helps the Eskimo generations to know more about their traditional culture and the language by watching the programs that have designed by IBC.

As a whole, technology takes an important role in the Eskimo culture because its transformation has done various great changes and contributions to their culture. It improved the living conditions of the Eskimos hugely from the past to present. Moreover, it changed their culture from a poor state into a technological civilization. Now, they have been adapting to the dominance of industrialsocieties, too.

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