Cultural History

I identify as christian—more specifically a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. As a Christian I believe that there is life after death. If you’ve accepted Christ you’ll be united  with him and your loved ones (who’ve also accepted him) in heaven. You’ll have eternal life. If you don’t accept Christ you’ll be subjected to hell’s fire, die and be eternally separated from God. As a Seventh-day Adventist Christian, while I do believe in the afterlife, I’m convinced that once your dead your dead. There’s no thinking, feeling, nothing. I believe you’ll stay dead until Christ comes. This is completely different to Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions. Hindus believe that the soul is immortal and it is this soul that is reincarnated at death. Because of this Hindus learn not to fear or grieve over the death of loved ones. Buddhist believe death to be certain but temporary. A persons deeds, be they good or bad, determines how many times they are reborn. Once they have enough good Karma, the person will experience nirvana—a state that releases a person from all unhappiness. Most religions, including my own, hold that one should avoid death. Very sick people should just keep on fighting. Buddhists on the other hand rejects this idea. Death is seen as time to be at peace with oneself and the universe. The state of mind at death is determinant of rebirth. The Jewish religion maintains that death is unnatural process. It teaches that life on earth should be cherished. It focuses on living an on earthly  life as opposed to an afterlife. Although, Jewish theology with Christianity, and Islam (with some dissimilarities) include Judgement Day when all people will be resurrected to be judged by God for their beliefs/deeds.  The Islam tradition holds that after death paradise awaits those who  have submitted to God’s will while Hell is reserved for those who haven’t.  Death in the name of Allah guarantees a persons spot in paradise. Those who engage in suicide bombing believe their actions will be awarded in paradise.        

Most would agree that our attitudes and behaviors are influenced by our past experiences.  Our past directly influences our present. In order to understand ourselves we need to be aware our past.  Sure, we shouldn’t allow are past to dictate our present but we are, at least to an extent, a product of our past. In my opinion, that’s the role national history plays in shaping national identity. History incorporates our sense of community, geography, economic and political  processes, governmental procedures, and key historical figures. These factors come together to give people  of a culture their identity (Samovar; Porter; McDaniel; Roy, 2016). A nation’s history helps to explain contemporary values, beliefs, traditions, and institutions guiding that nation. A nation’s history helps to explain its identity. Take for example the United States and its reputation of being “the land of the free.”  The early immigrants common desire to be free of oppressive governance, and authoritarian religious practices led to  a the unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” and the separation of church and state. 

Obviously a culture’s history can help explain its values, beliefs, and actions.  Our past can help shape our present. Past events, along the line, may also have negative effects on the present. Some historical legacies of the U.S. and other countries have produced discord and conflict. For example, Muslims and Hindus were at odds ever since early Muslim raiders “set about conquering the Hindus and destroying their temples” (p. 182).  After  India’s independence the conflict between Hindus and Muslims led to the partitioning of India into India and Pakistan. The partition brought with it extensive political violence between Hindus and Muslims. This long lasting hostility between India and Pakistan and the “continuing territorial conflict over the kashmir region is a legacy of the partition”(p. 183).   The legacy of Manifest Destiny—the belief that U.S. expansion across the American continents was justified and inevitable—can be seen by the United State’s call for political/democratic reforms in other nations. The invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan spring to mind. One could argue, to an extent, that it is the United State’s continued application of Manifest Destiny that led to the destabilization in the middle east and allowed groups like ISIS to obtain power.   

Clark’s four stages of minority representations in the media are “Non-recognition,” “Ridicule,” “Regulation,” and “Respect.” Clark’s model was developed to be applied to representations of African Americans in the media. I do believe that these stages are still applicable in the media today especially when applied to depictions of African Americans and Native Americans in the media. However, it’s not certain wether these stages can be applied to other minorities in the U.S. That needs to be tested. 

Also, if applying Clark’s model today some changes should probably be made. Clarke’s does not take into account token characters (the token black friend is such a common trope), and the aggressive/violent black person stereotype.