This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in. These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD
We shift now from the serious issues addressed in the previous blog post to practical issues of photographing people of different skin tones.
For some written advice read Photographing People of Color, if you are interested. But, here, let's watch a couple of videos with further instructions.
The camera can be used as a tool to promote racism and to terrorize a group of people as in the lynching photographs/postcards in the U.S. in the early part of the 1900s. The camera could also be used as a tool to catalog and control a group of people as with Polaroid's involvement in the creation of travel documents that black South Africans were required to carry as they traveled within their own country.
So, the above depends on how the photographer uses the camera, for good or for evil.
Bias in the Camera, itself
But, how about the camera itself? Could the camera itself be inherently racist? Racist by design?
How is that possible? What does that mean? What we are asking is: Is there bias in the design of the camera and related technologies, like film?
The following cases arose a few years back. One of the cases dealt with the facial detection feature of the CoolPix camera asking Asian people if they had blinked. The other case dealt with the webcam on an HP laptop not tracking the faces of African-Americans.
If you were looking for clip art for "Native Americans" and all that you found were images like the top two images above, would this be an example of stereotyping? How? Use the definition. How does the bottom image break the stereotype? What exactly is the stereotype?
How do you tear down this brick?
Ask me about "Zhong Guo."
Watch the following images.
What was your reaction to the images? What does your reaction have to do with ethnocentrism? Anything?
Note that there are two definitions of racism given here. Notice any connection between racism and prejudice as previously defined? Also, what is the differences among racism, prejudice and discrimination? They are related terms, but they are not the same thing.
There is a brick wall between us and effective intercultural communication. What are the names of the bricks in this wall? What specifically stops us from getting to effective intercultural communication? --- Before moving on to anxiety and uncertainty (Brick #3), I should point out that we've already covered Bricks 1 and 2.
What are they? What are thing we've already covered that lead to difficulty in intercultural situations?
They are difference in language (Brick #1) and differences in nonverbal communication (Brick #2). Before moving to the next bricks, one last question: How do you tear down this part of the wall, how do you fix differences in language and nonverbal communication?
And now, anxiety and uncertainty.
How does uncertainty lead to anxiety? Got an example? How do you "tear down" these brick? Which one would you fix first and once you fixed it would you have the second problem?
How do you "tear down" this brick? How do you fix this possible problem?
In the past I called this lecture unit "Dealing with Difference." However, now I've switched to calling it "Effective Intercultural Communication."
See any reason why I changed it? Does "Dealing with Difference" imply anything? A negative connotation? Whatever you call it, in intercultural situations, how do we deal with or become more effective?
One place to start is to have a clear sense of exactly what is causing an intercultural misunderstanding. Is it a language thing? Is it prejudice? What exactly is causing the intercultural ineffectiveness? If we understand where exactly the problem is, then we can move on to hopefully fixing the problem.
---
However, before we look specifically at intercultural communication, let's address some basic skills that should be in all types of interpersonal communication. Even before developing effective intercultural communication skills, we need to learn and practice the basic interpersonal skills below. These are fundamental. Some Basic Interpersonal Skills Helpful in ICC
Core Skills
Positiveness: Expression of positive attitudes toward self and others.
Other-Orientation: Attentiveness, interest, and concern for others.
Empathy: Feeling as the other feels.
Meta Skills
Mindfulness: Being consciously aware of the above skills and carefully monitoring them.
Metacommunication: Being aware of what is happening in the communication. Being able to think and talk about the talk.
Now, with some basic interpersonal skills out of the way, let's return to intercultural communication. To get a better understanding of intercultural communication effectiveness, it would be helpful to have a model that helps us spot where the potential problems that may arise in intercultural encounters.
We shift now from the serious issues addressed in the previous blog post to practical issues of photographing people of different skin tones.
For some written advice read Photographing People of Color, if you are interested. But, here, let's watch a couple of videos with further instructions.
The topics of race, gender and photography intersect in a variety of ways.
Photojournalism: A man's world?
(Washington Post video Nov. 2013)
Notice anything about the women discussed above? Now that brings us to race.
The camera can be used as a tool to promote racism and to terrorize a group of people as in the lynching photographs/postcards in the U.S. in the early part of the 1900s. The camera could also be used as a tool to catalog and control a group of people as with Polaroid's involvement in the creation of travel documents that black South Africans were required to carry as they traveled within their own country.
So, the above depends on how the photographer uses the camera, for good or for evil.
But, how about the camera itself? Could the camera itself be inherently racist? Racist by design?
How is that possible? What does that mean?
What we are asking is: Is there bias in the design of the camera and related technologies, like film?
The following cases arose a few years back. One of the cases dealt with the facial detection feature of the CoolPix camera asking Asian people if they had blinked. The other case dealt with the webcam on an HP laptop not tracking the faces of African-Americans.
We shift now from the serious issues addressed in the previous blog post to practical issues of photographing people of different skin tones.
For some written advice read Photographing People of Color, if you are interested. But, here, let's watch a couple of videos with further instructions.
The topics of race, gender and photography intersect in a variety of ways.
Photojournalism: A man's world?
(Washington Post video Nov. 2013)
Notice anything about the women discussed above? Now that brings us to race.
The camera can be used as a tool to promote racism and to terrorize a group of people as in the lynching photographs/postcards in the U.S. in the early part of the 1900s. The camera could also be used as a tool to catalog and control a group of people as with Polaroid's involvement in the creation of travel documents that black South Africans were required to carry as they traveled within their own country.
So, the above depends on how the photographer uses the camera, for good or for evil.
But, how about the camera itself? Could the camera itself be inherently racist? Racist by design?
How is that possible? What does that mean?
What we are asking is: Is there bias in the design of the camera and related technologies, like film?
The following cases arose a few years back. One of the cases dealt with the facial detection feature of the CoolPix camera asking Asian people if they had blinked. The other case dealt with the webcam on an HP laptop not tracking the faces of African-Americans.
The topics of race, gender and photography intersect in a variety of ways.
Photojournalism: A man's world?
(Washington Post video Nov. 2013)
Notice anything about the women discussed above? Now that brings us to race.
The camera can be used as a tool to promote racism and to terrorize a group of people as in the lynching photographs/postcards in the U.S. in the early part of the 1900s. The camera could also be used as a tool to catalog and control a group of people as with Polaroid's involvement in the creation of travel documents that black South Africans were required to carry as they traveled within their own country.
So, the above depends on how the photographer uses the camera, for good or for evil.
But, how about the camera itself? Could the camera itself be inherently racist? Racist by design?
How is that possible? What does that mean?
What we are asking is: Is there bias in the design of the camera and related technologies, like film?
The following cases arose a few years back. One of the cases dealt with the facial detection feature of the CoolPix camera asking Asian people if they had blinked. The other case dealt with the webcam on an HP laptop not tracking the faces of African-Americans.
This last post on this topic is not a lecture post. It is more an advertisement or endorsement.
If you get the chance to see the following new documentary, please do. Unfortunately, right now, it is not available for purchase or online screaming. Hopefully, soon it will be.
The topics of race, gender and photography intersect in a variety of ways.
Photojournalism: A man's world?
(Washington Post video Nov. 2013)
Notice anything about the women discussed above? Now that brings us to race.
The camera can be used as a tool to promote racism and to terrorize a group of people as in the lynching photographs/postcards in the U.S. in the early part of the 1900s. The camera could also be used as a tool to catalog and control a group of people as with Polaroid's involvement in the creation of travel documents that black South Africans were required to carry as they traveled within their own country.
So, the above depends on how the photographer uses the camera, for good or for evil.
But, how about the camera itself? Could the camera itself be inherently racist? Racist by design?
How is that possible? What does that mean?
What we are asking is: Is there bias in the design of the camera and related technologies, like film?
The following cases arose a few years back. One of the cases dealt with the facial detection feature of the CoolPix camera asking Asian people if they had blinked. The other case dealt with the webcam on an HP laptop not tracking the faces of African-Americans.
If you were looking for clip art for "Native Americans" and all that you found were images like the top two images above, would this be an example of stereotyping? How? Use the definition. How does the bottom image break the stereotype? What exactly is the stereotype?
How do you tear down this brick?
Ask me about "Zhong Guo."
Watch the following images.
What was your reaction to the images? What does your reaction have to do with ethnocentrism? Anything?
Note that there are two definitions of racism given here. Notice any connection between racism and prejudice as previously defined? Also, what is the differences among racism, prejudice and discrimination? They are related terms, but they are not the same thing.
