Activity: Cultural case studies

Taking a moment to think about how others may react and feel relating to different cultural scenarios will help to grow my perceptions and values. After watching three videos on YouTube, I thought about how people I know from different generations, locations and genders would respond to what was responded to. These are my thoughts…

Video 1; Australia’s rugby union team the Wallabies sing anthem in Indigenous language for first time (Sport, 2020).

A person I know from an older generation would probably feel a bit unsure about what they are doing and why, as they may not understand the reasons behind the language change

A person I know of the opposite gender would be accepting of the change and probably feel a bit emotional because it they have empathy and respect for first nations people.

A friend I know who lives in another country may be quite surprised as she has lived away for so long and not be up to date with how much we have moved to indigenous reconciliation.

A person I know who is at least 10 years younger than me would think; it’s about time this happened and question why it was not done sooner.

I felt proud and emotional that we have finally engaged in such a respectful act towards our country’s First Nations people.

Video 2; Sip & Share: Jonathan Van Ness on Self-Care, His Morning Routine, and More (Skillshare, 2021).

A person I know from an older generation would probably think it’s a bit silly and wonder who Jonathan is? I think that she would have liked that they picked princess Diana to have dinner with them along with Amelia Earhart.

A person I know of the opposite gender would have loved it, he would have laughed while watching, enjoying the fun nature of the video (not in a bad way but in a joyful way). I think he would and agree with a lot of what Jonathan has to say.

A friend I know who lives in another country would love the video as I am sure she already follows Jonathan. She has a lot of respect for and understanding of the importance of self-care, so would take on board a lot of Jonathan’s ideas and comments and would laugh along with how fun they are.

A person I know who is at least 10 years younger than me would laugh at how fun Jonathan is and love their passion; she would take on board Jonathan’s ideas and respect what they have to say.

I have great admiration for Jonathan and think they are a breath of fresh air; I love how Jonathan advocates for self-care in such a fun light-hearted manner which is very engaging as they have such an infectious passion for what they do. I respect Jonathan’s opinion and kindness.

Video 3; RobertHoge (Louis, 2016).

A person I know from an older generation would feel sorry for Robert but understands that life is hard and we need to work with what we have and carry on. She would respect him greatly for his achievements.

A person I know of the opposite gender would back him 100%; coming from a family that is so deeply connected to working with people with disabilities and hardships, he would feel proud of Robert’s achievements and agree with all his statements.

A friend I know who lives in another country would embrace his story wholeheartedly and talk with her children about what Robert discusses, opening up conversations with them about people who look different to be accepted as normal and valued people.

A person I know who is at least 10 years younger would feel bad for him and even sad for what he went through as a child as she has great empathy. She would openly discuss the topic with us as a family and engage in conversations about how she feels and want to discuss how we feel.

I personally felt initial sadness for Robert along with a deeper sadness when he said ‘mum was expecting a normal healthy baby but she got me’. As a mum this made me feel a deep sadness and it brought up a memory, I myself felt as a mum to a child with a disability. I also felt great respect for Robert and valued all the wise words he shared. I was also reminded of discussions we had with our children about people who look different and how much they can offer the world but also discussing the barriers they have to overcome when we watched the movie ‘Wonder’.

References

Louis, F. S. (2016, 7 September 2016). RobertHoge. FOX 2 St. Louis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHVyeN4RPZ0

Skillshare. (2021, 2 June 2021). Sip & Share: Jonathan Van Ness on Self-Care, His Morning Routine, and More. Skillshare. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70QqGkfkcF4&lc=Ugw3197ayTDs2kocvhx4AaABAg

Sport, G. (2020, 5 December, 2020). Australia’s rugby union team the Wallabies sing anthem in Indigenous language for first time [Video]. Guardian Sport. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WagZcq3Xehg&feature=emb_imp_woyt