Cultural Diffusion: The Role of Science and Technology

Cultural Diffusion: The Role of Science and Technology

Cultural diffusion has been defined as the spread of tools, practices, or other features from one culture to another (Dictionary, 0000). Ethnocentrism, as defined by Sociologyguide.com, is characterized by or based on the attitude that one's own group is superior. Cultural assimilation is the combining of two groups into one. Advances in science and technology have played an important role in the benefits and drawbacks of globalization sometimes at the cost of culture.

Drawbacks and Limitations…one example

Through cultural diffusion, man has learned how to share valuable technological advances with one another. When settlers first arrived in the new world, they brought with them their mores, religion, weapons, and language. The Native Americans were dazzled, amazed, and in some cases fearful of the new people and their technology. According to Jon Reyhner a contributor to Cultural Survival Quarterlyknowing one’s language presents one with a strong self-identity, a culture with which to identify, and a sense of wellness (Reyhner, 2001). Settlers in the new world, with their ethnocentric ways, viewed their group as superior to the Native Americans. This included their religious views, their technology, and their language(s). During the 1800s The United States required that all educational instruction for Indians be given in English. Through cultural assimilation, called civilization at the time, the Native American became the American Indian (Reyhner, 2001). By the early 20th century English was becoming the native language of the American Indian. However, in a strange technological twist, some Native American languages were revived during World War Two. Native American languages were used for the encoding military messages from our enemies (Yurth, 2010).

Today’u s generation of Native Americans are losing their connection to the past. One of the primary losses is the passing on of their native language. The reason for this loss can be attributed to technological advancements such as the internet, television, and today’s modern cultural practices. According to Reyhner today’s Native American children consider their traditional language “out of date”, “old fashioned”, and “not cool” (Reyhner, 2001). Today there are only about 400,000 people in the United States that speak an American Indian language (Census, 2010).

Benefits of Cultural Diffusion and Globalization

Assimilation and cultural diffusion can be beneficial in theory if nothing else. Leonard Stern writes that “To one person, assimilation means integration over separation. Assimilation promotes unity and shared purpose. Assimilation is to be celebrated.”< span> (Stern, 2010) Stern also writes of the opposing idea that assimilation also creates loss of identity and isolation for some. Stern makes a valid point in his assessment of assimilation. Through globalization the world should be benefiting from the technological advancements. Trains, Jets, and the internet should be tearing down the walls of indifference. Stern claims that the above mentioned advancements should be erasing borders and creating common identities. However, wars, famine, and disease still plague many parts of the world.

Conclusion and Closing Remarks

The loss of cultures outweighs the benefits of science and technology. In Godfrey Reggio’s film Powaqqatsi (1988), we learn that the word Powaqqatsi is Hopi (Native American) for a parasitic way of life. A parasite thrives off of the life of another. When today’s larger nations flex their ethnocentric muscle in the name of globalization, what they are really doing is forcing their industrial interests on traditional ways of life to benefit themselves. This type of cultural diffusion leads to assimilation and the extinction of culture.

Billy Wood

September 16, 2010
Works Cited

Census, U. (2010, 4). "Table 1. Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English for the Population 5 Years and Over for the United States: 2006-2008. Retrieved 9 16, 2010, from Language Use: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/lang_use.html

Dictionary, E. W. (0000, 00 00). Diffusion. Retrieved 9 16, 2010, from Encarta.msn.com: http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861604636/diffusion.html

Reyhner, J. (2001). Cultural Survival vs. Forced Assimilation: the renewed war on diversity. Cultural Survival Quaterly , Vol. 25, Iss. 2; pg. 22.

Stern, L. (2010, February 20). Blending in-or not. Ottawa Citizen .

Yurth, C. (2010, June 17). Code Talkers' stories recorded in D.C. Navajo Times , C2. Retrieved 9 16, 2010, from Ethnic NewsWatch (ENW).

Online class 2

Sept 11 - Online investigation: GLOBALIZATION
When I was a kid the first computer I was exposed too was a small programmable computer that was available for check out at my local library. The DOS programming was difficult. The program was some type of war game. My first movie exposure to computers was War Games (1983), followed by TRON (1982). Then I remember watching the Terminator (1984).
My initial exposure to the computer age was a very negative experience. I assumed that computers would be the end of all mankind. The way I saw it we would either blow each other into nuclear oblivion, allow machines to take over and make man extinct, or go insane trying to enter all of those DOS commands. Fortunately mankind and technology has marched on and I could not imagine living without a computer. . According to a 2007 United States Census Bureau report 70 million Americans reported having one or more computers in their households (Bureau, 2008). I have five in my house. With the evolution of the internet, the computer was globalized. Today an estimated one billion people worldwide own a computer (Kanellos, 2004) and have internet access. So what are the pros and cons to the computer age?
Pros
The world is connected. Individuals, Nations and their economies, children, and even the environment have benefited from the computerization age. Nations can conduct financial business in minutes not weeks. Doctors and scientists can share valuable information and new research with each other in an instant. Children across the world can learn from each other through virtual classrooms. Natural and manmade disasters can be reported fast allowing for quick response. So, what could possibly be pessimistic about the computer age?
Cons
The world is connected. A simple glitch in one nation’s computerized financial system can create a worldwide disaster. On May 6, 2010 a trading glitch on Wall Street caused the Dow to plunge roughly 1,000 points (Money, 2010). This created a massive selloff and panic throughout the world.
Individuals have learned how to self diagnose and treat themselves by using the internet. More and more people are using search engines to find the answers to medical questions. According to M.D. Srini Pillay (a contributor to Psychology Today), “One of the greatest dangers of self diagnosis in psychological syndromes, is that you may miss a medical disease that masquerades as a psychiatric syndrome (Pillay, 2010).
Children are being affected by computer use. Author Jane Healy wrote in an article for The Technology Source and asks, “Are computers being used in age-appropriate ways? Do program designers take into account the developmental needs of children? Are teachers receiving sufficient technology training? Is "learning software" really what it purports to be, or is it simply "edutainment" that reinforces impulsive point-and-click behavior in the pursuit of a trivial goal?” (Jane Healy, 2000). Healy stresses that there is no replacement for the teacher in the classroom. Children still need to be able to think for themselves when solving problems.
Computers are having an impact on the environment as well. In a study conducted in 2007, researcher Simmone Fournier discovered that US landfills hold some 2 million used computer parts and that these parts contain harmful, mercury, lead, and cadmium (Fournier, 2007). Some countries recycle their computers but still have negative results. Fournier explains that countries who receive recycled computers use human labor with bare hands to remove toxic metal parts.
The computer age has benefits and drawbacks depending on your perspective. We may never know if the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. More research needs to be compiled and compared to make a true decision. In this authors opinion I feel that the benefits do outweigh the drawbacks but that is my ethos.
William M. Wood Jr.
September 11, 2010
Works Cited
Bureau, U. C. (2008). Computer and Internet Use in the United States: October 2007. Retrieved 9 10, 2010, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer/2007.html
Fournier, S. (2007, 5 9). The Impact of Computers on the Environment. Retrieved 9 11, 2010, from UNU.EDU: http://update.unu.edu/archive/issue31_5.htm
Jane Healy, K. K. (2000, July). The Impact of Computers on Schools. Retrieved 9 11, 2010, from The Technology Source Archives at the University of North Carolina: http://technologysource.org/article/impact_of_computers_on_schools
Kanellos, M. (2004, 8 2). A billion PC users on the way. Retrieved 9 10, 2010, from CNET News: http://news.cnet.com/A-billion-PC-users-on-the-way/2100-1003_3-5290988.html
Money, C. (2010, 5 6). Glitches send Dow on wild ride. Retrieved 9 10, 2010, from CNN.com Market Report: http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/06/markets/markets_newyork/
Pillay, S. (2010, 5 3). Debunking Myths of the Mind. Retrieved 9 11, 2010, from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-dangers-self-diagnosis/201005/the-dangers-self-diagnosis

RE: What if.......

Theresa,
In your post you write “Currently, the goal of genetic testing is to help the physician and patient know potential risks and proceed accordingly”. Now with that in mind, what happens if the goal of genetic testing becomes something else? I love to play “what if”, so what if Hitler’s scientists had discovered genetic testing? The Nazis practiced a form of eugenics. According to PBS “the term eugenics comes from the Greek roots for "good" and "generation" or "origin" and was first used to refer to the "science" of heredity and good breeding in about 1883 (PBS, 1998). Twenty years after the term was coined Gregory Mendel discovered that the cross breading of peas resulted in better qualities. As a result of Mendel’s discoveries the study of genes or traits was born and Eugenics quickly became a social movement. Also according to PBS organizations devoted to eugenics began to surface after the First World War. Some of the names of these organizations, such as the US based Race Betterment Foundation, were quite frightening. Scientists presented their results at fairs and held competitions such as Better Baby and Fitter Family (PBS, 1998). According to The George Mason University’s History News Network, the concept of blond hair and blue eyes being the master race was originated by eugenics scientists in California years before Hitler came to power (Black, 2003). Social acceptance of eugenics began to fade once the world had discovered the horrors of the Jewish holocaust and the experiments conducted by Nazis eugenicists. Hitler had missed the discovery of DNA by only a few years.
Billy
Works Cited
Black, E. (2003, 11 4). The Horrifying American Roots of Nazi Eugenics. Retrieved 9 8, 2010, from George Mason University's History News Network: http://hnn.us/articles/1796.html
PBS, O. (1998). Eugenics movement reaches its height. Retrieved 9 8, 2010, from pbs.org: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dh23eu.html