ProfWeek11

Link to "Cinema Encounters in Tehran": []

In Dislocating Sounds, it is stated that cultures and traditions are constantly changing, or "living forces" (263). It also says that there is a divide between a "local" group and a "global" group. At what point does some aspect of culture go from a changing tradition, to something that resembles pidgin or creole that connects two cultures to accomplish a common goal, to a globalized society? Is there a definition that anthropologists work off of to determine when these shifts occur? And if so, do they state these changes as individual aspects of culture shift or do they wait for the entire culture to resemble another?

It might be a stretch, but I always wonder why travel isn't sought to be more integrated into our lives. "Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness" - for me - would have to include travel, and yet it's not a very accessible option. I wonder why [besides for economic reasons], we do not actively seek out ways to have more of an exchange between the world's people/cultures? Why do we not have some sort of "travel year" after high school in America? Or "traveling universities" for our growth as human beings?

Political culture in the Western world, and particularly the US, is dynamic partially due to certain democratic systems. Within a democracy, people must be involved and make well-informed decisions to have a properly functioning government. Unfortunately this is not always the case, and many people make uninformed decisions, or simply vote along the party line their parents did without question. If news broadcasters can get people interested in politics, whether it is by humor, drama, or exaggeration, why criticize that? Hopefully, people that do become interested form their own opinions based on further research, but sparking that interest is an important first step.