Archive:American Dream
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One-Stop-Shop Artifacts & Cultural Models
American society today functions through a fundamental cultural schema Bradd Shore identifies in his book "Culture in Mind" (1996) as the “modularity schema.” This mode of thought is pervasive in post
Categories: 2012, The Gnovis Blog
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When can a token not be a token?: Indirectly legitimizing status discrimination through language
In his book “Discourse and Social Change” (1992) Norman Fairclough writes, “Discourse practices contribute to reproducing society as it is—explaining what is going on as well as transforming it.” He r
Categories: 2012, The Gnovis Blog
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The Eames, Advertising & Art
An ad that pretends to be art is — at absolute best — like somebody who smiles warmly at you only because he wants something from you. David Foster Wallace I recently watched the documentary Eames: T
Categories: 2012, The Gnovis Blog
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Apathetic toward Apathy?
[caption id="attachment_2953" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Since 1294, in the canton of Appenzell, Switzerland, citizens assemble in the town square to practice direct democracy. Their asse
Categories: 2011, The Gnovis Blog
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Occupying the Dream
Posted up in a makeshift hamlet in a neighborhood park in Lower Manhattan, the 99 percent have mobilized in opposition to “the man” and his oppressive capitalist regime. The suits peer down from high
Categories: 2011, Globalization Column, The Gnovis Blog
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Exploring Intercultural Identity: Four Voices: Oh, Diversity!
For this entry, I was greatly educated and inspired by the book "Multiculturalism & Intergroup Relations: Psychological implications for democracy in a global context" by Fathali M. Moghaddam. Americ
Categories: 2011, Globalization Column, The Gnovis Blog
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"Imported from Detroit": Selling the Country and Cars
Commercials embody more than product placement and promotion. They embody a certain cultural collectivism. We laugh and cry along great distances in unison at 30-second spots designed to elicit the most visceral emotions to achieve a solitary goal – sell. This year’s Super Bowl Sunday was replete with a variety of commercials tugging on innumerable cultural references; however, one in particular employed an oft-ignored allegory for American patriotism with bona fide success.
Category: The Gnovis Blog
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State of the Union, Modern City Planning, and Bloodletting: Interdisciplinarity, Anyone?
In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama made the point that “There are hundreds of thousands of students excelling in our schools who are not American citizens [. . .] who come here fr
Categories: 2011, Globalization Column, The Gnovis Blog