This material courtesy of J. LaVelle Ingram, Ph.D. The preceding articles included just a few examples of the wide variety of decisions that can arise from different worldviews. Sometimes they can be comical, but other times they can mean life and death. For instance, consider the notion that human beings should master nature. This point …
This material courtesy of J. LaVelle Ingram, Ph.D. From the last article, you may recall that American worldviews mean that: 1) Time focuses on the future rather than the past; 2) that we should be able to control nature; 3) that people can be counted on to do the right thing given the chance; 4) …
This material courtesy of J. LaVelle Ingram, Ph.D. Over time, I have taught many courses on cross-cultural differences, and I always complete an exercise within them. I explain the different options for worldviews, and then I ask my students to identify “mainstream American worldviews.” The students have only heard of the classic systems for explaining …
he 1946 Frank Capra film It’s A Wonderful Life is a post-World War II classic that gives us a glimpse into the Depression-era life of a small, upstate New York town, its citizens, and one man in particular, George Bailey, played by James Stewart. From childhood dreams and dramas we watch George as he keeps thinking about …
Home video has also changed American film-viewing habits. Within a short time of its theater release, a film usually becomes available on DVD or on the optical disc format Blu-ray. You will need a DVD or Blu-ray player to view one of these films. These devices are sold either as standalone personal video units with …
What do we really know about the Old West? Most of us, regardless of age, probably have images in our memories of myriad Hollywood films with the Good Guys and the Bad Guys, as well as the hardworking farmers and store keepers, schoolmarms and pale women, saloonkeepers and dancehall queens. We can easily see dusty …
Several cable and satellite television channels like Home Box Office (HBO), Starz, Encore and Showtime show movies all day long, without commercials. You’ll pay a monthly fee for these services, in addition to the basic cable or satellite TV connection charge. Turner Classic Movies (TCM), available as part of most basic cable or satellite packages, …
The American theater has as vital a tradition as American literature and music. Once centered in New York City, which still has a major input into the theater world, American theater is flourishing all over the country. “Regional” (non-New York) theater now accounts for 90% of all plays shown in the United States. American playwrights …
For many years, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson had the best following among late night talk shows (usually beginning at 11:30 pm), and so it set the standard for the genre. Acting in front of an enthusiastic studio audience, Carson started each show with a carefully-written humorous monologue in which he would comment on current controversies …
Tabloid weeklies exist in both magazine and newspaper form. You’ll find them displayed in supermarkets, right at the checkout line, carefully designed to attract impulse purchases. Tabloid weekly subject matter is more sensational than factual: UFO’s, television and movie stars, astrology and the occult, crimes and trials, health miracles, and, of course, the latest sighting …