Japanese Mangas and Animations in America

There are always many people who are reading books in the bookstores, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and so on. I also love to go to those bookstores because I can read all of the books in the store while drinking coffee and tea. One day I have recognized that one of the sections in these stores was very popular. It is the manga section. Most teenagers and some of adults are reading the mangas while sitting on the floor. I am astonished that Americans use the Japanese word, manga, which means comic book. It sounds like manga has become part of the genre in America.

Japanese animations, Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, and so on have also occupied the American TV screen. These Japanese animations have influenced American cartoons, Abarta whose styles and characters are from Asian cultures. In Hollywood, a Japanese animation, “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki received an Oscar Award in 2003. It beat out American animations, “Ice Age” and “Lilo & Stitch”. Japanese animation is even called Japanimation in America.

When I was a teenager I loved to read Korean comic books and to watch cartoons in Korea. Actually I still enjoy reading some comic books and cartoons sometimes. Nowadays most popular comic books and cartoons in Korea have been imported from Japan. Korean teenagers also love to read Japanese comic books and cartoons as well as American teenagers. Korean teenagers make many fan clubs of Japanese animation or manga. They even download and share the Japanese animation and manga, which is not allowed to be imported, by sending it to each other via the internet.

Today the number of fans of Japanese manga and animation has grown dramatically in America.
Why has the Japanese comic book, Manga and Animation take over in America? America has had its own comics such as Superman, Spiderman, and so on. Most of characters from American cartoon are imagined as powerful, super heroes who are repulsing the bad or saving world.

However, the scenarios of Japanese manga and animation emphasize mostly spiritual parts. The plots are not straight planning as well as characters from them are complex. They are both comic and serious in content. Some of them are almost novels with illustrations. It is very different from American comic books and cartoons. The differences makes American eyes turn to Japanese mangas and animations.

Kazuo Koike mentions that American children are getting sick and tired of “the U.S. military forces with their high tech weapons” (qtd in Lam) in the American cartoons. Therefore, Japanese mangas and animations emphasize the complicated spiritual worlds which have seduced America.

On the other hand, these serious stories in Japanese animation and manga encourage American teenagers to commit suicide because their emotions and sympathizes in the story deeply. According to Momoko Mano, a graduate student at the University of Tokyo, “Like soap opera in the U.S. you feel very involved with the characters. Teenagers have committed suicide because their favorite characters were killed" (qtd in Lam).

If American teenagers and younger kids are growing up with Japanese animation which includes Japanese life style and spirit they can accept more Japanese culture without any resistance in the future. Even they can not filter out bad influence from imaginary world once their emotions become involved in it.

The influence of manga and animation is part of the influence that the Japanese have on America which now includes automobiles, food, and small electronics. Manga and Japanimation are deeply rooted as a Japanese pop culture continues to grow in America.

References:

<http://www.digital.anime.org.uk/news/20030323.html>

Lam, Andrew. “Japanese Manga and Anime Take Over America.” Pacific News Service, Aug 28, 2003. <http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=afe4632414d29b3d5e324597a8eaffec>

Potential Sources for My Analysis Paper

While I have maintained and edited my blog on multicultarism in society, I have learned how to create, decorate, and write following appropriate style. I thought that writing a blog would be easier than an academic paper that has to utilize in-text citations and references. However, I have recognized that writing a blog requires me to multitask. I am still required to follow MLA or APA style, but now I have learn new computer skills such as attaching pictures, music and hyperlinks. What is great about blogs is that my information can be read by anyone with access to a computer and they can even reply back with comments or thoughts on my topic.
The responsibility of maintaining my blog has made me concentrate on finding credible and academically stimulating information. Even though this is my first blog, I feel that I am learning quickly.

I researched many blogs in my community that have a similar topic. Some of them are popular. One of them is on cultural differences, http://vaproro.blogspot.com/. The blog is evenly balanced between content and the author’s opinion. However, it needs more illustrations or pictures to support its contents.

The other is on Islam in Europe, http://islamineurope.blgspot.com/. The layout of the blog is very simple, but the contents are very credible with diverse references.

I analyzed why they are very popular in comparison to my blog. I will focus on design and academic form as well as content to improve my blog.

References:

Vlad, Andrei. "Cutural Differences." <http://vaproro.blogspot.com>

"Islam in Europ." <http://islamineurope.blogspot.com>

Tacos and Burritos

American eating habits are very diverse. These diverse foods in America are influenced by immigrants. One of most enjoyed cuisines from other countries is Mexican food. There are not only a lot of original and fusion style Mexican cuisines, but people can enjoy Mexican fast food. Especially the consumption rate of tacos and burritos is growing in the food service industry. Most Americans love to eat tacos and burritos. We cannot look over the influence that the Mexican culture has had on foods consumed in America.

When I go to the mall, downtown, or neighboring cities, I see a lot of Mexicans or those from Central America. The Hispanic population in America is growing faster than any other ethnic group for the past decade. One day I saw seven Mexican kids with their parents were getting off a van in Manassas city. Many Hispanic families live together in accommodations that are not large enough for large family. Some people cannot understand why the Hispanic population gives birth to so many children, even though parents are not able to support their families. Overcrowding and immigration issues have become heated topics in today’s political races, both locally and nationally.

Mexican families have stronger ties than other nationalities. Most of the Mexicans that are unwed stay with their parents compared to the youth of other countries that move out on their own when they are financial stable. Mexicans also are very close to and share their celebrations or other events with their relatives. Therefore, the unity of members of family and their friends makes the Mexican community the largest cultural group in America. As the word spreads that America is a great place to live, more Mexicans are leaving their native country to better their lives.

Those Mexicans that have lived in America for many generations are due to historical reasons as well as migrating to America in the early 1900’s to nowadays. The United States acquired California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas from Mexico. Mexican and American cultures were mixed by early American and Mexican settlers. Mexicans maintained the mixed culture of American because of a necessity for allegiances and geographic condition (Buenker and Ratner 219). After the Mexican Revolution in 1910, the United States opened its borders for immigrant Mexican as unskilled workers; such as agricultural, railroad track, steel, auto, and packinghouse labor (Buenker and Ratner 220-221). Mexicans’ still immigrating and walking across the border makes the population explode when they give birth to children in America.
Mexican culture and foods are deeply rooted in America, due mainly to the geographical proximity and shear numbers of Mexican immigrants.

We can trace the rich heritage and the characteristic lifestyle of Mexicans from Texas to California. I visited Texas several times. I fondly recall my trips there and all of Mexican heritage that I was able to enjoy including: the Alamo, Mission Road, and the Mexican architecture and arts.

Most Mexicans are Catholic but they do not recognize the Virgin Mary. Their Catholicism worships the Virgin of Guadalupe, a dark skinned Virgin Mary. According to Mexican Americans. com, the "shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe" began with the appearance of Virgin Mary’s spirit to Juan Diego who was an Indian neophyte in 1531.

Mexicans enjoy their parties, called “fiestas” with family and friends, dancing the salsa, singing, and playing their own style of music.

One of distinguish characteristics of Mexican culture is the time devoted to sitting down and enjoying their meals. Mexicans have five meals a day. "The three-meal pattern prevails, although whether or not the major meal of the day occurs in mid-afternoon is unclear" (Warrix). The most important meal is dinner, which can last for about four hours.

The Mexican culture is very distinguished and unique but it has been able to fuse itself into American society.

References:

Buenker, John A. and Lorman A. Ratner., ed. Multiculturalism in the United States. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.

Warrix, Marisa. Cultural Diversity: Eating in America Mexican American. <http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-Fact/5000/5255.html>

<http://www.mexicanamericans.com/>

New Orleans Culture

New Orleans
I lived in Louisiana for three years before moving to Virginia last year. Most of my friends whom I have met here think Louisiana is a terrible place to live and very boring. However, they are interested in and eager to visit and enjoy New Orleans. Fortunately, I visited New Orleans three times before Hurricane Katrina destroyed it.

In fact, New Orleans is one of most attractive places in America. There are historical and cultural homes, Jazz, the Cajun and the Creole race with their foods, Mardi Gras, French Quarter, Café de Monde, Spanish moss, fine arts, and so on to draw our eyes. We can tell all of them that they have come from other nations and have created the culture of New Orleans. There is very liberal in drinking, dancing, sexual appealing, and other events.
Above all, I am always interested where Cajuns, Mardi Gras, and Creoles come from.

Cajuns
Cajuns are Canadian French that originated from Acadia in Canada in the early 1700s by French colonists. Acadian refugees moved to southern Louisiana because the British gained possession of the area. They live with their own language, culture, and architecture. The melancholy music they produce is unique because they have settled down and have been isolated in the swaps and bayous. Some Cajun foods have spread and are popular in every area of America. Crawfish etouffee, crawfish pie, gumbo, jambalaya, boudin, many kinds of seafood, and spicy food are representative of Cajun food. I especially loved crawfish that is boiled with corn, potatoes, and Cajun seasoning. The crawfish is so spicy that my fingers are sore while peeling the shells. I saw a poster that illustrated how to eat crawfish on a wall in a restaurant.

Creoles
Another remarkable culture in New Orleans is the Creoles. Creoles are early settlers who are descendants of French and Spanish bloodline and are mixed with the Guinean descendants of African slaves in Louisiana. They even still speak French and Spanish. The historical district in New Orleans contains beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. All of souvenir shops were decorated with scary voodoo sculptures. Voodoo (voudun in Haiti) is related to Afro-Catholic rituals dating back to the black Creoles in New Orleans. Black Creoles created their own music that they called zydeco music. Zydeco is of mixed Cajun tunes, African-American blues, and Caribbean rhythms.

Mardi Gras
The Mardi Gras in New Orleans begun in 1857. The festival is a very exotic and liberal carnival with masks, costumes, and parades. The carnival was imported by Creoles, but it did not originated from them. Mardi Gras originated from Egypt. It was a kind of ritual ceremony for fertility and to diminish the Nile’s flood. The carnival was absorbed in some European countries and New Orleans.

I visited in New Orleans during Mardi Gras season. There were many tourists from all over the world. I really enjoyed the parades where everyone yelled for more beads. I still have all the beads from that memorable day.
After watching parades, I looked around Bourbon Street in one of the historical districts in New Orleans to find a restaurant for dinner and some souvenirs. I witnessed a shocking scene. People were gathering, shouting, and throwing beads to a woman who showed her breasts to the public. It was shocking to me.

Korea also has some festivals for Korean citizens and tourists. However, our festivals are quite conservative traditional performances that people wear traditional costumes. They recreate all kinds of old style events with Korean classical instruments, such as Samulnori, drum dance, fan dance, tight rope walking, reacting of the civil service examination of Joseon Dynasty, and so on. Korean events in the public are conservative.

Mardi Gras can be a very aggressive carnival when compared to Korean festivals. This carnival made me feel uncomfortable and not familiar with this American party.

References:

Black Creoles of Louisiana and Religion and Expressive Culture.

<http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Black-Creoles-of-Louisiana-Religion-and-Expressive-Culture.html>

<http://www.gatewayno.com/culture/Mardi_Gras.html>

Chung, Ah-young. "World Samulnori Competition in Gongju." The Korea Times. 7 Nov. 2007 <http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2007/11/135_13322.html>

The Origins of the African-American Culture in America

Nowadays the media has shown groups of young people fashion and music styles that have originated from the African-American culture. Some of them, such as hip-hop, jazz, rap, gangster rap, and R&B have come from the black culture. African-American culture is deeply rooted and influenced in America. African-American culture and community are very conservative and characteristic. It was not easy to assimilate into the white society. Even they have still existed with their own nuances, soul sprits and Black English.

African-American culture cannot be neglected in American culture and history. Unlike most other immigrants in America, African Americans and their children were a very different kind immigrants based on the history of the slave trade and being torn from their homes. So I now know why Black history is important in America nowadays.

African American life in the United States has been framed by migrations, forced and free. Middle Passage from Africa to America was more important than others.
The transatlantic slave trade had its beginning in the middle of the fifteenth century when Portuguese ships sailed down the West African coast. The first black men and women arrived in the mainland of North America in the sixteenth century, often accompanying European explorers. With the advent of the plantation in mainland North America, the nature of slavery and then the slave trade changed. Slaves imported directly from Africa first landed in the Chesapeake in the seventeenth century. At the start of the American Revolution, the first Great Migration was over in the Chesapeake area. Native people began to take root in soils of mainland North America.

The slave trade continued in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia. For much of eighteenth century, black people in South Carolina and Georgia-unlike those in Maryland and Virginia-resided in an immigrant society, more an extension of Africa than of Europe. Mainland North American became a jumble of African nationalities (Ira Berlin).
Slowly the survivors made the new land their own. Their children struck root in American soil. They were the children of immigrants- but immigrants of a very different kind.
Slavery is one of the biggest issues in American history and Black history. There was nothing especially new about slavery as a system of labor and the exploitation of people. The Spanish and the Portuguese first began bringing slaves in 1503 from Western Africa to replace Native Americans in the gold mines of Caribbean and Central America. The extent and impact, however, of the vast numbers of enslaved Africans thereafter brought to the New World to work the sugar, coffee, tobacco, rice and cotton plantations was simply phenomenal. This transatlantic trade created a new global economy and an international world. This new Atlantic World was unlike anything ever known before-linking the Americas to Africa and Europe in ways that resulted in the development of Europe and North America and the undevelopment of Africa and the rest of the Americas. It is not too much to say that profits made from slavery and the slave trade in the years from 1600 to 1860 greatly contributed to the emergence of Western Europe and the United States as the dominant nations of the world.

References:

Berlin, Ira. "African Immigration to Colonial America." History & Now.

<http://www.historynow.org/03_2005/historian3.html>

Roach, Ronald. "Decoding Hip-hop's Cultural Impact: Scholars are poised to take a close look at the influence of hip-hop on the social identity, values of today's youth." Black Issues in Higher Education, 22 April 2004.

<http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DXK/is_5_21/ai_n6146619>