American television and demographic imperative
COMM 200
Communication Across Culture
Fall 2013
Assignment 1 Television Fall Lineup and Imperatives According to Martin& Nakayama’s Intercultural Communication in
Contexts (2010)six imperatives affect our abilities to effectively communicate across cultures because of ethnocentrism
“a tendency to think our culture is superior to other cultures”(Martin & Nakayama 2010 p.5). To become competent in intercultural communications we need to acknowledge these differences. I will be examining the fall lineup for network television and questioning if American prime time television may be attempting to adjust our worldview and perception by exposing these imperatives through television entertainment. According to Martin and Nakayama “the demographic imperative suggests the world is becoming increasingly diverse and differ from one another in ethnicity, race, religion and nationality.” (Martin & Nakayama, 2010, pg6) Modern Family a prime time situation comedy is directly addressing some of these imperatives and possibly adjusting the worldview of its audience by a heterogeneous extended family being the center piece of the show. The diversity of this heterogeneous family includes married gay men adopting an Asian female child. A Caucasian sugar daddy married to a an attractive much younger Hispanic immigrant and an average Caucasian family. This extended family interacting among one another despite their racial, ethnic, and differing cultural values is providing positive examples of the peace imperative (Martin & Nakayama 2010 pg.28) Modern Family is modeling by example, that people of different ages, genders, races, socio economic status etcetera can coexist not only on the same planet but in the same family. I viewed The Big Bang Theory which is a highly diversified show and is also addressing the demographic imperative where people differ in ethnicity, race religion and nationality
(Martin
Communication Across Culture
Fall 2013
Assignment 1 Television Fall Lineup and Imperatives According to Martin& Nakayama’s Intercultural Communication in
Contexts (2010)six imperatives affect our abilities to effectively communicate across cultures because of ethnocentrism
“a tendency to think our culture is superior to other cultures”(Martin & Nakayama 2010 p.5). To become competent in intercultural communications we need to acknowledge these differences. I will be examining the fall lineup for network television and questioning if American prime time television may be attempting to adjust our worldview and perception by exposing these imperatives through television entertainment. According to Martin and Nakayama “the demographic imperative suggests the world is becoming increasingly diverse and differ from one another in ethnicity, race, religion and nationality.” (Martin & Nakayama, 2010, pg6) Modern Family a prime time situation comedy is directly addressing some of these imperatives and possibly adjusting the worldview of its audience by a heterogeneous extended family being the center piece of the show. The diversity of this heterogeneous family includes married gay men adopting an Asian female child. A Caucasian sugar daddy married to a an attractive much younger Hispanic immigrant and an average Caucasian family. This extended family interacting among one another despite their racial, ethnic, and differing cultural values is providing positive examples of the peace imperative (Martin & Nakayama 2010 pg.28) Modern Family is modeling by example, that people of different ages, genders, races, socio economic status etcetera can coexist not only on the same planet but in the same family. I viewed The Big Bang Theory which is a highly diversified show and is also addressing the demographic imperative where people differ in ethnicity, race religion and nationality
(Martin