Fresh off the boat -----the analysis of an immigrant family in America. by

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 07:13:39 UTC

In recent years, as more and more people immigrate, many children would receive different education from the West, and parents aim to give their children an early access to foreign languages as well as foreign education, which has led to a wave of comparisons and discussions on the differences between Chinese and Western education.

The intercultural education is the result of immigration. Generally speaking, educated immigrant parents are more likely to seek information about the education system in their new land, as they have the ability to guide their children's learning, access and make it meaningful (Portes & Rumbaut, 2005).

We chose three scenes of the American drama “Fresh Off the Boat” as the text for our study. One is about children’ reaction when they receive marks; one is about a Chinese mother arguing with an American primary school principal for her educational ideas; and one is about continuation class.

There are many differences between Chinese and Western education, which come from different cultures, with the global integration, more and more cultures will have collision and exchange. We need to find a way to promote the development of open mind, so as to welcome diversity and create a true cross-cultural dimension (Sani, 2015).

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 07:28:38 UTC

Questions for viewers

Question 1. Combined with your experience, talk about your views on intercultural education and what you have learned from it.

Question 2. Do you think the advantages of taking continuation class outweigh the disadvantages or not?

Definition:

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 07:44:15 UTC

Self shock

Zaharna (1989) defines that self-shock is when an individual encounter a culturally different one in the intrusion of new cultural context, conflicting self-identities may arise in such situations. These individuals might not show signs, but they did have cognitive dissonance about the outcome of their interactions with the people around them.

^{Long-term VS Short-term orientation}

According to Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov (2010) long-term orientation is about delayed gratification and setting long-term goals that involve thrift and perseverance in order to pursue future returns. On the other hand, short-term orientation focuses on freedom, short-term achievement and individualism. It fosters and encourages past and present morality, respect for tradition and adherence to norms.

Power distance

Hofstede defines “power distance” as "in a country’s institutions and organizations, disadvantaged members’ expectations and acceptance of unequal power distribution. Here, institutions refer to the basic units of society, such as home, school, community, etc.; Organizations refer to people’s workplaces" (Hofstede, 2010:49).

Example 2：Long-term VS short-term orientation

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 07:49:21 UTC

_^Eddie:_{^{Domino! Straight As, mom! One good thing about moving here is I have no friends and no distractions. That’s way I got A’s.}}_^Jessica:_{^{School is too easy.}}

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In fresh off the boat, Jessica fully embodies the characteristics of long-term orientation. She believes that success can only be achieved through continuous efforts, and there should be no slack in the process.

In this example, when Eddie got straight A’s at school, Jessica was so warried that she took Eddie to see the principal, complaining that the school was too simple and hoping that the school could provide Eddie with after-school tutoring programs. At the same time, Eddie’s neighbor, who was also his classmate, got C grades, but received a gift from his parents, a set of basketball hoops.

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 07:57:56 UTC

· Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations : software of the mind : intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

· Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. (2005). Introduction: The Second Generation and the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study. Ethnic And Racial Studies, 28(6), 983-999. doi: 10.1080/01419870500224109

· Sani, S. (2015). The Importance of Intercultural Education in Developmental Age. Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences, 197, 1148-1151. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.369

· Smith, P. B., & Bond, M. H. (2019). Cultures and persons: characterizing national and other types of cultural difference can also aid our understanding and prediction of individual variability. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2689.

· Zaharna, R. S. (1989). Self-shock: The double-binding challenge of identity. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 13(4), 501-525.

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 08:04:50 UTC

Example 3：Power distance

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 08:09:44 UTC

In countries with a low power distance, people do not value rights very much. On the contrary, they pay more attention to personal abilities, and there is no significant hierarchical relationship; while in countries with high power distance, people value rights more and there is a strict hierarchical relationship. Vulnerable members are willing to accept unfair distribution of rights.

The power distance is reflected in the family. In families with a higher power distance, parents have higher authority, and this authority often still exists after the child can live independently. After the parents are old, the children need financial and operational support. At the same time, among children, younger children are also taught to obey older children.

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_{Power Distance Index}_{(China VS America)}

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 11:09:46 UTC

· All in all, we chose three scenes of the American drama “Fresh Off the Boat” as the text for our study. Under the analysis of three key concepts, including power distance、long-term and short-term orientation and self-shock, we can have a better understanding of intercultural communication.

· Fresh Off the Boat, the example we took, which embraces stereotypes of all cultures, particularly what’s funny or confusing about them to others, in order to create a decidedly funny and relatable exploration of cultural identity in all its forms.

· Culture shock and cultural clashes are the comedic bread and butter of Fresh Off the Boat, as each of the Huangs copes with assimilation into American culture differently, some with enthusiasm, some with reticence, but all in ways that highlight the humor of trying to understand the unfamiliar and find acceptance despite being different.

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-08 13:36:03 UTC

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-10 06:22:59 UTC

Example 1：

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-10 06:34:00 UTC

       Self-shock

Initially, from the conversation between the two kids on the road, we can analyse that the communication between them revolves around their daily life and study life. However, what that Chinese kid cared most about was his report card. He mentioned that if his grades were not so satisfactory, he would use the forgery kit to change his grades. Because for most Chinese children, nothing is more important than test scores.

In contrast, from what that American kid said, it can be seen that his daily life was not all about study. Even if the date of receiving the gift was late, he still valued this birthday gift his father gave him very much. It can be seen that these two individuals have different expectations for life.

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The second scene showed the reaction when two kids opened their report cards respectively. The Chinese kid was very excited to see that his grades were all A. Although the American kid was not as good as that Chinese kid, he only got C, but he was as happy as the Chinese kid. These two did not show confusion about the other's response to this incident. But they all felt the differences in their reactions under the background of intercultural communication. Self-shock occurs when the individual encounters a culturally-different other.

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xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-10 06:50:45 UTC

This is also reflected in "Fresh Off the Boat". In the Chinese-style family relationship, Eddie Huang’s mother Jessica Huang is in an absolute strong position. The mother hopes that the child can obey herself, although the child may not agree, but will choose to adapt to this model.

For example, in the video, we can see the "tiger mother"-style education widely circulated in China. Parents set learning goals for their children and enforce all the details through mandatory means, including subject items to achieve A, and doing a lot of tuition in CLC after class and so on.

Among them, children's opinions will not be respected, and children will not be given the opportunity to say "no". Although Eddie Wong’s local students in the United States are not as good as Eddie Wong, they can still play outside.

This reflects that in American family relations, parents did not force their children to take supplementary lessons. Relatively disadvantaged children also have the courage to fight, are good at expressing their demands, and insist on their own position. In the end, parents also choose to respect their children's choices.

xinyanjiang1 — 2020-10-11 08:27:09 UTC

Through the above comparison, in Jessica’s mind, efforts are not only for straight A in one exam, but also for continuous efforts to achieve success in life. By contrast, in their neighbor’s mind, children will be rewarded for one improvement in a test.

^{Long-term orientation index comparison(China VS America)}