TCC@W A2 by Huiyi Cui

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Text Overall Introduction

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

The Blind Side is a 2010 Oscar Academy Award-nominated sports biopic. The film was released in the United States in 2009 and is based on the novel by Michael Lewis. A black teen, Michael Oher, grew up homeless after his parents divorced. However, because of his strong physical condition and athletic talent, he was lucky enough to enter a Christian school. Although, he has zero scores, but some details make him stand out from the crowd. After a volleyball game, he took the initiative to pick up the garbage, and his behavior attracted the attention of the Tuohy family. So Mrs. Tuohy decided to adopt Oher and train him to be a football player. Mrs. Tuohy made him feel the warmth of home. At the same time, Tuohy’s son also helped Oher to train, so that he quickly integrated into the life of the football team, and constantly stimulate the potential of the sport. Finally, in a game, his outstanding performance came to the fore, began to gain the attention of scouts, and finally harvest success.

Video

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

video clip introduction and reasons we selected it

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

In this short clip, Michael runs into the Tuohy family on a rainy and cold night, and when questioned by Mrs. Tuohy, Michael admits that he has nowhere else to go and is walking alone at night in order to stay warm at the gym. Then the family drove him back to their home and helped him make his bed for the night. Michael looked inward at everything in the house, and at this time the Tuohy couple is upstairs discussing about Michael’s situation, due to the distrust caused by unfamiliarity, Mrs. Tuohy also has doubts that whether Michael will steal things from the house, although she is full of pity for the boy. In view of the special identity of the main character Michael (an orphan who has not been much cared for and is a member of the black community), which is in sharp contrast to the Tuohy family (a classic white family with power and wealth), we decide to choose two concepts, the power marginality and rapport management, as the theoretical guidance, and use this clip as the case analysis to demonstrate our poster.

Q&A 1

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

How do experiences of marginality affect individuals’ self-perception and their interactions with others?

Q&A 2

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Can rapport be consciously developed, or is it something that occurs naturally? What techniques can help in building rapport?

Power Marginality in Analyzing the Video

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Power marginality refers to the phenomenon where certain individuals or groups are pushed to the periphery of social, economic, or cultural power structures. These marginalized individuals often lack access to resources, influence, and decision-making opportunities (Brady, 2003). Those with power frequently view marginalized groups through lenses of prejudice or stereotypes, reinforcing their position at the edges of society (Fraser, 2009). Marginalization can occur through subtle social practices, where individuals are excluded or positioned as outsiders, often limiting their ability to participate fully in societal or group activities (Debray and Spencer-Oatey, 2019).

In the video, Big Mike is clearly positioned as a marginalized figure, reflecting the concept of power marginality. The dialogue shows an imbalance in power between him and the family that interacts with him. Early on, the family’s curiosity about Big Mike's behavior and appearance, such as asking "What is he wearing? It's freezing" or "Where is he going?", underscores their view of him as an outsider, reinforcing his marginal status.

When the family offers Big Mike shelter, it is done with a layer of suspicion. They question his intentions, and one character asks if he has a place to stay, adding, "Don't you dare lie to me." This demonstrates a power dynamic where the family holds the resources and authority, while Big Mike must justify his actions and needs. The mistrust becomes explicit when a family member expresses concern that he might steal something, revealing the stereotype that marginalized individuals are often viewed as untrustworthy. This interaction highlights how even acts of kindness can be tainted by prejudice, further reinforcing the marginality of those like Big Mike who depend on the goodwill of those in power.

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Rapport management refers to the management of interpersonal relations, the intention/strategy to promote, maintain or threaten harmony through communicative behavior. Therefore, the first encounter between Michael Oher and the Tuohy family can be examined using this concept.

When Michael was walking in the wealthy white neighborhood at night, he must have felt overwhelmed and vulnerable. His condition was in sharp contrast with these people, he was poor, cold and hungry, trying to figure out where he could stay on this cold night. He was silent and lowered his head, we can tell he was afraid of losing face. Michael managed his face using non-verbal communication, he did not want to be noticed and being scolded for intruding the place; because he knew his marginalized position. Mrs. Tuohy respected Michael’s negative face needs, she asked questions as to give Michael choices, such as “School gym’s closed, why were you going to the gym”, instead of imposing help on him, as to respect Micheal’s autonomy (Spencer-Oatey, 2008), she knew eventually the boy would accept her help. She also had a good handle on this big boy’s positive face, he also had self-esteem and desired to be loved, in this way Michael would open his heart and admit the harsh reality that he did not have a place to stay overnight. Her choice of intonation and speaking speed also made it easier for Michael to accept (Spencer-Oatey, 2008)

Mrs. Tuohy’s willingness to help Michael reflects that she was aware she had social rights and obligations to help people in more vulnerable status and less empowered society. Michael’s right is reflected in the way he initially refused to accept the assistance from Mrs. Tuohy, and he had the autonomy to do so.

The interactional goal in Mrs. Tuohy’s perspective is to let Micheal feel warm and build a connection and intimacy with him (Lupcho, 2024), she did not think of receiving anything in return. They both did not have full trust on each other at the beginning, Mrs. Tuohy was questioning if the boy would steal anything, and the boy was afraid of his own safety, his goals were defensive.

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

References

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Brady, D. (2003). Rethinking the Sociological Measurement of Poverty. Social Forces, 81(3), 715–751.

Debray, C., & Spencer-Oatey, H. (2019). “On the same page?” Marginalisation and positioning practices in intercultural teams. Journal of Pragmatics, 144, 15-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.03.002

Fraser, N. (2009). Scales of Justice: Reimagining Political Space in a Globalizing World. Columbia University Press.

Kaur H. Face needs. www.vcestudyguides.com. Published June 1, 2018. https://www.vcestudyguides.com/blog/face-needs

Lupcho T. Understanding Transactional Relationships: Insights and Impact | Thriveworks. https://thriveworks.com/. Published April 12, 2024. https://thriveworks.com/help-with/relationships/transactional-relationships/

Spencer-Oatey H. Culturally Speaking Second Edition. Continuum; 2008.

Seminar 11 Team 5

cuihc1 — 2024-09-16 05:28:06 UTC

Daqian Wang 1402583

Moka Cai 1331824

Huiyi Cui 1523440

Haoyu Li 1379530

Answers for questions

siweim1 — 2024-09-17 05:01:37 UTC

1. Feeling marginalized often makes people question where they belong and who they are. Being on the outside can create a sense of exclusion, making them hyper-aware of their differences. This can lead to insecurity and defensiveness, especially around those in the dominant group. But there’s a flip side — going through marginalization can also make people more resilient and help them form strong bonds with others who’ve been in similar situations, creating a sense of community and shared identity.

2. Rapport can definitely be built on purpose through some communicative strategies, though sometimes it just clicks naturally. To consciously create it, things like active listening, eye contact, and finding shared interests are key. Mirroring someone’s body language helps them feel more at ease, too. The main thing is to be genuine and really show that you care about what the other person has to say. It’s about building trust and making the other person feel valued and understood.

comments

liyingw3 — 2024-09-17 05:50:23 UTC

Q1: Marginality could make people feel loss of sense of belongingness, so marginalised people might perceive themselves as lost and not happy because people are social animals. The interaction between marginalised people with others could be awkward and not natural in some sense because marginalization makes people not confident in themselves as shown in the video of Michael’s behaviour.

Q2:I think rapport management can be learned that is why we are learning factors in rapport management in classes and seminars. We have to acknowledge that people have different identities they want to present and are often in fluid. I think one technique is that we can listen to others first and don’t make judgements. Be open-minded is always appreciated. Actually, could I ask for any comments Seminar 6 Group 4? plz..