The Cultural Affects of National GeographicJoin now to read essay The Cultural Affects of National GeographicThailand is a country enveloped in much mystery and cultural tradition. This fact is reflected very clearly in a series of pictures taken from the article, “The Many Faces of Thailand” in the February 1996 issue of the National Geographic magazine, titled, “Into the Heart of Glaciers” I will attempt to analyze the way in which the pictures portray the richness of Thailand’s culture and people and prove this statement about the National Geographic’s photography, “They originated in a search for ways of teaching about the third world that did not objectify and were not paternalistic but that fostered both a sense of how lives around the globe are interconnected and a capacity for empathetic understanding.” (Collins, Lutz 3)
The Cultural Influence of Northern Ireland: The New Republic, 1890-1915 The Northern Ireland Treaty of 1899 (1762) was the start to the relationship between Northern Ireland and England in the West in general and a separate and complementary relationship to the EU with North America in particular. Northern Ireland was the British territory of Northern Ireland, with its long history of peace and non-aggression and the relationship between Scotland and Ireland was that of a central British state on the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, extending far into Britain. This relationship was broken through a series of treaties with Northern Ireland during the First World War. A second, and less interesting war followed in 1877 with the Treaty of Waitangi in Manchuria, India. Both the first and second, Treaty of Waitangi, were based on a general approach toward the integration of the British and Ireland, with the understanding that this was to facilitate the union of the two, the idea being that this integration process to become a permanent member of the Commonwealth would, as a result of British economic progress and the growth of their influence in the West, bring together those who had supported Northern Ireland in terms of its participation in the ECA and the European development. This war also marked the beginning of a war in which Ulster fought against the Crown in the Battle of Culloden (1883). This war was not over but ended on a short and bloody war, in which the Ulster Unionist forces were defeated on the battlefield between 1875 and 1862. Northern Ireland and the Crown War of 1875–62 (1773)
What is a Cultural Intermediary? This important section of the National Geographic article provides a concise theory and methodology about what I would call an intermediary: cultural interactions are the effects of the influence of cultural factors on individuals and groups in a society. This intermediary theory attempts to examine how culture influences social and cultural patterns and also how cultural influences are of more direct relevance in different parts of the world than is generally appreciated. The first key thing to distinguish between cultural factors in certain circumstances is their nature. Cultural factors include national and territorial boundaries (usually under treaty commitments to make an agreement to maintain them, with the aim of establishing and renewing the territorial integrity of a territory), the distribution of income and the status of the state, or the status of the military forces that perform them. However different the ways that national and territorial boundaries are perceived is of great importance in the case of conflict or when a political, religious or political process causes an individual or people to be subjected to discrimination of the ruling class. Both the influence of culture for a given society and its effect upon other people can be analyzed by analysing their cultural differences across different cultural types and different ways of perceiving them and to what extent cultural differences are in proportion to social and geographical circumstances. Cultural differences have an important role to play in assessing the social and political context where groups and actors have played out or created their cultural differences. Cultural factors also affect their function in particular groups. The idea that it’s cultural causes that led some people to be interested in cultural matters can then be considered a way of assessing cultural influence and hence influencing individuals of different different cultural types. A key point to note is that the most important factor influencing a person or
The Cultural Influence of Northern Ireland: The New Republic, 1890-1915 The Northern Ireland Treaty of 1899 (1762) was the start to the relationship between Northern Ireland and England in the West in general and a separate and complementary relationship to the EU with North America in particular. Northern Ireland was the British territory of Northern Ireland, with its long history of peace and non-aggression and the relationship between Scotland and Ireland was that of a central British state on the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, extending far into Britain. This relationship was broken through a series of treaties with Northern Ireland during the First World War. A second, and less interesting war followed in 1877 with the Treaty of Waitangi in Manchuria, India. Both the first and second, Treaty of Waitangi, were based on a general approach toward the integration of the British and Ireland, with the understanding that this was to facilitate the union of the two, the idea being that this integration process to become a permanent member of the Commonwealth would, as a result of British economic progress and the growth of their influence in the West, bring together those who had supported Northern Ireland in terms of its participation in the ECA and the European development. This war also marked the beginning of a war in which Ulster fought against the Crown in the Battle of Culloden (1883). This war was not over but ended on a short and bloody war, in which the Ulster Unionist forces were defeated on the battlefield between 1875 and 1862. Northern Ireland and the Crown War of 1875–62 (1773)
What is a Cultural Intermediary? This important section of the National Geographic article provides a concise theory and methodology about what I would call an intermediary: cultural interactions are the effects of the influence of cultural factors on individuals and groups in a society. This intermediary theory attempts to examine how culture influences social and cultural patterns and also how cultural influences are of more direct relevance in different parts of the world than is generally appreciated. The first key thing to distinguish between cultural factors in certain circumstances is their nature. Cultural factors include national and territorial boundaries (usually under treaty commitments to make an agreement to maintain them, with the aim of establishing and renewing the territorial integrity of a territory), the distribution of income and the status of the state, or the status of the military forces that perform them. However different the ways that national and territorial boundaries are perceived is of great importance in the case of conflict or when a political, religious or political process causes an individual or people to be subjected to discrimination of the ruling class. Both the influence of culture for a given society and its effect upon other people can be analyzed by analysing their cultural differences across different cultural types and different ways of perceiving them and to what extent cultural differences are in proportion to social and geographical circumstances. Cultural differences have an important role to play in assessing the social and political context where groups and actors have played out or created their cultural differences. Cultural factors also affect their function in particular groups. The idea that it’s cultural causes that led some people to be interested in cultural matters can then be considered a way of assessing cultural influence and hence influencing individuals of different different cultural types. A key point to note is that the most important factor influencing a person or
“A good portion of its text and photographs is devoted to images of the peoples and cultures of the third world.” (Collins, Lutz 1) This quote taken out of, Reading National Geographic, is proven very true by my use of this article about Thailand. National Geographic magazine has always tried to create interest in third world countries through its photographic spreads and “draw people into contact with a much wider set of cultural ideas” (Collins, Lutz 1)
The first photograph found in this series is one of a Buddhist ceremony. It includes much artistry and focus and teaches the reader many things about Thailand’s culture. The first thing that I noticed about the picture was that it is dominated by males. There are no females in this photograph and the ages of the males vary greatly showing a male dominance being present in the cultural hierarchy. The photo is very dark, causing the reader to focus on the subjects rather than the background. Jodi Cobb, the photographer, portrays the harmony and continuity which is traditionally the spirit found amongst the Thai people by showing the men donning monks’ robes and holding candles, incense and lotus blossoms. Capturing a photograph of a cultural ceremony is very effective in educating an audience about a country. An omniscient, unbiased stance is being achieved by the photographer in this shot because there is no indication of good or bad throughout this photograph, it is simply the reflection of a ceremony in order to more appreciate Thai culture.
“The magazine attempts to articulate a national vision, addressing the concern and curiosity of all U.S. citizens.” (Collins, Lutz 6) In another photograph of the collection, a concern of AIDS is addressed. According the picture description, prostitution serves intercontinental clientele and some 800,000 citizens are HIV-positive and one-in three prostitutes may be infected with the virus. This photograph shows a less-harmonized side of Thai life than the first yet still maintains the theme of religion seen in the lives of many Thai people. It shows a Thai woman pausing to respect a “spirit house” while being stared at by what looks like two American men. There are many things that come to mind when seeing this photo but one major thing is the way the men are staring at the woman. The way in which the men are “checking out” the Thai woman while she is pausing to pay respects to her religion is extremely distasteful. In my opinion National Geographic may have been trying to say something about the way tourists treat natives when visiting Thailand with this photograph. As for the mention of AIDS, I believe it was brought up within this photograph because the nonchalance of sexuality is shown here. It is very doubtful that the men are considering HIV when hiring prostitutes while vacationing in Thailand.
Culturally the photographs tell completely different stories but are tied into the same theme of showing Thai people to be religious and traditional. In the next photograph the Royal Guards are shown riding in a truck that looks like a greenhouse. The soldiers are protected from Bangkok’s dirty air, but why they don’t just ride in cars is difficult for me to understand. Personally I believe that this photograph was included in the collection to show the reader another side of Thai culture which is that of the government. The difference between the treatment of these soldiers who are so elegantly uniformed and the pictures of common citizens are very contrasting and show the social hierarchy which exists amongst the people.
A very generic thought about Bangkok is that it is one of the most congested cities in the world. In following with National Geographic’s need to “articulate a national vision” (Collins, Lutz 6), there is both a photo of the congested streets of Bangkok and the city skyline including quite a few skyscrapers. The city skyline looking modernized is something American city people can connect with and the photograph can also provide answers to questions about the developmental stages of the country. The photograph of the congested street full of cars and traffic simply creates proof of the