Reflective Journal 2

Over the years, both China and America, the current superpowers of the world have progressed significantly in more ways than one. This was the topic for discussion for the last two lessons of the Culture Differentiation course. The discussion was more focused on the economic and political aspects of change, thus this entry would also mainly explore the progress in these two areas of both countries.

I personally believe that economics cannot be discussed separately from politics thus, I would explain the difference of the political systems of the two countries, its current situation and how it actually leads to their respective economic circumstances.

We all know that the political system in America is a democratic one. Through the years, though democracy has helped many countries achieve success in the past, we are beginning to see several loopholes in this system that plays a crucial role in the economic downfall of America. The Congress is split into the Democrats and the Republicans. These two factions have been debating since they were founded. Some might feel that it’s healthy to introduce an alternative voice, however, I feel that this system presents a serious loophole. I do agree that an alternative voice is necessary for better governance. However, if the opposition is given too much power, so much so that they can object to any decisions made by the President, then it would only serve to slow down a country’s development as little changes can be made by Obama without opposition from the Republicans. Despite this, I believe that there is hope for the political scene in America. With the rise of Generation WE, youths in America are more concerned about their country’s politics and future. Research shows that it was the second highest turnout rate, second to 1972, when elections were open to 18 year old youths. This can be considered progress as this new generation might be able to revolutionise American politics in the future and steer America in the right direction.

Compared to China, America’s politics is widely acknowledged to be more successful. The ruling party of China has stubbornly remained communist since its founding during Mao’s time. Till today, it has remained status quo, with only minor changes being made. However, China is progressing, though at a painfully slow rate. In October 2006, a protest by mainly dog owners took place in Beijing when a law was passed, stating that each household is limited to a single registered animal no taller than 35cm. This was completely unheard of in the past. In the past no one would dare stand up to the government in China. This shows that the people in China are more willing to stand up to authority, hence this could check the government’s power. Though the progress is slow, its change can still be felt.

Next, I shall explore the economical aspect, compare and contrast the two countries in terms of their financial situation. America has been the superpower of the world since before the World War II due to its policy of isolation. It was once a powerful and rich nation, with many other nations in its debt. When other countries were in economic distress, America would always play the role of the saviour by bailing them out with monetary stimulus. However, that was in the past. From the readings, we understand that America is no longer the powerful state it used to be. Its supremacy in terms of military force is still indisputable, however, its economics have suffered greatly in recent years. The US has incurred such a huge national debt that each citizen of America would have to shoulder US$48,859 each, with China leading in the list of countries to which it owes debts to. This could be linked to the Federal Elections in 2008 which was also covered in detail by student presenters. Though they covered more on the political impacts, it was understood that the dire economic situation during that time that the people of America were so fervent about change. Obama understood that promised the change that people sought after, thus winning the elections and becoming the President of United States. Since then, the situation has barely improved, in fact, the Obama administration is powerless to pay off the current debt with its poor economy still recovering from recent economic crisis.

Compare this to the present day China. China’s annual GDP growth rate is a stunning 10% for the last decade. This is shocking as China was once a poor and backward country, governed by a communist government. The Cultural Revolution further aggravated the situation by setting China back by ten years while other countries are rapidly developing its industries and trade. This is a far cry from the economic success which China enjoys now. With the emergence of China’s ME Generation, it is evident that China would someday overtake America if this shocking growth rate sustains. I believe we are all familiar with the economic situation of China. After all, much emphasis has been placed on it by the media thus I would not go into too much detail.

In conclusion, both American and Chinese societies have experienced significant progress despite setbacks. However, I feel that the progress in China’s society is more desirable as it can help meet the demands of the people and satisfy them whereas the progress in America is probably due to the youths’ resentment towards the era they’re born in and debt they are left to deal with.

Reflective Journal 1

Culture Differentiation, as the name suggests, educates us on the importance of understanding different cultures as well as the avenues in which we can apply this relatively new knowledge that we have gained. Through the first tutorial of this course, I have learnt that cultural intelligence is essential, not only when we travel overseas to meet people of different nationalities, but also in our everyday lives. I used to equate culture to nationality or religion, however, I was greatly mistaken. Even within a country, within the same religion, different cultures could exist.

To begin our task in exploring this foreign subject, we started with HSBC commercial videos to obtain a rough idea of the consequences if we do not possess cultural intelligence. Next, we were assigned certain thinking questions that were supposed to help us understand the term, cultural quotient better.

We learnt that cultures have different practices and sets of thinking, thus in order for us to communicate effectively with people of different cultures without committing a faux pas requires us to be proficient in cultural quotient. This was the focus of the first tutorial which also serves as an introduction to this content heavy module that some of us are new to. I find the research questions provided very intriguing as they allow me to gain new insights to the whole concept of Cultural Intelligence. This is especially so for the last question. When taught the term Cultural Quotient, I immediately accepted it without questioning, thinking it's credibility should be decent considering much research has been done on it. Thus, when the question required me to question the concept of Cultural Quotient, I applied my critical thinking skills and attempted to find flaws in the concept. To my surprise, I actually found some flaws, though I'm not sure if they are actually valid since they are merely my own viewpoints. In my opinion, the concept of Cultural Quotient is flawed as I feel that cultural intelligence is not something that can be measured.