How Do People Define Culture?

Realizing the fact that I’m a student who’s taking a Sociology class at Northwestern University in Qatar, I have definitely gained a better insight into the mechanism of this study in real life, as well as noticing how cultures and societies are greatly affected by each other. And of course, knowing the core elements of these two subjects is essential to achieve the full acknowledgement of this study. Although it’s true that I have heard the terms...

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You call that a handshake?

Through many years the most known gesture was a handshake. It expressed respect and friendliness to the other person. Today, people managed to develop their gesture which mainly presented their cultural identity and individualism. The functionalist theory suggests that symbols and practices surrounding popular culture brings people together by generating a shared sense of social solidarity. So, today, the way you greet someone expresses the...

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Marine Festival in Qatar - subculture much?

Well, if you have not been to the Qatar Marine Festival in Katara, then you have missed something that we do not get to see in Qatar that much. Qatar Marine Festival, was organized from 16th March to 26th March in Katara, courtesy of the government I believe. It was splendid, beautiful and very different. More than the 'marine' things in the festival, what I enjoyed personally were the people and the gathering. For an hour, I felt I was not in Qatar...really.There...

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Growing Up in the 90's - A Subculture Without borders

Now this is a story all about how My life got flipped-turned upside down And I liked to take a minute just sit right there And tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air Anyone who's a 90's kid knew those words by heart when they were kids. People who grow up in a similar decade have their own subculture. They share similar interests, have certain phrases and things that only they understand. This is most...

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What Isn’t McDonaldized?

Toronto’s Distillery DistrictThe process of rationalization and mass production are applied not only to our widespread fastfood chains, but also to other businesses and retail stores. A society that is increasingly run like a fast-food restaurant is said to be McDonaldized. There are reasons why aspects of Mcdonaldization have become more and more appealing to industries worldwide and have been integrated into their systems and manufacturing process....

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Intelligence & Culture

To define culture, we can point at a group of people who have mutual understandings, experiences, and beliefs. Culture shapes our way of living, and contributes in building our standards in life. The interaction between different cultures highlights major differences and similarities as well. Some people find it difficult to cross their cultural zone and prefer to maintain a formal interaction between alienated cultures. However, Some people have...

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We are being McDonaldized!

After reading about the McDonaldization of the world I was really curious to start experimenting with the ideas suggested, specifically in fast food restaurants. A few days ago I went to grab some lunch, with a friend of mine, and without intending to we ended up in Hardees.I saw the large recognizable Hardees star from a distance and my brain suddenly decided i was craving burgers, perhaps it was because of all the McDonalds talk we have in sociology...

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Dehumanization in the Music Industry

“So, you’re saying a machine can do what any singer or an artist can do?” that’s what Fergie said when will.i.am explained how this new device works. (picture below) “I input my voice,” he said, “high notes, my low notes, then the whole English vocabulary. What you’re able to do with that, because of this artificial intelligence, when it’s time to make a new song, I just type in the lyrics and this thing sings it, says it, raps it, talks it.” Don’t...

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It's Fryyy-day Fryyy-day

It's Friday, Friday. You know you love it. And apparently the world agrees. 13-year-old Rebecca Black has come out of absolutely nowhere to become the biggest YouTube sensation of the moment, demonstrating the power of social media. She's already got more hits than Lady Gaga's latest song. I can't decide if I love this or hate it. The inane lyrics ("gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal"), the cheesy video production values, the overuse of Auto-Tune (for "singers" who can't sing in pitch), the earnest performance, and even the way Black sings the...

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Arabia’s Cultural Diffusion Through Arabian Horses

By many, the Arabian horse is said to be a treasured part of the Arabian culture and heritage. Though essentially Arabian, this breed of horse is now found in all areas of the world. Sociologically, one can say that a huge subculture of Arabian horse enthusiasts is in existence because of the cultural diffusion that has occurred. The Arabian heritage and culture is spread to all parts of the world through this horse breed thanks to this cultural...

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Valentine's Day- using Love to understand cultures!

According to her book “talk of love,” Swidler defines culture as “ the set of symbolic vehicles- including rituals, beliefs, stories, and ceremonies- through which learning and sharing take place.” I agree with her, especially after exploring the different ways counties celebrate the Valentine’s Day. I was able to understand how cultures function through people's definitions of love!Let me start from here. As a conservative county, few people in...

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Sending Messages Through Songs

Considering the fact that we’re living in an era full of all sorts of sociological phenomena and “modern issues”, there’s clearly no doubt about the big role that music play in discussing and conducting such stories through their lyrics. While music is actually originated in Europe for the purpose of serving the people of highbrow culture, as well as being a handy tool for their producers (artists) and consumers (listeners) to express their suppressed...

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