Customary practices within the Chinese culture
Cultural diversity refers to the existence of two or more cultures within the political frontiers of a country (Feilin & Gaofeng, 2005, p. 68). Therefore, appreciating cultural diversity plays a vital role in the intercultural communication within a society. For example, the perception on gender identity by the Chinese culture differs significantly from their American’s counterpart (Li, 2010, p. 192). Gender roles of men in the modern Chinese culture are subject to conventional concepts of masculinity. For instance, many of the hi-tech products marketed in the media have social characteristics attributed to masculinity, such as risk-taking, competition, toughness and violence (Hung & Li, 2006, p.7). Within this framework, the idiom-masculinity-is not only synonymous with dynamism- an attribute closely identified with male stereotype – but also to dangerous, competitive and forceful practices. On top of the subject of masculinity and aggressiveness, the superiority of males continues to be prominent within the Chinese culture (Li, 2010, p.193). As a result, the social status of male in the Chinese culture is has been elevated to a higher social echelon compared to the social status of women.
According to the Chinese culture, men are generally expected to be vicious and aggressive due to the constructive relationship between masculinity and aggressiveness. There are several marketing strategies that reinforce the hegemonic issue of maleness by deliberately linking a number of technological products to this custom and value of maleness. Within the Chinese culture, the association of a product with masculine features is further enhanced by the use of certain English language. Terms such as vigor, competition and toughness are prominently employed by the media to market technological products (Li, 2010, p.194). For instance, the caption Full-blooded, has been used in the marketing strategy for Oris watch suggests a number of theoretical denotations, such as vital, genuine and vigor, qualities associated with masculinity. In addition, when the caption- fully blooded- is used separately, it usually depicts actions and activities that are performed with immense passion and commitment. As a result, the impression created by the advert is one that associates commitment and zeal as the qualities possessed by the product (Li, 2010, p.194).
Criminal justice systems’ efforts to promote cultural diversity
In many countries, women are often victimized on the basis of their gender. Most of the cultural beliefs in the society tend to promote victimization of women (Ollus & Nevala, 2001, p.3). In many cases, racism and poverty are some of the factors that contribute to victimization of women. In the employment sector, gender bias is clearly manifested by the apparent negligible number of women who occupy senior positions. For instance, within the criminal justice system, the proportion of male to female workers remains huge (Ollus & Nevala, 2001, p.4). However, the current justice system is committed to ensuring that employment opportunities reflect gender balance. For example, several criminal justice systems in many countries have adopted gender-related policies to increase the number of women employment in the criminal justice profession. Some of the practical employment strategies implemented include training programs and staff development for female employees that address issues of boldness and diversity at workplace. Women are also trained on sensitivity issues that stress on the importance of abolishing sexual harassment at workplace (Ollus & Nevala, 2001, p.5).
Strategies to improve social interactions
Early education is one of the most effective strategies to enhance social interactions among diverse cultures. For example, the education curriculum should be comprehensive so that pre-service students can learn in an environment that facilitates interaction with students from different cultures. This can be achieved through several field assignment opportunities for pre-service tutors in numerous diverse school backgrounds. The diverse school background should include students with different socio-economic class, ethnic and racial class and different geographical regions (Gillespie, 2009, p.41). In order to promote social cohesion and diversity among students, several conditions must be adhered to: first, the strategic plan of the institution must acknowledge diversity as a key element of its objectives; second, the curriculum on diversity education must be incorporated in all programs of the learning institution; third, the institution must admit students from ethnic minority, and employ administrators and staffs to reflect cultural diversity in the institution; fourth, it is important that the learning institution team up with other schools and colleges that promote diversity in their education programs; fifth, the administration must allocate sufficient funds to be used to plan and implement the diversity strategies successfully; sixth, the diversity plan should be assessed to ascertain whether the plan is on course (Gillespie, 2009, p.42).
As a result, the multicultural lessons introduced in the education curriculum will endow both teachers and students with essential skills and knowledge they require in the society. As they grow up, students will be able to learn and value people from diverse cultures and appreciate the vital role of cultural diversity as an agent of economic development and fostering social harmony and cohesion in the society.
References
Feilin, L. & Gaofeng, Y. (2005). Cultural Differences in Compliments. Canadian Social Science, 1, 68-72.
Gillespie, DH. (2009). The Cultural Curriculum: Constructing Social Justice in Teaching and Learning in the Classroom. The South Shore Journal, 3, 34-50.
Hung, K. & Li, SY. (2006). Images of the Contemporary Woman in Advertising in China: A Content Analysis. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 19, 7- 28
Li, S. (2010). The Portray of Gender. Web.
Ollus, N. & Nevala, S. (2001). Women in the Criminal Justice System: International examples and national responses. Helsinki: European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control.