Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay

Origin Of Cross Cultural Communication English Language Essay If I have to go and work in Japan, I will have to change and adapt myself to the culture of Japan. But in the course of this adaptation process, I will face many problems, the most important of them being a communication problem. Such communication problems caused by a difference in cultures i.e. mine and Japans, are known as problems in cross cultural communication. Meaning of Cross Cultural Communication Cross cultural communication can be defined as a study of how people belonging to different cultural backgrounds communicate with each other, in ways that are both similar and different. It can also be defined as a study of how people endeavour to communicate across different cultures. Cross cultural communication is also sometimes referred to as inter cultural communication. Origin of cross cultural communication In earlier times, all countries used to just strive for self sufficiency. There was no concept of trading between countries and even if there was some trading, it was done by the traders at an individual level. But advancements in economic growth and technological developments led to breaking down of cultural barriers as businesses looked for ways to expand and started seeking new markets. And it was this need for expansion that gave birth to globalisation. Globalisation refers to integrating our countrys economy with the world economy. In layman terms, globalisation means combining the markets of the different countries and making the world one huge market. Thus, people of different countries have access to products from all over the world. Globalisation was very beneficial for companies also as it gave them new markets to sell their products. Companies opened their branches in other countries. However, with the process of globalisation leading to an increase in global trade, it was impossible to avoid the meeting, conflict and blending of the different cultures. In any organisation, irrespective of what it does (construction, public relations, transportation, production and distribution of beverages, etc.), communication is the most essential ingredient for the survival of the business. People from different cultures found it difficult to communicate not only because of the language barriers but also because of the difference in their cultural styles. e.g. in independent cultures like Western Europe, USA and Canada, an independent figure of self is dominant. People think of themselves as being independent and distinct from others as well as from the environment. However, in interdependent cultures like Southern Europe, Asian and Latin American countries, an interdependent figure of self is dominant. People are more dependent on each other and the environment. There is a greater emphasis on the inter relatedness of the self to others and to the environment. The self is meaningful primarily in the context of social relationships, duties and roles. In some ways, cultural difference is a bigger challenge than the language barrier. Culture can be defined as a way of life of a group of people, their values, beliefs, behaviours, the symbols that they accept unconsciously and that are passed along from one generation to the next. Culture provides people with a way of thinking, it tells them how to see, hear and interpret different words. Thus, even though two people may be speaking the same language, the words used in it may have different meanings for them both. With the cultural differences making their presence felt and the need for translators rising, the chances of the occurrence of miscommunication also increase. Thus, the need to understand these cultural difference has become even greater. Only after crossing these cultural bridges can we hope to achieve effective communication. Hence, there is a need to study cross cultural communication. Need for Cross Cultural Communication Communication is a necessity anywhere and everywhere. The need for cross cultural communication is increasing every day. Given below are some reasons as to why cross cultural communication is so important nowadays Exchange of ideas Communication, as we all know, is the process of exchange of ideas and information between two or more people. Cross cultural communication just adds culture to communication. People from different cultures need a way to communicate their ideas, feelings, etc. to each other. Cross cultural communication provides a means for effective communication between people belonging to different cultures. The Same words with different meanings As mentioned above, two people might be speaking the same language but the meaning of the words might be different to both of them. e.g. in English, the word Mansion means a big house or a castle but in Japanese mansion means an apartment or a condominium. Also, Claim in English means to state something but in Japanese, it means to complain. So, when a Japanese says that he wants to make a claim, it does not mean he wants to make a statement but that he wants to make a complaint about something. Thus, an understanding of the different cultures is necessary to achieve effective cross cultural communication. Avoid Miscommunication It is imperative to learn the correct meanings of the different words and to understand the different cultures so as to avoid miscommunication of any kind. Miscommunication can cause many problems and conflicts between two communicating parties. e.g. In English, gift means present but in German, gift means Poison. So, if we say that we are giving a gift to a German, he might get very offended thinking that we are giving him poison. So, for effective communication, it is necessary to have an understanding of the languages of the different cultures. Make people feel valued When we show people that we know and understand their cultures, they are immediately impressed and feel valued. They understand that we have made an effort to understand their culture. This encourages them to try and return the favour by trying to understand our culture. e.g. In India, people greet each other by folding their hands and saying Namaste, a Hindi word which people use to greet the soul of the other person. On the other hand, the Japanese greet each other by bowing to each other as a sign of giving respect to others. Another example of diversity in cultures is that of the Navajo people. They live in Latin America. To them, touching someone else without their permission means we are insulting the person. Thus, they do not like to shake hands when greeting other people but instead just fold their hands and greet others. But in countries like UK and USA, shaking hands is considered to be totally normal and is done to greet everyone. Interdisciplinary Orientation of Cross Cultural Communication The main aim of cross cultural communication is to bring together relatively unrelated areas like cultural anthropology and established areas of communication. Its core function is to establish an understanding of how people from different cultures can communicate effectively with each other. It also tries to give some guidelines, by following which people can achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication, like many other scholarly fields, is composed of parts of various other fields. Some of these fields are psychology, business communication, study of different cultures, sociology and anthropology. The field of cross cultural communication has also moved toward the treatment of relations belonging to different ethnicities and the study of strategies used by co-cultural populations to communicate with each other i.e. communication strategies that are used to communicate with the mainstream populations. The study of languages other than our native language not only helps us understand what we have in common with each other as human beings but also assists us in understanding the diversity (and the reasons for it) which underlies not only the languages that we use, but also the means of organizing and constructing knowledge. Also it shows us the many, different realities in which we all live and interact with each other. This understanding has profound implications on the development of a critical awareness of our social relationships. Understanding these social relationships and the way other cultures work lays the groundwork of successful business efforts in this age of globalisation. Language socialization can be defined as the investigation of how language both creates and hypothecates anew, social relations in the context of culture. It is imperative that the speaker understands the grammar of the language that he is speaking, as well as how elements of the language situated in a socially acceptable manner in order to achieve competence in communication. Human experience derives relevance from the culture in which it is obtained, so elements of language also derive their relevance from culture. An individual must make a careful consideration of the semantics and the evaluation of sign language so as to compare the various cross-cultural standards of communication. However, there are several potential problems that are faced by people while participating in language socialization. Sometimes people can indulge in over-generalization i.e. label cultures with subjective and stereotypical characterizations. Another primary concern with making a record of alternative cultural norms is that no social actor uses language in the exact way as has been recorded (as per the normative characterizations). Cross cultural communication provides a methodology for studying how an individual uses language and other semantic activity to use and create new models of conduct and how this varies from the already recorded / documented cultural norms. Aspects of Cross Cultural Communication The aspects o cross cultural communication educate us about the various parameters that may be perceived differently by people belonging to different cultures. By keeping these parameters in mind, the chances of miscommunication can be minimised. These parameters are as follows :- Context Context is the most important dimension of culture. It is also very difficult to define. It was Edward T. Hall, an anthropologist, who first put forth the ideology of context in culture. He defined context as the stimuli or environment or the ambience surrounding it. Depending on how much a culture relies on these three (stimuli, environment, ambience surrounding it), he divided this context into two main groups :- Low Context Cultures High Context Cultures Low Context Cultures These assume that the individuals must be given a lot of background information as they know very little about what is told or being told to them. High Context Cultures These assume that the individual has to be given very little background information as he already possesses adequate knowledge about the subject. Non Verbal, Oral and Written The major factor behind improvement of cross cultural communication is paying more attention to specific areas of communication so as to enhance the effectiveness of the same. These specific areas have been broken down into three sub categories Non-Verbal Contact Oral Contact Written Contact Non-Verbal Contact This includes eye contact, facial expressions, use of space, etc Communication through body movement is known as Kinesics. The two most prominent ways of communication through Kinesics are facial expressions and eye contact. Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. Non verbal communication is also composed of our gestures. These gestures can be divided into five sub categories :- Emblems Illustrators Regulators Affect Displays Adaptors Emblems These refer to sign language (such as the Thumbs Up sign which is one of the most recognized symbols for all is good). Illustrators These mimic what we speak (e.g. showing how much time is left by holding up a particular number of fingers) and are sometimes used in place of verbal speech. Emblems and illustrators are the easiest ways of non verbal communication. Regulators These provide a way of conveying meaning through gestures (e.g. raising up ones hand indicates that one has some doubt(s) about what has just been said). These are more complicated than emblems and illustrators since the same regulator can have different meanings in different cultures (e.g. making a circle with ones hand in UK means OK but in Japan, this gesture is used as a symbol for money, in France, it conveys the notion of worthlessness and in Brazil, it is taken as an insult. http://www.1000ventures.com/design_elements/selfmade/ccd_example_ok-gesture.gif Affect Displays These reveal emotions such as happiness (a smile) or sadness (crying, lips trembling), etc. Adaptors These are more subtle e.g. yawning when we are bored or clenching our fists when we are angry. Adapters and affect displays are the two modes of non verbal communication over which the individual has very little control. The last non verbal type of communication is proxemics. It involves communicating by making use of the space around us. Hall identified three kinds of space :- Feature Fixed Space Semi Fixed Feature Space Informal Space Feature Fixed Space It deals with how various cultures make use of their space on a large scale e.g. by making buildings, parks, etc. Semi Fixed Feature Space It deals with how people belonging to different cultures arrange the space inside said buildings, e.g. the placement of plants, chairs, desks, etc. Informal Space It is the space that is most important to us e.g. how close people sit to one another, office space, etc. A production line worker has to make an appointment to visit his supervisor, however, the supervisor can come and meet the production line workers as and when he wishes. Oral Communication It is easier to learn than non verbal communication. The only problem in oral communication is Para Language i.e. how something is said. Even though words should convey the same meaning to everybody, the rate, volume and emphasis placed on them can completely change their meaning. e.g. In the sentence, I would like to help you, by placing emphasis on the words I, Like, Help and You one at a time while saying the same phrase conveys a different meaning of this same phrase all four times. Written Communication It is usually easier to adapt, learn and deal with in the business world (as compared to non verbal communication) because of the simple fact that each language is unique in itself. e.g. hair and hare are pronounced in the same way but written in a different way and also have very different meanings. Another example can be of the word minute in the sentence The button was so minute that it was a minute before I found it. Thus, written communication also must be done with great care lest we convey the wrong meaning to the recipient of the message. CHALLENGES OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION International businesses are, nowadays, facing new obstacles in their internal communication structures because of major reforms brought about in the internal communication structure through acquisitions, mergers, internationalization, downsizing, etc. Lack of investment in teaching language socialisation and cross cultural communication training often leads to deficiency in the internal cohesion of the company. Some of the by products of poor cross cultural communication are poor working relations, poor retention of staff, loss of customers, internal power struggles, low productivity, lack of co operation and loss of competitive edge by the company. Cross cultural communications consultants work with international companies to minimise in order to maximise cross cultural awareness and the consequences thereof among the employees. Given below are some hurdles to cross cultural communication 1) Lack of Communication Even though lack of communication seems to be a very obvious problem in miscommunication, it also continues to be a major reason behind poor cross cultural communication. Lack of communication with staff refers not only to lack of spoken dialogue but also to access to information. e.g. Some ways of withholding information from the staff are not informing the staff about actions and decisions that will affect their roles, not giving feedback (positive or negative), failure to properly communicate to the staff what is expected of them, etc. This eventually results in alienating the staff base which feels divided from its superiors and the management. If managers are too selective about the information that they provide to the staff, the staff starts feeling suspicious and jealous. This in turn, leads to internal strife rather than the cohesion that the managers were striving for. A management which foes not interact physically with its staff shows that it is not interested in its staff and that it does not trust or respect the staff. In the West, it has been observed that usually there is only downward communication. The staff reports to the managers and the managers report to senior managers and so on. Ideally, communication should br both ways (upward as well as downward). The seniors should take feedback from their subordinates. In the absence of such a system, the subordinates start feeling indifferent, estranged and sometimes even belligerent. Lack of communication is unhealthy, irrespective of what form or situation it may occur in. Managers and companies must have awareness of why, what, to whom and how they are communicating. 2) Language Language can be an obstacle to communication in two ways a) Use of inappropriate language Language carries with it imperceptible messages and meanings transmitted through stress, tone and vocabulary. The wrong use of words and / or emotions hidden behind phrases can send messages that affect the attitude, confidence and self-perception of the staff. Use of critical language gives rise to low self confidence of the staff (at the individual and group level) and poor interpersonal relationships whereas supportive tones and language have the opposite effect. Body language of the speaker and the listener must also be appropriate. Body language can be said to be composed of facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, etc.Facial expressions are a language unto themselves and are universal to all cultures. Our facial expressions can tell other people whether we are happy, sad, confused, etc. Irrespective of the culture, the facial expressions of a person for expressing these emotions, essentially remains the same. Eye contact, on the other hand, plays a key role in setting the tone between two individuals. Its meaning differs greatly in different cultures. In Western Europe and USA, eye contact conveys honesty and interest in what the other person is saying. People who avoid eye contact while speaking are thought to be lying, withholding information or lacking in self confidence. However, in Africa, Middle East and Asian counties, maintaining eye contact is interpreted as being disrespectful and / or challenging ones authority. People who only briefly make eye contact are thought to be courteous and respectful. b) Foreign Languages These days, companies may have indigenous speakers of over 50 different languages all under one roof.   It is important, in such cases to establish one common language for the entire office, whether it be French, r Spanish or English. It is not necessary that this common language must be some language that is common to everyone; it can be the language of the country in which the company is operating or the language spoken and understood by the majority of the employees. In the absence of such a language, everyone will keep speaking but no one will understand anything, leading to chaos in the company. Once the common language is established, all the employees should only converse in this language. This avoids exclusion of staff who cannot understand other languages. The company should also ensure that all its employees are able to converse in the common language. Language tuition should be regarded as a necessity, not a luxury. Culture International businesses equipped with a highly diverse workforce in terms of cultural background and nationality face challenges due to the differences in business practices, ethics, belief system, values, expectations, behaviour and etiquette. Consider the following conversation A soda marketer was glumly sitting at the bar. His friend approaches and asks, Why so serious? He replies, I created this left to right comic strip for a campaign. It showed a famished man crawling across the desert who finds a bottle of soda, chugs it down, and walks away with a cheerful smile. Sales tanked after it ran in the Middle East. Why? Everyone read it from right to left! Now, normally this would make a very good joke. But this is an excellent example of how culture can affect communication. Had the soda marketer been aware that people in the Middle East read from right to left, he could have planned the advertisement accordingly and his business would not have suffered. Cross cultural differences can have a negative impact on a business in a number of ways, whether it may be on team cohesion or on the productivity of the staff. In such multicultural companies, objective help may be needed through a cross cultural consultant who will be able to show individuals and teams how to manage communication and work together in a more productive and cohesive manner. 4) Company Culture Company culture refers to the internal culture of a firm in terms of how it is managed. e.g. Does it view its different departments i.e. Administration, Human Resources, Sales, Production, Accounts, etc. as open systems or closed systems? A closed system is one in which there is a total lack of synergy between the sales and the production department due to the absence of communication lines and structure between them both. A consequence of such compartmentalization is that managers of the various departments have a tendency to become territorial. This is eventually harmful for the organization as its objectives can only be achieved if these departments work together as one unit rather than start functioning as separate, individual units. Thus, it is vital that team building, team spirit and team work are encouraged so as to create open systems. Such measures are particularly valid in mergers and joint ventures wherein co operation between two or more companies requires their total commitment to an open system. Understandably most companies are mainly focused on the strategic and financial side of company operations. International businesses are now realising that many of their business problems have their roots in man management and communication. Stereotyping . It refers to putting someone or something in a certain category based on our own and / others experiences and opinions. Stereotyping has a negative impact on communication. It inhibits communication as it alters our perception and results in us making pre-selected interpretations thus hindering an objective understanding of the communication by us. Perception of information Another challenge of cross cultural communication is how the communication is perceived. In this case, attention is mainly given to body language. Different cultures have different ways of interpreting body language. e.g. in the Chinese culture, waving at a person is intended to indicate to that person to come where you are unlike in the western culture where it is used as a gesture to say goodbye. Such a small gesture can result in miscommunication due to the cross cultural differences. Thus, such gestures should be carefully observed and learned by the speaker as well as the listener. Behavioural Constraints Each culture has its own set of laws on proper behaviour that affect both verbal and non verbal communication. Such behavioural constraints include making eye contact. Where, in some cultures (Asian, African, etc.), it is interpreted as a lack of respect especially when addressing the elderly, in others (like that of USA, UK) it shows that the person is honest and has confidence in himself. Other behavioural constraints include how close one stands to another person while talking to him / her, the tonal variation, etc. All these differences in behavioural constraints make cross cultural communication difficult and ineffective. GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION Strategies to make cross- cultural communication effective are given below :- 1) Flexibility Flexibility in character is an important strategy to make cross cultural communication effective. An individual has to deal with different people belonging to many different cultures. One should not be rigid and stick to ones normal character, way of speech, etc. The individual has to change according to the culture he is working in so as to make the communication more effective. One should be flexible while communicating, i.e. people should change their way of speech and behaviour according to the character of other party and make the other party join in on the conversation so as to facilitate a smooth flow of the same. This will also help in creating a cool and friendly atmosphere between communicating parties. If an individual is flexible, he can change / adapt according to the situation. 2) Honesty This is very much needed in cross cultural communication. Being honest will make the communication better and successful. If one person is honest and the other person is not, the communication will not proceed in a smooth manner. Honest communication also strengthens the relationship between the communicating parties, especially if they belong to different cultures. While participating in cross cultural communication, both parties should be honest in what they are saying, otherwise they will not get the desired result. An honest communication can result in a perfect deal for both the parties involved in the communication. If an important business matter is being discussed, honesty shown by both parties will go a long way in making some important and successful decisions and deals. 3) Listening Listening skills are an important part of cross cultural communication. A person who has low concentration and poor listening skills will be unable to achieve effectiveness in cross cultural communication. Cross cultural communication involves dealing with people belonging to different cultures wherein importance is given only to the communication process without engaging in any other activities. An individual should be calm and quiet while listening to what the other person is saying so as to facilitate a smooth communication process. 4) Mutual Respect Respecting each other is an important strategy of making make cross cultural communication effective. Respect should be given in all talks and forms in cross cultural communication. Both parties should give equal respect, in all their talks and opinions, to each other. In case of someone having a different opinion, the individual should respect the other persons opinion even though it might not agree with his own opinion. An individual should not be rigid about his opinions and should keep an open mind and give equal opportunity to the other party also to give their opinions on the subject and if an agreement is reached, a decision can be made, thus making the communication effective between the parties belonging to different cultures. 5) Understanding each other While communicating with people belonging to different cultures, understanding each other is an important skill to make cross cultural communication effective. Asking questions helps in getting a better idea and understand what the other person is saying.. A better understanding of the situation, the other party, their opinions and suggestions will give more confidence in tackling the problem and finding its solution. Both communicating parties should have skills in recognizing complexity of the talks and decisions. This will help in a better settlement of the matter and that too, without any conflicts. 6) Building Self Awareness and Confidence Both parties should be self aware for making cross cultural communication a success. Self awareness can only be developed by dealing with people belonging to different cultures and backgrounds. People should think twice before making any statement or decision. Self-awareness can be developed by asking others questions about oneself and getting the answers to the same. This helps us in getting a better idea about ourselves. Self-awareness also increases confidence in making cross cultural communication effective and successful. 7) Avoid Stereotyping Stereotyping inhibits communication. Individual should keep an open mind while communicating with other people. He should not entertain any pre conceived notions about the other party as these will cloud his judgement and decisions and lead to conflicts. Keeping an open mind will help the individual to think objectively and make accurate decisions.

The Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh

Katherine Mordan Art Survey Research Paper Prof. Lindt 10/23/11 The Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh The Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh is a piece of Middle Age Egyptian art and it was the piece that caught my eye at the MET. The statue was made around 1919b. c-1885b. c. to represent the reign of the 12th dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat II. It is made out of stone, a stone called Granodiorite. It was carved in Aswan and was completed in Memphis near Cairo. The sculpture is a sculpture in the round, meaning that it is a three dimensional figure that is carved out of block. The statue has smooth texture and large in size. It's an normous statue that raises over a crowd of people, which adds a symbol of power towards it. I saw that it's Amenemhat II sitting on his throne; you can see some damage to the sculpture due to time and moving around of the sculpture. It's missing a nose and its beard. The Pharaoh is wearing a kilt and wearing a belt that has a bull's tail attached to it. To Egyptians a bul l’s tail is a symbol of their strength according to researchers at the Met. He is wearing a royal head cloth with a royal cobra symbolizing the ruler's power. At the foot of the cubes throne is a bunch of scriptures symbolizing it's meaning to the kingdom. The statue was made for the Pharaoh Amenemhat II who ruled in the 12th dynasty. This was the most important period in the middle kingdom, he ruled from 1919- 1885 b. c. He first started his reign with his father and then took over a country that his father kept stable and economically stable. One of the things that pharaoh Amenemhat II did was conduct a military campaign in Syria getting prisoners to build pyramids for him. He would also conducts trades with other countries for goods, copper, wood , and stones. During this time art was gaining popularity in Egypt. Some of the Fine jewelry made came from this time. Stone sculptures like the large Sphinx came from Amenemhat's time. Several years after his reign the sculpture of the Pharaoh was moved from place to place and other kings would alter the statues features to look like theirs; they would carve their names on the statue as well. During the time of the Pharaoh's in Egypt, the kings made sure that the public knew how powerful they were. They made sure that all their artwork symbolized who they were and what strength they had to control an empire. Figures such as a sphinx, lion, snake, bull's tail and falcons, were figures of strength, power and longevity. These were symbols that were used in these pieces to represent the kings. Since the king's seemed all mighty and powerful the people of the country would continue to praise and follow the kings; bringing the king's power and prosperity. The colossal statue of a Pharaoh represents power and strength of an almighty king of king's. Amenemhat II wanted his public to know that he was worthy to be king and that he had the power of control. He wanted his people to believe in him and believe he would bring prosperity. Most important of all is that he wanted people to know that no ne could knock him off of his throne; he was the ruler and could do what ever he pleased. In this type of society, in Egypt king's needed to show their public how powerful they were so that people could not overstep their boundaries and knew they were under strict control. Every social class needed to know were they stood; the rich with rich and the poor working for the rich. This piece really caught my eye due to i ts large size and wonderful detailed structure. It fascinated me to think about how this enormous statue was created back in ancient Egypt and I wanted to share this piece with everyone else.

Biography of Comedian Lenny Bruce

Lenny Bruce is considered one of the most influential comedians of all time as well as a notable social critic of the mid-20th century. Yet during his troubled life, he was often criticized, persecuted by the authorities, and shunned by the entertainment mainstream. A Life Full of Controversy and Legal Trouble In the conservative America of the late 1950s, Bruce emerged as a leading proponent of what was called sick humor. The term referred to comics who stepped out beyond stock jokes to poke fun at the rigid conventions of American society. Within a few years, Bruce gained a following by skewering what he considered the underlying  hypocrisy of American society. He denounced racists and bigots and performed routines focused on societal taboos, which included sexual practices, drug and alcohol use, and specific words considered unacceptable in polite society. His own drug use brought legal problems. And as he became famous for using forbidden language, he was often arrested for public obscenity. Ultimately, his endless legal hassles doomed his career, as clubs were dissuaded from hiring him. And when he did perform in public, he became prone to ranting onstage about being persecuted. Lenny Bruces legendary status developed years after his death in 1966 from a drug overdose at the age of 40. His short and troubled life was the subject of the 1974 film, Lenny, starring Dustin Hoffman. The film, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, was based on a Broadway play, which had opened in 1971. The same comedy bits  which had gotten Lenny Bruce arrested in the early 1960s were prominently featured in respected works of dramatic art in the early 1970s. The legacy of Lenny Bruce endured. Comedians such as George Carlin and Richard Pryor were considered his successors.  Bob Dylan, who had seen him perform in the early 1960s, eventually wrote a song recalling a taxi ride they had shared.  And, of course, numerous comedians have cited Lenny Bruce as an enduring influence. Early Life Lenny Bruce was born as Leonard Alfred Schneider in Mineola, New York on October 13, 1925. His parents split up when he was five. His mother, born Sadie Kitchenburg, eventually became a performer, working as an emcee at strip clubs. His father, Myron Mickey Schneider, was a podiatrist. As a child, Lenny was fascinated by movies and the very popular radio programs of the day. He never finished high school, but with World War II raging, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. In the Navy, Bruce began performing for fellow sailors. After four years of service, he obtained a discharge from the Navy by claiming to have homosexual urges. (He later regretted that, and was able to have his discharge status changed from dishonorable to honorable.) Returning to civilian life, he began to aspire toward a show business career. For a time he took acting lessons. But with his mother performing as a comedian under the name Sally Marr, he was exposed to clubs in New York City. He got on stage one night in a club in Brooklyn, doing impressions of movie stars and telling jokes. He  got some laughs. The experience got him hooked on performing and he became determined to become a professional comedian. Comedy Career Gets off to a Slow Start In the late 1940s he worked as a typical comedian of the era, doing stock jokes and performing at Catskills resorts and in nightclubs in the northeast. He tried out various stage names and eventually settled on Lenny Bruce. In 1949 he won a contest for aspiring performers on Arthur Godfreys Talent Scouts, a very popular radio program (which was also simulcast to a smaller television audience). That bit of success on a program hosted by one of the most popular entertainers in America seemed to put Bruce on the road to becoming a mainstream comedian. Yet the Godfrey show triumph lost attention quickly, and Bruce spent years in the early 1950s bouncing around as a traveling comedian, often performing in strip clubs where the audience didnt really care what the opening comic had to say. He married a stripper he met on the road, and they had a daughter. The couple divorced in 1957, just before Bruce found his footing as a prominent performer of a new style of comedy. Sick Humor The term sick humor was coined in the late 1950s and was used loosely to describe comedians who broke out of the mold of patter and banal jokes about ones mother-in-law. Mort Sahl, who gained fame as a stand-up comedian doing political satire, was the best-known of the new comedians. Sahl broke the old conventions by delivering thoughtful jokes which were not in a predictable pattern of set-up and punch-line. Lenny Bruce, who had come up as a fast-talking ethnic New York comedian, did not entirely break away from the old conventions at first. He sprinkled his delivery with Yiddish terms that many New York comedians might have used, but he also tossed in language he had picked up from the hipster scene on the West Coast. Clubs in California, particularly in San Francisco, were where he developed the persona that propelled him to success and, ultimately, endless controversy. With Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac gaining attention and a small anti-establishment movement forming, Bruce would get onstage and engage in stand-up comedy that had a more free-form feel than anything else found in nightclubs. And the targets of his humor were different. Bruce commented on race relations, skewering the segregationists of the South. He began to mock religion. And he cracked jokes which indicated a familiarity with the drug culture of the day. His routines in the late 1950s would sound almost quaint by todays standards. But to mainstream America, which got its comedy from I Love Lucy or Doris Day movies, Lenny Bruces irreverence was disturbing. A television appearance on a popular nighttime talk show hosted by Steve Allen in 1959 seemed as if it would be a big break for Bruce. Viewed today, his appearance seems tame. He comes off as something of a meek and nervous observer of American life. Yet he spoke about topics, like children sniffing glue, that was certain to offend many viewers. Months later, appearing on a television program hosted by Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner, Bruce spoke well of Steve Allen. But he poked fun at the network censors who had prevented him from performing some of his material. The television appearances in the late 1950s underlined an essential dilemma for Lenny Bruce. As he began to achieve something close to mainstream popularity, he rebelled against it. His persona as someone in show business, and familiar with its conventions, yet actively breaking the rules, endeared him to a growing audience which was beginning to rebel against what was termed square America. Success and Persecution In the late 1950s, comedy albums became popular with the public, and Lenny Bruce found countless new fans by releasing recordings of his nightclub routines. On March 9, 1959, Billboard, the leading trade magazine of the recording industry, published a brief review of a new Lenny Bruce album, The Sick Humor of Lenny Bruce,  that, amid strained show-business slang, favorably compared him to a legendary cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine: Off-beat comic Lenny Bruce has the Charles Addams knack of getting guffaws from ghoulish topics. No subject is too sacred for his rib-tickling efforts. His odd brand of humor grows on the listener and is currently growing on nitery crowds to a degree that hes becoming a favorite at the smart spots. Albums four-color cover shot is an eye stopper and sums up Bruces off-beatnik comedy: Hes shown enjoying a picnic spread in a graveyard. In December 1960 Lenny Bruce performed at a club in New York and received a generally positive review in the New York Times. Critic Arthur Gelb was careful to warn readers that Bruces act was for adults only. Yet he favorably likened him to a panther who prowls softly and bites sharply. The New York Times review noted how peculiar Bruces act seemed at the time: Although he seems at times to be doing his utmost to antagonize his audience, Mr. Bruce displays such a patent air of morality beneath his brashness that his lapses in taste are often forgivable. The question, though, is whether the kind of derisive shock therapy he administers are legitimate night-club fare, as far as the typical customer is concerned. And, the newspaper noted that he was courting controversy: He often carries his theories to their naked and personal conclusions and has earned for his pains the sobriquet sick. He is a ferocious man who does not believe in the sanctity of motherhood or the American Medical Association. He even has an unkind word for Smoky, the Bear. True, Smoky doesnt set forest fires, Mr. Bruce concedes. But he eats Boy Scouts for their hats. With such prominent publicity, it appeared Lenny Bruce was positioned to be a major star. And in 1961, he even reached something of a pinnacle for a performer, playing a show at Carnegie Hall. Yet his rebellious nature led him to continue breaking boundaries. And soon his audiences often contained detectives from local vice squads looking to arrest him for using obscene language. He was busted  in various cities on charges of public obscenity and became mired in court fights. After an arrest following a performance in New York City in 1964, a petition was circulated on his behalf. Writers and prominent intellectuals, including Norman Mailer, Robert Lowell, Lionel Trilling, Allen Ginsberg, and others signed the petition. The support of the creative community was welcome, yet it didnt solve a major career problem: with the threat of arrest always seeming to hang over him, and local police departments determined to hassle Bruce and anyone dealing with him, nightclub owners were intimidated. His bookings dried up. As his legal headaches multiplied, Bruces drug use seemed to accelerate. And, when he did take the stage his performances became erratic. He could be brilliant on stage, or on some nights he could appear confused and unfunny, ranting about his court battles. What had been fresh in the late 1950s, a witty rebellion against conventional American life, descended into a sad spectacle of a paranoid and persecuted man lashing out at his antagonists. Death and Legacy of Lenny Bruce On August 3, 1966, Lenny Bruce was discovered dead in his house in Hollywood, California.  An obituary in the New York Times mentioned that as his legal problems began to mount in 1964 he had only earned $6,000 performing. Four years earlier he had earned more than $100,000 per year. The probable cause of death was noted to be an overdose of narcotics. The noted record producer Phil Spector  (who, decades later, would be convicted of murder)  placed a memorial ad in the August 20, 1966 issue of Billboard. The text began: Lenny Bruce is dead. He died from an overdose of police. However, his art and what he said is still alive. No one need any longer be subjected to unfair intimidation for selling Lenny Bruce albums — Lenny can no longer point the finger of truth at anyone. The memory of Lenny Bruce, of course, endures. Later comedians followed his lead and freely used language that once drew detectives to Bruces shows. And his pioneering efforts to move stand-up comedy beyond trite one-liners to thoughtful commentary on important issues became part of the American mainstream.

External Analysis Of Lendingclub ( Lc ) Essay - 2077 Words

External Analysis: LendingClub (LC) is the dominant player in the new peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry. A Five Forces external analysis of LC’s place in the industry reveals the following: Intensity of Rivalry among Existing Competitors: Although the largest company of a new field in the United States, LC faces a constellation of upstarts. Some of these are direct competitors, like Prosper, which deal with consumer debt like LC. Others are more specialized, like GROUNDFLOOR, which facilitates P2P real-estate loans, or SoFi, which creates P2P loans focusing on refinancing student debt. And of course, traditional banks could more aggressively compete in the consumer debt field, as Goldman Sachs is doing with its online lender Mosaic, or Wells Fargo with its FastFlexSM small business loans. Because LC grew in part by capitalizing on traditional banking’s withdrawal from small business and consumer debt servicing, a sustained reentry could pressure LC’s margins greatly. Bargaining Power of Buyers: The buyers of LC are the borrowers who receive LC constructed loans. They pay an origination fee as well as servicing fee, while the 3rd party creditors receive the actual interest payments. While LC uses an advanced algorithm to determine creditworthiness, traditional credit scoring is still the main determinant of what interest rate a borrower receives, or whether they receive a loan at all. Many of LC’s borrowers are high risk, with several missed payments, high monthly rotating