Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Conclusion - Marcus Kok


This class is by far my favorite class this semester. I always look forward to class because of the interesting topics we discuss in class. It is also a very small class, which makes it a very comfortable environment for me to participate and present in class. I have learnt a lot since I entered this classroom for the first time for this course. I am very well aware of racism and sexism now. Since I am from Malaysia, I was not exposed to American sports like Football and Baseball that much. I got to learn more about American sports in general and get to understand them more.

From where I come from, females do not usually play sports because they were taught not to play sports. I was surprised how big sports were in America for both men and women. This class made me realize that women athletes in the professional standard work and train as hard as men athletes. I came to appreciate women sports more and start to watch the LPGA and WNBA for a start.

My favorite readings were “The Jordan Effect,” “The Azianization of America,” and “Cool Pose.” First of all, I have always been and still is a huge fan of Michael Jordan. I would watch him play and like any other kid, dream of being in the NBA. His impact towards the NBA and Nike was huge! He basically changed it all. It is crazy that people would stand in like for days for a pair or Air Jordan sneakers. I love sneakers and have a small collection but will never go to that extend where I have to wait for days for a pair. I grew up watching Asian golfers, basketball players, and soccer players. I am a big fan of Anthony Kim, Yao Ming, Jeremy Lin, and Michelle Wie. These athletes represent the Asian community and show everyone that Asians can play sports. They make people like me believe that we can make it to the pros. I have always wondered why African American people act a little differently that Caucasian people in America. In my country, we have a variety of races but we all act the same. Before I took this class, I just did not get it at all. Now I know and everything makes sense. It is not wrong for them to want to cope with their frustration because of how unequally they were treated. African Americans are acting like how they are acting because they want to be unique, express themselves, and show that they are dominant.

I have never written a blog until I took this class. I have to admit, it is not my favorite thing to do but it was a great experience. It definitely helped me improve my writing and by reading other articles posted by my classmates, it helped me improve my reading. The blog part of this class is huge in helping me improve my English.

What I learned in this class is definitely useful for my career. I feel this class is basically teaching us to be ethical and learn what is correct. When we are working in the future, we will come across people from different backgrounds and cultures. This class helps me to not offend them when communicating. Sometimes we do not know it when we are insulting or disrespecting others and this class helped in a way that I won’t use inappropriate words when communicating with people from different cultures.

-Marcus Kok

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