I know that this video is very comic, and it was meant to be like that. However, the purpose of this video goes beyond causing you to laugh your head off. I always liked to learn things while having fun, and that's why I decided to share with you this video. So, We are going to analyse the video to understand what acculturation means.
Acculturation
There are many complex and long definitions to acculturation, but I like better a simple an short one: Acculturation is the process of getting adapted to a particular culture. In the video we can see the four stages of acculturation which are discussed in an article I read called "Sociocultural Factors."
The first stage we can appreciate in the video is when the outsiders experiment great excitement and joy over the newness of the place and the surroundings. In this phase, the outsider is just starting to know the culture and is easily impressed by the beauty and uniqueness of the surroundings. Besides, there is usually a lot of curiosity and anxiousness to know the new place. This usually only lasts for a short period of time.
The second stage is the one most represented in the video, culture shock. In this stage, the outsider starts feeling in a great deal the cultural differences between his own culture and the target culture. This cultural differences may be very simple ones that the outsider can adapt to his own necessities like when the toaster adapted the size of the bread slice, or more complex which can not be easily adapted; in this case, it is the outsider who has to change in order to fit into the new culture. In the video, this is also represented when the toaster found out that the electrical outlet was different and did not work with its plug.
The third stage is one of gradual recovery in which there is general progress in regards to solving some the problems, self adapting, and accepting the differences that surround the outsider. It was difficult for the toaster at the beginning, but then it accepted the differences and sat down resigned.
The four and last stage of acculturation is when either assimilation or adaptation, or both have taken place. This usually means that the outsider has regained his self-confidence and accepted the new culture; therefore, he feels more comfortable and less troubled by the differences.
But the toaster did not get to the last phase! you may say, and that is true. The process of acculturation differs from individual to individual, and from culture to culture. There are some individuals that for some reasons can never really get adapted to a new culture. Or there are others who try to adapt or force themselves to fit into the new culture, but those efforts do not always work, and sometimes end up with terrible results like in the case of our poor toaster.
Marvin Mendez
