Sharjah airport 1937 and Dubai airport today.

The old video was filmed in Sharjah Air Outpost airport in 1937. The video showed different information about Arabs and the way they lived. They were using animals for traveling like donkeys and camels. The population of Sharjah city at that time was 15,000 and now is more than half million. In the past, the Arab population was much more with some other traders from India and Iran. We have seen the council at the sheikh’s palace and some photos of pearl and oyster beds. The airport has built like the shape of the fort and was supervised by a British company. The airplane which arrived at the airport was a Hanno H.P.42, built by Handley Page in England for Imperial Airways. It took 4 days from England heading to India and Australia and was stopped twice in Baghdad & Alexandria. The air plane had an excellent safety record with zero fatalities. Some Arab people were seen in the video delivering pearls before the plane travelled to India. Also the video  showed some mechanics servicing the plan before take-off again.

The second video was totally different comparing with the black and white video which showed a lot of people dancing in Dubai airport from different countries, traditions and cultures. They  looked so happy to dance in the video.

Definitions

1. Affluence = wealth.

Abu Dhabi is an example of an affluent society.

The opposite of affluence is poverty.

2. Ethnicity is related to culture, race, language.

Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malays, Chinese and Indians.

3. Ability = skill = aptitude.

He has the ability to get good grades.

4. Diversity = difference.

The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.

5. Assimilation = absorption.

People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.

6. Demographics = the study of population.

You can study a country's demographics in many different ways, e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender.

7. religion = a set of beliefs.

Religious people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.

8. race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.

People of Malay, Chinese & Indian race share Malaysian nationality.

9. multiculturalism = many different cultures.

A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.

10. personality = individual character.

She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.

11. prejudice = bias.

Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.

12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.

It means different cultures borrowing from each other.

13. Bias = prejudice.

Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.

14. Discrimination = treating people differently.

Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.

15. Fringe = edge, margin.

A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.

16. Population = the number of people.

A census is a count of the number of people in a country.

17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.

Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.

18. Gender = sex.

There are two genders, male and female.

19. Resistance = opposition.

There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.

20. Advantage = a favoured position.

If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.

21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.

The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.

22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.

Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.

23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.

The company's productivity rates are rising.

24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.

The students' behaviour is very good.

25. Belief = confidence, opinion..

I have great belief in her.

Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.

26. Majority = most.

The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.

27. Income = salary.

All employees have a monthly income.

28. Adverse = bad, harmful.

We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.

29. Values = beliefs.

I value honesty very highly.

30. Traditions = customs.

They are handed down from generation to generation.

31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.

In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.

32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.

She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.

33. Slang = slightly improper language.

Have a shufti at my blog.

34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.

An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.

35. Stratification = rigid division of society.

The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.

36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.

Language, race, affluence are all socio-cultural factors.

37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.

Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.

38. Poverty = being poor.

The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.

39. Nationality = the country you belong to.

You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.

40. Minority = less than half.

Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.

41. Class = group.

You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.

42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.

Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.

43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.

Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.

44. Barriers = obstacles.

To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

blindsight

Types of cultural diversity in the movie; there were different types of culture; the woman from Germany brought the blind kids in Tibet. The blind Erik from the United States planned and insisted to take the kids to the top of Everest. Both the woman and Erik are Christian in contrast to the people of Tibet based on Buddhism who believe that blindness is a kind of God punishment from a previous life . Erik wants to prove the blindness can't be an obstacle to achieve goals.

Challenges people in the movie encounter; all the people in the movie have faced challenges while climbing Everest which is the lack of O2. Erik lost his mother and got blind when he a was child. The blind kids from Tibet have faced the blindness since the birth. Climbing the top of Everest with most of them blind is considered the biggest challenge in the movie.

Stereotyping/bias/prejudice/discrimination; bad treatment that Tashi had in Tibet from other kids and the burns on his body and Tashi thought he couldn’t join the trip because he is originally from China which was completely not true that’s why he hid the truth. The kid who was with the Chinese family is getting beaten when he doesn’t get or bring enough money from begging.

A challenge caused by personality, rather than culture; the bad treatment that Tash has received and the Chinese couple who beat the blind beggar; all of these could be done by personality rather than culture.

What benefits are there for the people in the movie as a result of their differing cultures; the girl from Tibet is going to have an English course and Tashi found his family with a lot of help from the group.

Reflection

My reflections on the demographics are:
a_These results were based on the UAE population in the year 2000 . The % of UAE Arab was 12.2 , in these days for sure the percentage  has increased due to several reasons which are the men can have more than one wife , marriage rewards and the increase of kid money in the salary.




b_The percentage of white Europeans was 2.4% and I think it got much higher these days because of the development and business has become better in all fields .

Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity is being respectful to other cultures besides your own.

 

Cultural diversity usually means a country where you have a lot of cultures living together in harmony. An exemplary country of cultural diversity is Canada.

Diversity is the unification of cultures, providing reasons why we are more alike than dissimilar

cultural diversity

UAE demographics

UAE

Introduction to Diversity


UAE Demographics:


Ethnic Groups Percentage 2,ooo


Arab 48.1%


12.2% UAE Arab


9.4% Bedouin


6.2% Egyptian Arab


4.1% Omani Arab


4% Saudi Arab


South Asian 35.7%


Iranian 5%


Filipino 3.4%


White European 2.4%


Others 5.4%




Religions Percentage 2000


Muslim 62% (80% Sunni)


Hindi 21%


Christian 9%


Buddhist 4%


Others 4%




Source: http://www.worldstatesmen.org/United_Arab_Emirates.html