Sociological review of the movie Borat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociological review of the movie Borat - Essay Example Set in a documentary style, the narrative begins in a small village where Borat introduces his family and village to the audience. Borat is soon asked by the government of Kazakhstan to visit The United States of America in order to learn the cultural roots of the most powerful nation in the world. He would then bring back his learnings, as a form of a documentary, and teach the Central Asian nation, a part of former Soviet Union, the â€Å"American Way†. With a limited budget, an obese sidekick as a producer of the documentary (Azamat Bagatov played by Ken Davitian), Borat sets off to meet real Americans. His zigzag journey across different states, his reactions to American culture and vice-versa (America’s reaction to Borat) is on one side a comical riot but on the other hand exposes the prejudices and hypocrisies in the American culture. As Borat is capable to see the world only from his own cultural viewpoint, the movie at solitary level is a story of ethnocentrism gone crazy. His values, beliefs, and norms are quite a horror and offensive at first, but sadly depict the realities of multiculturalism in the US (Lee). This write-up aims to review the movie from a sociology point of view, illustrating the interfaces of sociological theories with movie’s account and themes. Ethnocentrism I believe that the central sociological theory in the movie Borat. Ethnocentrism is the practice of comparing other cultural practices with your own and often finding them inferior. Cultural divide, being the main theme of the movie, is practically embedded in almost all scenes both from American and Kazakhi points of views (Robert Brym). Sacha Boren demonstrates this in the famous rodeo scene in Texas where he enters the ring to praise the power of America, its decision to invade Iraq and cursing the enemies of America. He is met with rounds of applause and cheers. However, he stretches his act by singing the national anthem of Kazakhstan on American tune calling it the greatest country in the world. The idea that some other country beats the United States in glory and power does not go well with the audience as it responds with loud jeers and boos. The incident hints ethnocentrism being rooted in American culture and perhaps the root of various prejudices Americans have against other cultures and nationalities (Lalo). Conflict theory Another principle theory that is reflective in the movie right from the start is Karl Marx’s Conflict theory that defines conflicts in social structures as the main driver of the progressive development in greater equality, democracy, autonomy and individuality (Sociology Guide). The conflict between races (especially Jews) is apparent right from the start of the movie. Many DVD versions of the movie have the following language options: English, French, Spanish, Russian and Hebrew. If you select "Hebrew," you would hear a repeated warning, "Jew in  vocinity, Jew in  vocinity," as the screen f lashes the following messages: "You have been trapped Jew!" "Keep your claws where they can be seen." "Do not attempt shift your shape." And this is all before the movie even begins. Borat Sagdiyev lives in a world that believes Jews to have horns on their head. A

Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase - Essay Example (57 percent), Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (21 percent), Asia and the Pacific (13 percent), and Latin America (7 percent). Citibank is a major force in international finance, its consumer segment offers banking, lending, insurance, and investment services through a network of 8,110 branches, approximately 18,800 automated teller machines, 809 automated lending machines, and the Internet. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment provides various investment and commercial banking services and products, which comprise investment banking and advisory services, debt and equity trading, institutional brokerage, foreign exchange, structured products, derivatives, and lending. It also offers cash management and trade finance for corporations and financial institutions; custody and fund services to insurance companies and pension funds; clearing services to intermediaries; and depository and agency/trust services to multinational corporations and government. The Global Wealth Management of Citigroup provides investment advisory services, financial planning, and brokerage services to wealthy individuals, companies, and non-profits organizations. Other services include investment management, such as investment funds management, capital markets solutions, trust, fiduciary, and custody services; investment finance that comprises credit services, such as real estate financing, commitments, and letters of credit; and banking services that consist of deposit, checking, and savings accounts, as well as cash management and other banking services. Today Citigroup is the finest financial services company, with approximately 200 million customer accounts in more than 100 countries. In a news report / press release issued by the Citigroup that it has completed the purchase of Egg Banking plc (Egg), the world's largest pure online bank and one of the UK's leading online financial services providers, from Prudential PLC. In another press release, Citigroup on April 26th 2007 announced its successful completion of tender offer to become the majority shareholder of Nikko Cordial Corporation. Citigroup will own in excess of 60% ownership in Nikko Cordial. Nikko Cordial is a premier Japanese financial institution based out of Tokyo. J. P Morgan Chase A constituent of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase has its corporate headquarters in New York and its U.S. retail financial services and commercial banking headquarters in Chicago. Under its JPMorgan and Chase brands, the firm serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients. The company operates through six segments: Investment Bank, Retail Financial Services, Card Services, Commercial Banking, Treasury and Securities Services, and Asset Management. The Investment Bank segment offers investment banking products and services, such as advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and research. It also serves corporations, financial institutions, governments, and institutional investors. The Retail Financial Services provides regional banking services, including co nsumer and business banking, home equity lending, and education lending, as well as offers mortgage banking and auto finance services. The Card