Cross-Cultural Observation Document My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film released in April 2002, is a film largely steeped in the concepts of communication intercultural present in Roger Desmond's book Communication in the digital age. It stars Nia Vardalos as Toula, a Greek-American woman who comes from a large Greek family and works at her family's restaurant, Dancing Zorba's, in Chicago. He is in his early thirties and also single, much to the distress of his traditional family, especially his parents. They want to send her to Greece to look for a husband, but since she doesn't want to leave the country to find a man, she stays where she is. At least until one day she sees a handsome stranger at Dancing Zorba. Unable to muster the courage to talk to him, she becomes so frustrated that it escalates into an argument with her father, whose traditional views make him think that all Toula should do is marry a Greek man and have many children. Rejecting her father's ideals, Toula leaves her job at the family restaurant and begins working as a travel agent, feeling the need for a change in her life. In addition to finding a new job, she improves her appearance by replacing her glasses with contact lenses, curling her hair, and starts wearing makeup. Additionally, Toula enrolls in evening computer study classes at the local community college to help her work at the travel agency. As fate would have it, she meets the handsome man again and he asks her out on a date. A tall, intelligent and attractive school teacher, Ian seems like the man of her dreams; at least until she discovers that he comes from a culture completely separate from hers. Regardless of their cultural differences, and despite her father's attempts to end the relationship, when Ian asks Toula to marry him, she says yes. The escapades that follow are all filled with examples of ethnocentrism, enculturation, and individualism/collectivism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Different cultures usually align more closely with individualistic or collectivist ideals, usually depending on the country they come from. The United States has a very individualistic culture, where we give ourselves credit for our accomplishments and see ourselves as the basis for all of our accomplishments. In contrast, collectivist culture revolves around the family or group you belong to and has the perspective that all our achievements grow from there. All Millers view their individual achievements as uniquely theirs; for example, Ian Miller doesn't think he became a teacher thanks to his parents. Instead, he believes his hard work is what got him to where he is. The small size of the Miller family is representative of this independence, just as the large Portokalos family symbolizes their mutual codependence. At the beginning of the film, Toula knows she has a job thanks to her family's hard work in front of her, as she works in the family restaurant. Even though she doesn't follow her parents' wishes, she feels bad about doing so because she isn't used to going against her family's opinions. Collectivist culture is especially strong among immigrants, because they can see exactly how their lives are built on the efforts of their ancestors. As a Greek-American family, the Portokalos place great importance on togetherness and maintain many aspects of Greek culture while continuing to contribute to American culture as well. When it comes to wedding planning, every member of the familyextended group of Portokalos makes each other know their opinions on every topic, because they appreciate each other and want to contribute to making their group as a whole better. The Miller family helps with the wedding preparations, but they are happier to let their son do what makes him happy and trust him to follow his own path in life. Ian doesn't feel dependent on his family in the same way as Toula, but at the same time he also doesn't feel the same sense of togetherness and collectivist strength that the Portokalos possess. At one point in the film, Gus gets very angry at Ian for not asking him for permission to date his daughter. Because of their different perspectives, Ian sees Toula and himself as individuals capable of making their own decisions and sees no need to require that of Gus. When he tries to explain this to the patriarch of the Portokalos family, Gus responds by saying that he is the head of the family and that he must be involved in decisions related to the family. This collectivist attitude is one of the main reasons why the Portokalos are such a large, yet still close-knit family. Everyone sees the world through their own individual lens, and it is on this concept that ethnocentrism is based. Throughout our lives, we evaluate the actions, words, and appearances of others based on our cultural upbringing. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the Portokalos family is perplexed by the Millers. The Portokalos are a very large group and invite all members of their extended family to attend the wedding. In contrast, Ian Miller is an only child and the entire family he really interacts with is his two parents. For all the pre-wedding celebrations and gatherings, the Portokalos family arrives en masse; the Millers can all fit comfortably in one car. Toula's parents feel sorry for the Millers because they feel alone without a family by their side. In contrast, Ian's parents think that the Portokalos are a large, loud, hateful horde of Greek-Americans who don't know the meaning of the word quiet. Likewise, Portokalos believe that quantity is superior to quality and plan their wedding accordingly. There is an excess of everything; food, alcohol and people, who want to spend all their time talking to the three Millers. The Portokalos themselves are also larger, providing a symbol for the boisterous presence they exude. A personal example of ethnocentrism occurs at the Portokalos house, where Aunt Voula is talking to Ian and Toula about how they should come to her house for dinner. Toula says there might be a problem since Ian is a vegetarian. Aunt Voula is so shocked that she has to ask a second time to make sure she hears them correctly. Meat is such an important part of their culture that Aunt Voula has probably never knowingly met a vegetarian before, and loudly exclaims "YOU DON'T EAT MEAT?!", at which point the entire room turns to look at them. After a moment's hesitation he says “Okay, I'll be a lamb!”, and everyone sighs with relief. The Portokalos are so rooted in a culture that revolves around meat and food that the idea of ​​anyone not eating meat is unrealistic. In one specific scene in the film, the Miller family arrives for what they were told would be a "quiet" introductory dinner. As a polite gesture of goodwill, the Millers bring a donut for dessert after dinner. What follows is an uncomfortable scene during which Maria, the matriarch of the Portokalos family, unsuccessfully attempts to pronounce “bundt,” a process that only serves to frustrate Mrs. Miller. Because of her ethnocentrism, Maria has never seen a bundt. cake before and must have explained it to him. It's not his fault, nor is it the Millers' fault; this is just an example.