![\"James](\"https:\/\/sidewaysthoughts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/James_Bond_You_only_live_twice1.jpg\" "\\"James")
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How has our exposure to media shaped our cultural bias? My current cultural studies guided my thoughts during my family’s excursion<\/a> through Connery’s fifth Bond’s film.<\/p>\n You Only Live Twice hit theaters in 1967, five years prior to my own release date. \u00a0In the movie, Bond heads to Japan to once again stop SPECTRE from instigating World War III. \u00a0The movie formed my first opinions of Japan, a country I\u00a0perceived\u00a0as being full of fierce ninja to fight and willing geisha to woo. \u00a0In my previous posts on Bond I questioned the influence that the movies had on that generation’s outlook on gender equality. \u00a0You Only Live Twice adds a new cultural dimension of perspectives on Japan and Japanese women.<\/p>\n As women undress Bond in a bath house, Bond is instructed:<\/p>\n “Rule number one is never do anything for yourself when someone else can do it for you. And number two – in Japan, men always come first, women come second.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n to which Bond replies,<\/p>\n “I might just retire to here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n You would be silly and immature to take that rationale seriously.<\/p>\n The first time my submarine<\/a> docked in Japan<\/a>, I was a 20-year old Sonar Technician<\/a>\u00a0and would consider myself as somewhat silly and immature. \u00a0It was one of my first foreign ports and I distinctly remember my American arrogance thinking we were so much more advanced than other cultures. \u00a0I knew not to expect Godzilla, but I did half expect ninja and geisha to be walking down the street much like\u00a0travelers\u00a0to Australia often expect kangaroos in downtown Brisbane.<\/p>\n What I found was a culture that was so far advanced in style and media exposure that my grunge Seattle background felt backwards and archaic. \u00a0I experienced serious culture shock that threatened my\u00a0preconceptions and\u00a0bias. \u00a0My options were to realise my error and realign or reaffirm my inaccurate worldview.<\/p>\n Our generalisations towards characteristics such as age, nationality, or gender\u00a0are based on past experience, stories from those we deem credible, and media. Each of us are presented with the same two options I had in Japan to reassess our position or reaffirm our bias. \u00a0 Generations after the Bond film have reassessed their perspective on women beyond the position\u00a0portrayed\u00a0in the film, although diversity studies show we still have a ways to go towards equality.<\/p>\n The film title says we only live twice. Thankfully we have many more opportunities than that to confront our own bias in each situation to challenge our\u00a0preconceived\u00a0and perhaps misguided notions.<\/p>\n I am not saying it is easy, however. \u00a0I still expect to see ninja when I go to Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"