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An Exploration of Multicultural Communication Concepts: A Review of Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny

In human behavior, stereotyping is a common factor which dates back to the historical times. Members of different cultures have a tendency of placing and categorizing others in a unique way based on their character and behavioral traits. It is a fact that the manner people from different cultures think is influenced by the assumptions they hold of different ethnicity, nations and people from different cultural backgrounds. Livermore (2011) provides that it is a part of the human nature to stereotype. Debatably, people are always in a rush to pre-judge and include others in a pre-set category as a result of their culture and ethnicity. The fact that other members of the community have verified the pre-judged states makes it difficult to think otherwise. Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny, a film directed by Mark Sandiford in 2007, brings about the element of cultural stereotyping. This documentary considers white people as funny based on how they carry themselves. For instance, the members of the community will greet each other using insane salutations alongside other odd habits. The documentary provides an insight into how cultural stereotyping is common in the community based on the behavior of people from different cultures. This paper review Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny while exploring multicultural communication concepts such as stereotyping, race and power.

Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny Review

                Through the implementation and use of the same techniques employed by Quallunaats (white people) when investigating the Inuit culture, it is evident that the Inuit scientists (Qallunologists) have turned their investigative strengths towards establishing the factors which define the culture of the Whites. Despite having the findings presented with a sharp wit and humor, the primary message suggests racial prejudice, hegemonic social pillaging and discrimination which are wrought in the Inuit culture. Stereotyping refers to a form of group generalization which is mostly inaccurate.

                Qallunaat refers to an Inuit word suggesting “white people.” In this context, the term is used to refer to Europeans who were directly responsible for the colonization of North America and its descendants. Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny makes use of scenes presented in the fictional Qallunaat Studies Institute (QSI), an important mirror image of research institutions established by settlers to understand the culture of the members of the indigenous communities dominating North America (Sandiford, 2006). Considering the peculiarities associated with the qallunaat culture, as presented at the QSI mock conference, it is evident that the Inuit explained that white people have a strange of greeting. Additionally, the film establishes that the members of the community always smell like museums and detergents.  In most cases, the qallunaats ask each other how they are even when they do not really care. With this, their way of living is judged as abnormal and uncivilized on the same scale. The film further shows that the department of the Qallunaat Affairs provides funding for the voyage of discovery to the areas where the mysterious White people are living. The major aim of this investment is to ensure that the Qallunaats people are taught the culture of civilization. The sarcastic proposal encourages the white people to establish how the department of the Indian Affairs can patronize and degrade the whole culture. The findings provided by the QSI explorers provides an indication that being a member of a different community other than white proved to be unbearable and uncomfortable since they are easily judged by the “white man science.”

                Having in mind that the film is established from a fictitious examination of the Qallunaat, it is evident that the explorations are effectively blended with strong interviews of the Inuit and the inculturalization practices of the whites. The outcome of this combination puts greater emphasis on how white men treat members of the Inuit community with an indifference while assimilating their culture through learning institutions. Moreover, how whites have strived to replace the oral and writing processes of the Inuit is also an important cultural factor evident in the documentary as the community interacts. Through this, it is evident that Whites have a domineering feature which is evident as they come into contact with the Inuit. John Amagoalik, an interviewee in the documentary, reiterates this by providing that “white man’s government and police are always expected to have their way” (Sandiford, 2006). I believe that cultural diversity should be encouraged in the current multicultural society. Through diversity, different community members will be able to maintain their own language and customs. People would coexist peacefully in society since having cultures with a domineering front will not be a factor of concern. However, this has remained to be a factor of concern in the community as a result of political drivers. According to Cardon (2010), political agendas undermine the fundamental values associated with multiculturalism which makes intercultural communication undesirable.

                Satire is an important movie element which has power, especially if it reverses the normal expectations of individuals. With satire, people can switch position and visualize themselves from a different perspective. Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny mocks colonialism in a friendly way allowing the viewers to learn more about themselves as a result of their cultural representation. Through several theories such as the cultivation framework, it is clear that the effects of television are indirect yet cumulative. Through the mass media, different attitudes and beliefs about an existing culture can be propagated among the people to ensure a strong tie between the members of the community (Rousseau, 2015). Therefore, through the provision of documentaries which provide a stereotyped minority on a positive light, the issue of cultural stereotype in the community will be effectively counteracted. However, this is not the case when it comes to Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny. I consider the film to reinforce cultural stereotyping by elevating the status of the white people in the community. Arguably, Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny positively represents the dominant regime through a concept referred to as trans-coding. As a result, the members of the minority groups become underrepresented.

                In terms of length, the film is approximately 98.54 minutes and broken into two major segments. The first 38 minutes is the feature film while the subsequent 50 minutes is the conference. The conference is repetitive and overly long which makes it easier for the viewers to understand the important cultural concepts depicted in the film. For instance, through this segment of the film, one can clearly understand the benefits attached to the white culture and the generalizations associated with being a members of the less dominant culture.

                The fact that the filmmaker integrates historical film with the lifestyle and practices of the members of the Inuit community is highly criticized. Some viewers can even advocate for the separation of this segments of the film to a distinguished one. Despite this being a consideration that many people would agree to, I do not consider it as an important factor. Separating the film would deprive the documentary with the punch it holds in revealing the past practices of cultural discrimination and oppression. Arguably, Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny, effectively relays these practices by visually juxtaposing it on the lifestyle of the Inuit people. To illustrate, the section of the historical film indicating the young boy with an Inuit cultural background learning how to read provides an essential background which puts the Qallunaat teachers at an uncomfortable position. Apparently, 50 years down the line, the significance of the white man’s education and how it influences the development of an Inuit child is questioned at this point. The film shows that the existing gap between the Inuit and the Qallunaats is broad. To bridge this, there is need to engage in intercultural dialogue. Sakakibara (2017) notes that intercultural dialogue increases contact between the members of communities in society thus reducing the element of prejudice and conflict. The dialogue comes in handy in breaking the boundaries and bridges which exists between community members, hence fostering a personalized view of the world of others through knowledge. The general systems theory provides an indication that closing the gap existing between the majority and minority members of the community is possible when different groups strive to find areas of similarity (Romanenko, 2012). The outcome of creating favorable relationships between people of different cultures result in the development of a more tolerant society which is also defined by a high level of satisfaction.

                The cinematic techniques utilized in the production of the documentary have proven to be effective in exploring cultural dynamics of a multicultural society. Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny cinematic techniques are varied and can be utilized by educators and learners who wish to explore the argumentative dynamics and processes founding the integration of the historical visuals into the documentary film. Clearly, learners can utilize the film to discuss how camera angle, color and cropping can be utilized to covey the power attached to a dominant cultural community in society such as whites. Moreover, students can rely on the film to create other documentaries which explore the concept of discrimination and social marginalization as a result of variance in race.

Conclusion

                To conclude, Qallunaat! Why White People Are Funny is an important documentary film which encourages learners to analyses how traditional practices, including the political, and social factors, encourage oppression and inequality between people from different races and culture. The major focus of the film, in this case, is to expose how the Qallunaat are dominant and authoritative over other less dominant members of the community. Through this film, students are challenged to look at how structures and institutions of a single culture and individual can oppress the others as clearly communicated with a desirable audio-visual tool in the film. The major focus of the film is between two cultures such; the Qallunaat and the Inuit.