MOVIE REVIEW ON CULTURAL ASPECTS

Movie: Gung Ho

Submission by: Kumar Shivam (1811132)

Introduction

A movie perfect to contrast the cultural differences between the East and the West (to be

particular, Japan and USA), Gung Ho has captured all intricacies and nuances in lifestyle and

behavioral aspects that the two countries have. The movie comes with a good plot line that

shows what happens when two polar cultures interact to achieve a common goal. While the

reasons for these differences may appear to be obvious, they have also been reinforced at

certain instances during the movie. To reflect exhaustively on the cultural differences between

the countries, the iceberg model has been used so that appropriate emphasis is laid on all the 3

components of culture: tangible, expressed and intangible. Later in the write-up, reasons for

these differences have also been highlighted using relevant situations from the movie together

with the possible clashes that arise upon the interaction of the two.

Tangible Aspects of Culture

The first and foremost thing that came to notice was the difference in attire at workplace by the

people in two nations. Where the Japanese wore formals at the management level and uniforms

at the labor level, the Americans did not have any dress code at the workplace, they even wore

casuals. While the handshake was a prominent way to greet someone in Americans, the Japanese

bowed their head down, sometimes accompanied with a handshake. In terms of their eating

habits, the Japanese were very culturally preservative, they still ate noodles and the wives of the
employees made authentic Japanese dinner which Steve did not find tasty. However, in the

American setting, food has been shown to be low priority. Steve has been seen drinking a

beverage from a tetra-pack and eating a leftover pizza, which shows that the Americans are not

very particular about their eating habits as compared to the Japanese. Also, drinking culture has

been shown to be predominant in America.

Expressed Values of Culture

The Japanese in the movie appeared to be more conservative in their traditions and rituals. The

very first instance is when Kazihiro is seen in an academy where he had been sent by his boss for

management training. The place seemed to be one where one’s ideas and principles were

forcefully moulded to something that would be a better fit for the corporate life. There was a lot

of beating and forceful recitation of Japanese folklore and praising of the boss to feed it into his

head. When in high stress, Kazihiro starts reciting them over again in US. This shows how

enforcing the Japanese culture is. While the Japanese seemed very work oriented, the Americans

had a relaxed and casual attitude. Kazihiro mentions how he made friends in Japan but only with

the ones who he could discuss about cars, which was also his work, contrary to the Americans

who watched TV shows, cartoons and caught up for beer for entertainment and socializing.

Intangible Aspects:

a) Power distance: If we compare the power distance index for the two countries, we find

that Japan has a higher power distance index relative to USA. This shows the unequal

distribution of wealth and power in the Japanese society. The social disparity and

organisational hierarchy is acceptable to the Japanese. There have been scenes in the

movie where Kazihoro shows deep respect to his senior in Japan. The Japanese are seen

to never question their seniors, but they also happen to respect their seniors. There have
 been instances in the movie where the subordinates rise upon the entry of a senior in the

company, while so is not the case in America. The American leader is seen as a friend of

the subordinates.

b) Individualism Vs Collectivism: If we look at the Individualism index for countries, we

find that USA has a very high score while Japan scores low. Japan believes in

collectivism where the group norms and interests are given more priority over the

individual self. The existence of a management training program is the best example of

the same where the individual self is demeaned and insulted at the hands of

organization’s growth and development. Kazihiro also speaks about how the company in

which works means a lot to him. On the contrary, USA citizens care about themselves,

their families and the quality of their life over the company and work. They work to live

and raise their family as Stevenson explains to Buster as to why he should not quit when

asked to work as a sweeper by the management. The Japanese live to work, they value

team work and Kazihiro in the bar explains as to how this teamwork and single purpose

has raised Japan from a conquered nation to an economic power, but at the cost of

personal satisfaction of work.

With individualistic ideologies in USA, comes along ego and dignity. When Buster was

insulted by the management team for bad quality of work and was transferred, Buster

argues and fights back as if he had to do it if he was publicly ashamed. He says to

Stevenson in fury: “Everybody is looking at me, What am I supposed to do?”. This show

how important is pride and dignity for self in Americans, while during the start of the

scene where Kazihiro was trained in the academy, he was beaten publicly on the streets
 and he had his head held down, showing how dignity was self does not come over the

benefit of the community.

c) Masculinity and Femininity: If we look at the Masculinity Index for Japan, the score is

very high in comparison to the USA. Japan has a very competitive culture where not

much importance is given to emotions and weaker links of the society. Everyone is

expected to be best at whatever they do and material rewards are used for incentivizing

workers, whereas in America there is a feminine approach where care and consideration

form an essential part of the lifestyle. There has been an instances in the movie where an

American employee asks for a leave from work to see his kid when the kid was getting

operated on his tonsil and another employee who complains of working on a Sunday

when he should have been spending time with his family. On the opposite, a Japanese

employee whose wife had been delivering a baby did not ask for a leave even when

specifically being pointed out by Kazihiro in front of his boss.

d) Uncertainty Avoidance: If we have a look at the Uncertainty Avoindance Index, Japan

has a very high score as compared to the USA. This explains as to why they are very

planned and organized in their ways of carrying themselves. They are very punctual and

follow rules diligently. They have many rules guiding their emotional need to be

occupied. On the other hand, American culture is based on the fundamentals of freedom

and liberty for self, where there are fewer rules and the ones in place are also often

violated. That is also why American workers found it difficult to work in a Japanese

factory which had stringent rules and targets to achieve. Also, it is evident as to how

readily the American workers were fine quitting a job even though they had no

alternative but Kazihiro felt devastated upon committing mistakes and thought he has
 ruined his career. This shows how fine the Americans are with ambiguity in the life in

comparison to the Japanese.

e) Long Vs Short Term Orientation: Japan has a culture where focus is on the longer run in

terms of perseverance and dedication. Quality, for example is given a lot of focus by the

company as it is a metric upon which its products are judged in the long run unlike the

American products which have been shown being made fun of by the Japanese workers

for their inferior quality. Honesty, self-discipline, adaptiveness and accountability are

valued in a long term oriented culture like Japan where there is no importance of leisure

time, while in a short term oriented culture like America, there is more focus on freedom,

rights, achievement, and thinking for one’s own self. In the American group, the leader

has his own goals which may not align with those of the workers and company. For

example, Stevenson just came out with a random number, 13000 cars to save himself

from the public embarrassment and had an escapist attitude upon being caught, while

Kazihiro mentions of an incidence where he publicly apologizes to all the workers.

f) Indulgence vs. Restraint : The American culture is way more indulgent than the Japanese

culture where there is liberty given by the society to enjoy human drives and not regulate

them using strict societal norms.

Possible Reasons for the Cultural Differences:

The culture of any nation is moulded by numerous internal and external factors. These may

include, its geographical features, history, revolutions, and the influence of the outside world

through various modes of globalization. Japan happens to lie on the Pacific Ring of fire which is

prone to very frequent tectonic movements and volcanic activity causing earthquakes, tsunami

and cyclones. There has always been an attitude of the Japanese to be prepared for any possible
natural calamity and build up resources to minimize its effects. A good reason why it is high on

the uncertainty avoidance index. This has inherently developed in them value and respect for

time, another reason why they are so punctual. In order to face these calamities, the Japanese

have had to unite and work together as a community and not individuals to face the forces of

nature, also why it has such a high score on individualism.

Also, if we see historically, Japan has been subject to two of the most devastating war attacks in

Nagasaki and Hiroshima during the Second World War, the ill effects of which has been passed

down through generations. A country to overcome such difficult times, nationalistic approach

was really important where hard work and discipline were necessary for recovery. This is what

brought in the Masculinity in the culture of Japan, where aggressiveness and strength were

rewarded over care and emotions for others.

On the contrary, USA is a country which did not have any major challenges to face from nature.

The climate is also favorable and that is why there is general tendency of leisure and relaxation

in its people where they have the time and resources to value relationships and enjoy human

drives. Also, the American history has seen Civil Wars and revolutions and activism on many

fronts like anti-racism. All of these were strongly grounded on inclusion, anti-discrimination and

individual rights. This is also why USA scores high on individualism index. The capitalistic

approach in USA also propagates the idea of building wealth and resources for one’s own future

and luxury is what resonates with individualistic ideologies.

Interaction between the two Cultures and Outcome

When two cultures with such difference in cultures were to react, a clash was bound to happen.

There was visible resistance by the American workers who were not used to the Japanese way of

working. It all seemed very funny to them. The drill that the Japanese did, the uniforms that they
wore, the food that they eat, the public baths they did, the way they prepared for a game, have all

been shown in the movie being ridiculed upon by the Americans.

The Japanese also made comments and fun on the way the employees behaved at the workplace,

came late at the office, and the kind of music and games their children played ( when Kazihiro

scolds his children for playing American games and not studying) .

However, the movie has been successful is establishing very firmly that in presence of a common

goal, cultures and people adapt themselves in the best interest of both to achieve the same. The

Americans learnt to discipline themselves by wearing uniform, coming on time, working

overtime and valuing team work. The boss from Japan on the other hand ignored the bad quality

cars and appreciated the hard work of the workers instead of criticizing them on not being able to

achieve the goal. He also added that he liked Stevenson and his jolly behavior. Also, the

Japanese women took out time for buying gifts and preparing good for their children just like the

Americans did.

Conclusion

The movie and the plot line is a very good example of how even the most polar cultures can

adapt and learn from each other to achieve common goals. Also, to what extent the management

has a role to play in facilitating the same at the right pace. The humour in the movie was

contextual and not intended all the time. It was only the transition and gap between the two

cultures that made it funny many times. There was ample room for one to give thought over

many instances about the cultural nuances and the possible reasons for the same. What seems so

obvious may be very uncommon in another culture. The rivalry from the World War II between

the two nations is also a good reason for the choice of nations where the difficulty to appreciate
the other culture would be even difficult. But the optimistic climax sets the right tone to all these

and brings about cultural acceptance from both sides in the end.