Out of curiosity..

..How many of you would willingly venture out into your neighbour's home as Walt did?

or How many of you would invite someone like Walt, more or less a stranger, to your own home?

I hardly ever see my neighbours (I live in an apartment), and generally think it's just strange if not creepy to invite neighbours in or accept invitation to a neighbour's home. This makes me pose another question; how do you treat your neighbours? Do you exchange the casual hello or good morning, talk a little, or perhaps like me, avoid eye contact as much as possible until you reach your home? (sorry I sound so cold haha..) I do have a neighbour whom we occasionally visit and are visited by, but it doesn't exactly count because they share our ethnicity.

I think that generally, here in Dubai or in any busy cities for that matter really, people don't really acknowledge neighbours in many ways at all; I for one am just not used to neighbours waving hello or chatting about how nice the weather is (well, not much variety in weather to talk about here, but still); Being unused to this behavior probably accounts for me and my family exchanging weird looks and a few giggles after a 'neighbour encounter' in Vancouver on visiting relatives. It sounds incredibly sweet for neighbours to be so warm and comfortable but somehow it doesn't work that way here (anyone else from Dubai care to enlighten me on the otherwise?)

Of course, it always depends on the situation. The important factor probably lies in how much contact you've had with your neighbours; In the movie Walt exchanged quite a few talks with Sue before his visit to her home, and there's also the fact that he really hadn't much else to do or lose by visiting the Hmong household. My question however, is can you see yourself doing the same, either in Walt's shoes as willing invitee, or Sue's shoes as an inviter? How are neighbour relations in your area, that you would feel comfortable or uncomfortable in their roles?

Going off-topic, I haven't taken summer classes and have a lot of free time on my hands now (..maybe a little too much haha..); expect me to check back here often so don't hesitate to pose questions back at me on anything at all :)

Gran Torino,Is walt representative of the way that men commuincate with each other?!

In my opinion answer is Yes! Most of men are commiunicating in this way with their friends.they insulting each other in a very calm mood and they usally use bad words in their speech!Men always drink beer and smoke cigaret when they are angry!walt is a complete example of men because his way of wearing is exactly same as men because men do not pay attention to their clothes.men usaully do not express their pain and depression.tottaly i like walt's character!

American Cars

I can tell from some of the comments and posts that some of you in Dubai seem to be fairly interested in cars. The same is true here. Kettering is a very automotive oriented school in a very automotive oriented part of the country. Consequently, most of us work for auto companies or suppliers.

Anyways, I was just curious as to your opinions on the American auto companies and the cars they make. Do any of you think GM and Ford (and Chrysler too, though you my not be familiar with them because they don't sell cars over there) make good quality, interesting cars?

Thanks

Gran Torino

I found Gran Torino to be a very interesting film. It definitely spoke to the issues of racism and the many stereotypes associated with them. I also found it very interesting of how diverse the community was Walt was living in.

I believe there are a number of themes that could be touched upon in this film, these are just a few I considered:

1. How to be a "Man"

2. Doing the Right Thing

3. Man vs. Man

4. Man vs. Society

5. Self-Sacrifice

6. Family in Friends

7. How to be a neighbor

Any and all questions are welcomed and wanted. I'm curious as to whether you agree or disagree with the themes listed and whether you have some of your own.

My Take on Gran Torino

Due to the fact that Walt uses the same racial slurs for the Hmong even after it is clear he loves Thao, I don't feel that Walt was very racist to begin with. I feel that Walt simply had a lack of respect for his neighbors because of assumptions he made. Walt could see that the Hmong did not take good care of their property, and he could see the Hmong gang causing trouble. What Walt could not initially see is the love for family displayed by the Hmong. Walt could only see what was on the outside, and I feel that would cause anybody to have a negative image of his Hmong neighbors, regardless of race.

I feel that here in the United States, people in general are more open to communication with somebody who seems similar to themselves in some way, whether it be the same race, same interests, or same values. I would assume this is fairly universal world wide, but if a AUD student would like to enlighten me to a different situation in that part of the world, I'd like to hear it.

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hello,

My name is Dwight Linen. I am currently a Senior III undergraduate student attending Kettering University in Flint, MI. My major is mechanical engineering with an aerospace and propulsion specialty. I was born and raised in the heart of Detroit, MI (picture to the right) . Some of my hobbies and interest include playing basketball, working-out, building model fighter jets, video games, kick-boxing, playing chess and the piano.

I love food and trying new things at least once. I also would like to travel more in the future.

I welcome any and all questions!

my biography

I am a student from American university of Dubai. I am 24 years old, and I am from Iran. Because I love graphic design, I came here by myself to continue my major. I live alone and I wanted to stay here until to finish my study. After university, I decided to go back to Iran and find a job. I do not like to work in another country because I love Iran. In my opinion, it is my duty to work in my country in the future, and I have a willingness to serve people in my society. My family lives in Iran, but they made it possibility for me to achieve my goal. As a result, I hope to get a good degree and then go back to Iran to live with my family. When I came here, I thought maybe living alone will be difficult for me. Athough living alone is difficult, I love it because I am a self-sufficient person in my life. Also, I have a chance to study at a good university to improve my skills. In conclusion, because it is important to be a successful person in the future, now it is the best time to make my life and receive more experience.

Gran Torino

In the movie, the barrier of race and culture initially prevented Walt from realizing the moral connection he had between the Lor family. Once he was able to get past that, he realized he had more in common with them than his own family. And once the cultural barrier was no longer an issue, the movie became more about the lack of respect of American youth. In my personal experiences, I have not encountered kids quite as disrespectful as Walt's grandchildren, though I'm sure they are out there. Regardless, I feel this lack of respect is a big problem that is changing the American culture in a negative way.

From the Dubai student's perspective, is this a known issue? If not is there a common stereotype of the American youth over there?

Also sorry to be late, but hello.

Hey everyone, sorry to just be introducing myself now, but I was a bit of a late addition to the class. From the looks of it, I'm probably that last one who will be posting an introduction. My name is Matt Dzurka. I am a senior at Kettering working on my Electrical Engineering degree. My interests include almost all sports, especially baseball, which I have played my entire life. I come from a family of automotive engineers and love anything cars. I live in Rochester Hills, MI. It is a nice, fairly wealthy city about 45 minutes north of Detroit. I have spent some time working in General Motors but I currently work for a company called TRW Automotive. They are known for their automotive safety systems, but I work in a group that designs touch sensing switches for vehicle interiors. It is a very interesting and exciting job that has given me the opportunity to work with people from all over the world.

I am really looking forward to interacting with you guys as I have always thought Dubai was an amazingly interesting city. The pictures you are posting of it are all beautiful. I have never been there myself but hope to visit one day.