Caps #4- Dani Wingard

I have chosen to do My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a film that came out in 2002. It is a story about a very Greek family whose daughter decides to go against their norms. Their daughters name is Toula who grows up being taught about Greek ways. When she is finally old enough to make her own decisions she decides to take computer classes and follow her own dream instead of working at their family restaurant for the rest of her life. Eventually she meets an American boy and they fall in love. At first they keep their relationship a secret because it's not Toula's "destiny". Her destiny was to marry a Greek boy, make many Greek babies, and feed people for the rest of their lives. So basically everything works out and they all live happily ever after! I think this film is appropriate because it is about the assimilation of two very diverse cultural groups; Greeks and Americans. Ian Miller (the American boy) has to find a way to fit in to Toula's Greek culture and become apart of it.

"Integration depends on the openness and willingness of those in the dominant society to accept and accommodate somewhat the cultures of others" (Martin & Nakayama 2013). I have chose to discuss integration with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. In the paragraph above I used to the word assimilation to describe Ian's journey through out the movie, but in Toula's case she wants to become integrated into American society. Integration is when migrants have an interest in keeping their original culture and language, but interacting with other groups. Toula's first encounter with other groups is when she starts going to computer classes, instead of strictly being at home around their Greek culture. Integration connects to intercultural communication because when migrant workers come to America they decide to integrate into our culture. They may choose to continue speaking their language in the comfort of their homes, but learn to speak English so they can be successful into the work force. Another thing that immigrants might do is keep their culture's clothing. They may choose not to change how they look or dress. "The challenge for host and immigrant groups is to find the balance of 'integration,' somewhere between segregation and assimilation" (The search for social glue, 2008). 

The Miller's and the Portokalo family's worlds must collide due to the relationship of their children. Toula's family have strict rules when it comes to how their children should grow up to be. The Miller's also have strict views on American culture and rules for Ian. The two of them falling in love isn't something that they expected. The first time the Miller's are introduced to Toula's family it may have been the most obnoxious scene in the entire movie. They are immediately bombarded by Toula's gigantic family and you can just tell on their faces how overwhelmed they are. Toula's family ends up shoving food into their mouths and making them uncomfortable. I think that this scene alone gives insight into the integration that takes place in this movie. Not only does Ian have to integrate into Toula's Greek life, but so does his parents and vise versa. Toula's family has to try to integrate into the Miller's American culture. They will all have to determine what is acceptable and what isn't.