For this assignment I decided to talk to my 72 year old neighbor.
Greg, an African American 40 year old custodian male. I choose someone who I felt is really difernet from me in regards to gender, religion, race, and class. It was my fairly new 23 year old friend
Amy, who is studying abroad from India.
My neighbors definition of culture is defined with one word
which is tradition. He defines diversity as a mixture of people of different
nationalities all in one geographical
area. Greg defines culture as what ties people together. Greg defines diversity
as people having different cultures. He
talked about how to better keep unity amongst friends and family was by focusing
on the similarities and building on the differences. My friend Amy, she described
culture as the ethnic foods she prepares, the music from her country and her identity
associated with that of Hinduism. She
defines diversity as someone who is does not practice what she believes in or
does.
Aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this
course include all the answers my friends gave as their personal definition. Some
responses can be defined as surface culture like the ethnic food, religion and
music defined by Amy. The other responses that include how we interact are deeper yet also valid responses. I feel
nothing has been omitted as everyone is entitled to their own definition of culture.
I feel that am, being so far from her friends and family, needs to duplicate
ethic rituals to help her not feel home sick. How they each expressed their
definitions makes them who they are.
Frank,
ReplyDeleteYou said “How they each expressed their definitions makes them who they are.” This is what culture to me is all about. I keep saying it is inside of each of us. Before this class, I believe that culture was food, and holidays. What a person may have on during the international fest we have here every year. Their costumes. I had no idea that it was more than just what I see on the surface. There is no right or wrong to me about how a person defines their culture. You said it, it makes them who they are.
Sandra
A truly wonderfully diverse set of guests! Although a bit on the traditional and ethnocentric side - hopefully the very act of posing the question will bring awareness of culture and diversity to the forefront in their daily lives.
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