It seems that my friends have similar views on what is culture and what is diversity as you will see when you read their definitions. After discussing this issue with them I can say that we all need to recognize and respect the differences in culture so that each person can feel appreciated and embraced.
Tasha-
Her definition of culture is traditions, race traditions, heritage and your ancestry, and the environment in which we live.
Her definition of diversity is to be an individual and to be different.
Nia-
Her definition of culture is the language, food you eat, your family background, and your environment.
Her definition of diversity is multiple ethnicities, and cultures.
Tabitha
Her definition of culture is that it’s a way of living, different ways of thinking.
Her definition of diversity is mixture of cultures and different backgrounds.
Some of the aspects that I received and that we discussed in class are: background, families and their traditions, differences, and different ethnicities.
Talking to these friends allowed me to see how similar we are in our thinking. We all felt that our backgrounds and families were important. We also felt that our environments encouraged the way we think about ourselves and how we think about others.
Some of the aspects of culture and diversity that I feel came have been acknowledged in this course and by my friends are:
-Culture is a heritage
-Culture is a way of living
-We have to be accepting of diversity
-We have to be accepting of differences
One main aspect that I think we all struggle with that has been left out is our need to be knowledgeable of others and their beliefs. We say that we are accepting until we have to deal with it directly. I think that by looking at ourselves and finding the issues that we might have prejudices against, we can begin to change our way of thinking and therefore change the way that we act towards others.
I think that looking at the way other people think has helped me to better understand how important culture and heritage is. Sometimes I think that I take for granted the traditions that my family has. I feel that it’s just “supposed” to be that way. Truth is after my mom passed away I saw a lot of changes in our family. My mom was only 53 when she died but she affected the way our family did things. It is sad to see traditions change but it makes me fight harder to keep them going.
DeWanna,
ReplyDeleteWow your answers were similar to that of mine. I guess this class is truly needed for us to view and experience the bottom part of the iceberg, the unconscious part that no one sees. Great Post!
Janille
I had similar answers to my questions too. My friends/family were similar to me too--in fact I could find nothing they omitted. Their answers were simple and sweet! I enjoyed your post--thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThe answers I got were similar as well. I thought it was interesting that you talked about traditions changing after your Mom died. I think its important to realize that culture is always changeing.
ReplyDeleteDeWana,
ReplyDeleteYour comment about your mom gave me some food for thought! I now realize how people just stop thinking or celebrating their culture. Due to the person who rounds up the family, who makes sure everything stays afloat. I wonder does this mostly happens to families in the United States? Reason I asked that question is because most of us seem like we take for granted what we do are don't do. For example my daughter-inlaw had a birthday party for her 3 year old and again her sister was not in attendance. The theme for the party was a princes party which was very special. My Grandaughter has a white mom and a black father. It is actually I feel fun each year to combine the families. I just feel the more her sister stays away on days like yesterday will make it more hard on her when she really has to come around the family. I noticed that my Daughter-inlaw mother always brings her three sister which are Great aunts to my Grandaughter. This showed me right away how important family is to their family and it is fun to watch them there interacting with the young children and trying to get to know us as family.