I completely agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict that we are “creatures of our culture” and that our habits, beliefs, and impossibilities are shaped by our culture. I agree because I notice many cultural differences in my life that are very different from my friend’s lives. I come from a very close knit Italian family. We celebrate birthdays and holidays together even if it means one part of the family must travel a few hundred miles to be together. Another thing I notice about my family that I find to be quite rare is that everyone has at least a bachelor’s degree. That is a custom started in our family by my mother’s generation. It is not an option whether or not you go to college, everyone just does. I think we can break through the limits of our culture by exploring and learning about other cultures without bias. Going outside the comfort of our culture is healthy in that it teaches us not to be ethnocentric and devalue others cultures just because they are different then our own.
Capone's Mom
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Hi Capone's Mom!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your discussion today and might I add that if you haven't already, you should think about taking Professor Morrison's Intercultural communication class where she challenges you to look beyond ethnic culture. The last line in your blog that states how we can go passed these limitations sparked a thought of recent discussions from that class.
The problem we have is that people are not able to look at culture through an unbiased lens if they are not educated about cultural differences. Some thing seems so unimportant to us can mean so much in another culture.
I liked your post and I like how you applied it to the culture in your own family. We are all part of a global culture but we also have a family culture that differs from every other family. Being aware of family differences is just the first step in understanding and accepting other cultures. Different world cultures are like different families. They differ greatly from country to country, but in the end they have a lot of similarities.
ReplyDeleteI like the ties about culture and you family. Generations generate a sense on traditions that are made to be a cultural norm for many years. In my family we have a way of greeting each other that is connected with being a somewhat spanish influenced that comes from my mothers side of the family. Being this ethnicity I can easily say that my mother loves family events and close connections on a weeks basis. This has been a norm for hundreds of years and will be carried down for future generations in our family. Other cultures also have their sense of common cultural habits and this is what makes us all unique in our own way.
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