After talking with three people in my neighborhood, I gathered their perspectives on culture and diversity.
41 year old white male
Culture means belonging to a certain group of people. This group shares similarities in beliefs and the way they live life. Diversity relates to culture because diversity refers to these different groups (cultures) living in the same place or location.
10 year old African American female
Culture means sharing the same language and ideas with other people, like your family. She wasn't quite sure what diversity meant so I talked to her a little about it. She then said it means that people are different but yet can live in the same place. For example, at my school, we have different types of people, but we all go to school together.
65 year old grandmother from Bolivia
Culture is sharing similar traditions and beliefs with other people that are important to you. Diversity means bringing these different cultures together and sharing and learning with each other. We sat and talked at the neighborhood park one afternoon. She was asking me how much time I got to spend off of work with my new baby. I told her that I got to spend several months off with her but that most American working women only get 6-12 weeks off. She told me that in Bolivia, mothers get the first two years off. It was difficult to talk with her because of her language barrier, but I would love to know if they get paid for this time off and if their professional position is held for them while they are off. It was interesting talking with her. She lives with her daughter's family who live on my street.
What I realized after talking with others about diversity and culture is that they understand the basics of what culture means. They referred to differences in language, beliefs, and traditions, but they did not refer to the deeper meaning of culture. No one referred to the day to day interactions with others or a person's thinking and perspectives about things as culture. The idea that culture is learned from those around you was not mentioned in our conversations. I think that most people see culture as Janet Gonzalez-Mena explained it. They see the tip of the iceberg. The cultural differences that are obvious, but they do not understand that there are much deeper aspects of culture that lie below the surface. I believe that if we all had a complete understanding of the meaning of culture and diversity then people would be more understanding of our culturally differences.
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ReplyDeleteTabitha,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when interviewing people about their perspective on culture and diversity. The deeper, meanings of culture were not discussed. It was viewed in more of a generalized manner. I do appreciate what the grandmother from Bolivia said about diversity. She explained diversity not just as different types of cultures, but envisions those culture learning and sharing with each other.