When I first saw this blog assignment I figured it would be easy to get people to tell me their definitions of culture and diversity. Boy was I wrong. I even posted the question for my Facebook friends and only got three replies. So these are the ones I will use for this assignment and I thank them for their replies to my request.
The first reply I received came from a former exchange student I hosted and am still in almost weekly contact with from Azerbaijan. She is now 19 years old but has the wisdom of someone a lot older than she is. Her definition of culture is that it is the common beliefs and values that unite people. Her definition of diversity is the elements of culture that set people apart.
The second reply was from a really good friend of mine who has adopted three children from Russia and has hosted many exchange students as well. Her reply was “I would say that 'culture' is an environment that creates a shared experience by people...which could be by events (think 9/11), circumstances (working together as teachers, policemen, etc) or the place they are in (such as living in a cold or warm climate). I think of diversity as any aspect that makes people different from each other...whether it's race, age, sexuality, background, beliefs, etc.”
The third reply was from another former exchange student from Pakistan. She keeps in contact when she can. She is also 19 years old now – almost 20 as her birthday is in April. Her definitions were pretty close to those of the first reply I received. She believes that culture contains all people with common beliefs and values of their society. She believes that diversity is the elements within the culture which shows the differences in people.
Each of the answers I received was interesting as they focused on just a basic description of what culture and diversity are. From what we have studied so far these definitions are just the tip of the iceberg in reference to the complex nature of defining culture and diversity – let alone understanding the complex aspects of both. It is important to hear/read other individual’s opinions and definitions of culture and diversity since we each have our own understanding based on our own experiences. In my opinion this added information helps us learn how to listen to others more and give us pause to stop and think our own definitions and beliefs.
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how people have trouble defining culture and diversity. These concepts are so broad that I think it's hard for people to narrow them down. It was interesting that one definition included events such as 9/11, someone's work culture or even the climate of an area. It's interesting because aspects of a geographical area can have a huge influence on a culture. Usually when you think of geography and culture, you just think of different states or countries and not all the differences that influence people living in those areas.
Robin, I enjoyed reading the comments, It was very interesting in different cultures we live in can effect our understanding of culture and diversity.Great post.
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