Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

Blog Assignment: Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

An especially effective method to deepen one’s grasp of any topic is to listen to and then reflect on the ideas of others. This week, I had an opportunity to use that method and ask other people what they think about diversity and culture. For this assignment I called and talked to two friends and to two family members three friends, family members, acquaintances, and/or colleagues.

I spoke to my girlfriend Rochelle who is 36 and is Filipino and stated culture consists of family traditions and values. And she defined diversity as being those differences one may have when compared to another person.

I spoke to my friend David who is from Trinidad and he stated culture consists of values and is the way a person views life. He defined diversity as being the differences between two or more groups of people.

I spoke to my 13 year old son and he said culture is a way of life, its how he talks to his friends, and how he dress. He said that diversity consists of people being different.

I spoke to my cousin’s 44 year old wife Awilda who is of Hispanic decent and she stated culture consists of the way one views their world around them, the way one talks, and family traditions. She defined diversity as being differences in people/groups.

Then reflect on the answers you received and ask yourself:

All aspects of culture and diversity that I have studied in this course are included in the answers I received from both friends and family. For example, the panelist in the course video from last week gives a rich definition of culture which is consistent with the definitions of each individual I spoke with. For example, Nadiyah Taylor defined culture as being broad almost like a pair of glasses, and how we perceive the world around us.  And Julie Benavides believes culture consists of one’s characteristics i.e., race, and ethnicity, economics, and language abilities. In addition,  the panelists stated culture describes the way we dress, use slang and or language patterns, and ect. (Laureate Inc., 2012).

Which aspects have been omitted and what are some examples of such omission?

Surprisingly, there were a few points that were omitted by the four individuals I spoke with in regards to culture. The first omission consisted of culture as it relates to everything that we do and see. The second was culture consisting of race, ethnicity. And the third omission consisted of social/economic status.

In what ways has thinking about other people’s definitions of culture and diversity influenced my own thinking about these topics?

After asking friends and family for their definitions of culture and diversity, I was influenced in my own thinking by not limiting culture to just family traditions, foods or the way one may dress…instead I was led to think of the language patterns and the slang we use when we speak to people we are comfortable with, and how the way we think dictates the way we parent.

Reference:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). Family Cultures: Dynamic Interactions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Nicky