Perspective...

I don't understand why it is blurry - I will try to fix it.

This project again afforded me the opportunity to solicit ideas from others within my social circles. The results were quite interesting! Most responses included many of the aspects of culture and diversity that we have been discussing in class, except for Bucky, who is a bit of a smart aleck anyway, but whose interpretations were quite interesting. Bucky defined culture as “sticking your pinkie out when drinking your beer” connoting the behaviors typically associated with the prestige and status of the upper class. He, like Alex, summed up diversity in a single word, “rainbow” or “spectrum” respectively, meaning the blending together of individual characteristics to create a coherent whole.

Aaron also expressed an interesting opinion: “from my observations a "culture" limits "diversity". the more attention given to individual "cultures" isolate or at least define them as an individual "culture" and prevent "diversity". When I hear Mexican independance day spots on the radio and the most influential and highest earning person is a 

woman of color (Oprah), I would conclude that America is pretty dang accepting and not opressive to race or gender.”

My sister Kay defined culture as the “attitudes, world views and traditions that are passed down and instilled in a particular set of people. While diversity is multiple cultures living in close proximity.” In many respects, this definition seems a bit limited and discounts the interactions and conflict that arrise due to cultural clashes such as the ones mentioned by my international contact from a previous course, Mahamadou. His response was more extensive and included the comment “your culture is like your identity” even though we all share a common home country. He also refers to the US as a “melting pot” or “salad bowl” which I find interesting since he is from Africa and makes no such reference to Mali. Unfortunately, the conflict mentioned is all too real like the ethnic war in Rwanda when one group of people express power over another to the extent of severe opression and elimination.

It is reasuring that most of the definitions were similar and there was little negativity associated with diversity in terms of prejudical statements or personal claims of superiority. I suppose, though, that may have as much to do with the saying “birds of a feather…” than anything. It makes sense that we generally associate with those who share our beliefs and values.