Culture and Diversity

I asked my cousin, who is 24 and in the Army, what culture is. He said it is your family traditions – how you celebrate the holidays, what you eat, what church you attend. As for diversity, he said that diversity refers to the presence of assorted races of people, not just whites.

I asked my fiancee’s 83 year old mother what culture is. She was born in France, grew up in Paris during the Occupation, and moved here as a war bride. She said culture is knowing who your ancestors were, how they lived, what was important to them. She said diversity is many people trying to live together in one world.

I asked my 82 year old neighbor what culture is. He is a widower who is living with his son and 4 grandchildren. He said it is finding out what is important to you about your family and about life..and then teaching your children and grandchildren about it.

I noticed that my cousin's answers were focused on the surface aspect of culture - the holidays, food, clothing, etc. However, the older people (my neighbor and fiancee's mother) seemed to recognize and appreciate the deeper culture i.e., extended family relationships, values, Intergenerational relationships.

On the whole, the answers were brief. I think a lot of people aren't really sure what exactly culture and diversity mean. Before entering this degree program, I probably wasn't either. I now know that culture has a lot more subtle aspects to it. Yes, there are the special foods and traditions..but there are also many values, ideas, beliefs, and roles that are related to culture.