I asked three different people about what their definition of diversity and culture is. I asked two of my best friends, Betty and Courtney. Betty is a first generational immigrant from Cuba. She came to our country when she was a freshman in high school. She is currently in dental school. My friend Courtney has been a missionary to Africa, China, and Peru. I think that both of the ladies offer a great first hand insight into culture and diversity. I also asked my step-son, Jonathon who is 14 years old. Since he is a military brat living in South Korea, I wanted to know what he would have to say. Below you will find the responses from each individual.
Betty:
Culture: traditions, language, festivities, beliefs, typical foods, etc, passed down from generation to generation which get incorporated into the popular knowledge and define one's upbringing. It is different for people of different countries, and even different regions within a country (subcultures). Culture brings people together by focusing on their similarities.
Diversity: A person's different special set of qualities, talents, set of beliefs, culture, language, values, morals, etc., which makes them unique and different from anyone else. Diversity can be a great addition in any group of people (classroom, workplace, etc) if appreciated; or it can be the cause of segregation when discouraged.
Courtney:
Culture: the belief system and way of communication for individual ethnic groups. Culture is something
that is learned. As babes we are helpless and have no identification of any certain culture, but then we are
introduced to language and a system of looking at the world. If culture is learned it must also be taught.
Diversity: This is when you have many people from many different cultures. Canada is an example of
this, and we have lots of diversity because of the different people from different cultures.
Jonathon:
The difference between Culture and Diversity is that culture is a whole, while diversity is individual.
Culture is when you have a group of people that share customs and beliefs, they don't have to be tied by
blood necessarily. Culture and diversity are very similar.
While reflecting on each individual’s answers, I see that each person has a grip on what surface culture is. Betty stated that culture includes the language, beliefs, and traditions of people. Derman-Sparks (2010) also stated something similar but included artifacts, and holidays. Courtney also said that culture is learned. By the preschool age, children have begun to absorb and learn the culture around them (Derman-Sparks, 2010). Each person brought up at least one point that was mentioned in our class this week.
On the contrary, I believe each person omitted deep culture. Language was mentioned by Betty which is a part of deep culture. Ideas about education, showing emotion, values, relationships, role of children are also a part of deep culture (Derman-Sparks, 2010). I was surprised that Betty and Courtney did not mention the way we dress and act or anything of deep culture because they have lived abroad. Culture is truly unconscious (Gonzalez-Mena, 2008).
This assignment helped me reflect on my personal belief of what culture and diversity is. I have to say that my personal definition of each term would be similar to Betty’s. She really captured a lot of what we have talked about in class. Since she is a first generational immigrant, I knew that she would have a better grasp on these terms than anyone. This assignment helped me appreciate my own culture as well as appreciate how diverse we are as individuals.
References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and
ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
McGraw Hill.