Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

This week I talked to some people about culture and diversity. Although all their answers were similar. I must admit one of their answers was funny to me about what is culture, I was told it’s when your family cook greens together for the Holidays every single year.  I spoke to a friend, a family member and an old co-worker. One of the answers for the definition of culture by an old co-worker was culture is how we live, things we do and have done for years within our family and communities. He explained that for generations families pass down many cultures including, religion, work ethic, food we eat or grow, our race and things that matter within our family. His answer to diversity was to be different, people are different shades, look and speak different and that’s what being diverse says in the world. The aspects of culture and diversity I have studied since being in this course are pretty much the same as the answers I received from the people I spoke with. An example a friend gave me about culture was clothing people wear and how some black people wear the head wraps with all the colors on them that is tied in a huge knot in the front. She said women wore those wraps back in slavery and it seems to be a trend now. She also said if we traveled to certain places that would be all we saw like in African villages, or even way down south because it’s a cultural thing. All the information I talked about with the three people came together. It made me think more about it and although their answers were pretty much the same they each added something about their own family culture. None of their responses influenced my way of thinking because what I know and believe was just like the things they shared with me.