WHAT IS CULTURE? WHAT IS YOUR CULTURE? HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CULTURE TO YOU?
I believe culture is the traditions and beliefs held by people belonging to a community. In that sense, my culture is some amalgamation of nerd culture, internet culture, dance culture, and academia. I associate with all kinds of people in these contexts on a weekly basis (at least), but I don't participate in the traditions, rituals and beliefs of the group per se. I'm not passionate about anything exclusively, so it all depends on context; I behave differently when in differing situations. Because of this, my culture is not very important to me. I could easily find new cultures to participate in, but I don't think I'll ever really belong to a culture.
I agree with you, culture is traditions and beliefs. It's interesting to me that you don't think you will ever belong to a culture, you don't have any traditions you follow or actually enjoy? I'm not sure I would say I belong to my culture but there are aspects of it I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are a chameleon in this area, but technically it sounds like you belong to each culture as the situation calls for it or as you have need.
ReplyDelete@Judith: Yeah. I don't really share my traditions with anyone else, and I won't follow a tradition I don't enjoy.
ReplyDelete@Rachelle: Thinking back on it, It's more like I participate in each culture as the situation requires, rather than I belong to any of them.
I feel that in America, its very hard for individuals who didn't grow up in a specific ethnic culture to find a real cultural identity. America is called a cultural melting pot, but I only find that true of specific areas. Melting pot implies that all these cultures have been combine and create something together as a whole. What really happens is that individual cultures in the States stand alone from each other. IE having districts known as Little Japan and so forth. Something about modern attitude seems to slight having a strong cultural identity and traditions. I'm not really sure why but that appears to be a current attitude trend I feel.
ReplyDeleteI think it's neat that you find things that you are passionate about and enjoy. That being said, I also think that you are creating your own culture by pulling all of these aspects into your life, even if you are not necessarily passionate about them.
ReplyDeleteDo the cultures you partake in overlap, for the most part, or do they vary greatly? I agree with Corinne in that you are creating your own culture by tying in all these different cultures.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how I could create my own culture if I'm the only one in it. @Isis: They vary greatly. The people I interact with from each culture don't really interact with people I interact with from other cultures.
ReplyDeleteI really like and admire how your definition of culture is separated from ones ethnicity and nationality. It's basically YOU.
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