To an extent, I do agree with Ruth Benedict statement, as us being "Creatures of our culture". If you think about it, we are born into a culture and cultural norms are pushed onto us. We learn about the ways of living and beliefs through the eyes of the people within our culture. The right and wrong, how to act and maybe even what kind of foods to eat. It is when we begin going to grade school, that we are exposed to more people other then just our own culture.
Then, we start to question our own beliefs and cultural norms. "Our cultural norms appear to be natural and right, and we can't imagine acting differently." (Trenholm. P. 344) It can be a sense of a culture shock, when we begin attending school in our early years and notice the other cultures of people. As for me, I grew up third generation Mexican-American. Therefore, my parents, parents are from Texas and Mexico. With a background of Mexican and American, I had two grounds to cover. Though at school, some Mexican children couldn't understand why I didn't speak Spanish and I told them, my parents choose not to teach us Spanish. "Cultures are templates for living, that have certain basic characteristics. Cultures are learned, shared, multifaceted, dynamic and overlapping." (Trenholm. P. 343) For me, I felt more comfortable with the "white" culture, because they accepted my non-speaking Spanish side. Yet, I wasn't fully like them, because of the color of my skin and darker features. I wasn't "white" enough, nor was I "Mexican" enough; that can be rough trying to discover that common ground as a child.
Overall, yes I believe our habits and beliefs are shaped by our culture. It is passed down from generation to generation. Our parents have their cultural norms and teach the kids they raise how to be the same like them. Like I mentioned, I am third generation Mexican-American and slowly the Mexican culture is fading away. It seems the later into the generation, the more open minded we are to other cultures and cultural traditions begin to fade. I believe, the more we learn and understand other cultures than our own; we can begin to break through the limits of our cultures.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I really enjoyed your post. One of my best friends in grade school was Mexican-American. It was my first time being exposed to her culture, and it was very educational for me. She didn't speak Spanish, but her parents would speak it at home, as well as watch Spanish TV programming. I was very curious about the "Mexican" culture, but she always seemed more focused on the American culture. I guess as we grow up, it is a time of identification and discovery of our true selves. Being able to identify with a single culture takes away certain complications. However, it is always good to be open to all cultures as no one way is really correct in a multicultural community.
ReplyDelete