Interacting with CULTURES?....What does Culture mean?

Understanding culture could be critical for us because our individual cultural orientation is present in every interaction.Culture is thought of as food,traditions,music,clothing etc, also I could define it as a combination of values, behaviors or beliefs shared by a group of people.It doesnt refer only to the ones that were born into those groups but also to the ones that choose to belong to,such as religious or social groups.
Culture is 100% dynamic I have to say, It doesnt matter if you were born in a farm, in a small town, but you can still choose to live in a urban enviroment,in a big city or for example to grow up in a family with predetermined political belief or religion doesnt mean there wouldnt be possibility. of a cultural shift.
Culture goes beyond race,gender,sexual orientation,age etc, culture is communication, it reffers to implicit and explicit patterns under which we behave ourselves.
The following meanings were found on the Internet, all comments and critics are welcomed.

* CULTURE: is the system of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people.

http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html

*"Culture is a matrix of infinite possibilities and choices. From within the same culture matrix we can extract arguments and strategies for the degradation and ennoblement of our species, for its enslavement or liberation, for the suppression of its productive potential or its enhancement."

—Wole Sovinka, Nigerian Nobel Laureate

*Culture:
The system of shared beliefs, values, customs,
behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society
use to interact with their world and with one another.

Banks, J. A., & Banks, C. A. M. (Eds.).
(2004). Handbook of Research on
Multicultural Education (2nd. Ed.). San
Francisco:Jossey-Bass

*

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Managing Diversity, Values and Attitudes: An experimental Exercise in awareness.

THE ALLIGATOR RIVER STORY

This is an Experiental exercise that i did in class,  in order to have an appreciation of the differences in perceptions, values and attitudes inherent in the diverse work  force  that  is fast becoming a reality in most work  organizations.

Instructions: Please read the following story. After reading the story, rank the five characters in the story in the space provided below it, beginning with the one you consider as most offensive, and ending with the one you consider as least objectionable. Also, briefly note your reasons as to why you ranked them in that order.




There lived a woman named Abigail who was in love with a man named Gregory. Gregory lived on the shore of a river. Abigail lived on the opposite shore of the same river. The river that separated the two lovers was teeming with dangerous alligators. Abigail wanted to cross the river to be with Gregory. Unfortunately, the bridge had been washed out by a heavy flood the previous week. So she went to ask Sinbad, a riverboat captain, to take her across. He said he would be glad to if she would consent to go to bed with him prior to the voyage. She promptly refused and went to a friend named Ivan to explain her plight. Ivan did not want to get involved at all in the situation. Abigail felt her only alternative was to accept Sinbad’s terms. Sinbad fulfilled his promise to Abigail and delivered her into the arms of Gregory.
When Abigail told Gregory about her amorous escapade in order to cross the river, Gregory cast her aside with disdain. Heartsick and rejected, Abigail turned to Slug with her tale of woe. Slug, feeling compassion for Abigail, sought out Gregory and beat him brutally. Abigail was overjoyed at the sight of Gregory getting his due. As the sun set on the horizon, people heard Abigail laughing at Gregory.

I ranked them  in order from the one perceived to be the most offensive  to  the one perceived as least objectionable:

Abigail

Slug
Sinbad
Gregory
Ivan
Posted by at

1 comment:

Gina said...

Natasaha, YOu are doing a good job on your blog, but the idea with this specific exercise is taht you let people know your thoughts about your ranks, why do you conseder ones behaviour is more objectionable that others....

March 1, 2010 at 8:49:00 AM PST

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)