Cultural Studies Paper on Don’t Guess My Race
I gained several insights about race and culture from taking the assessment. Firstly, you cannot judge people based on their skin colour, facial features and body. Some features are common in people within the population, and hence cannot be used to define the race a person belongs to. At the same time, skin pigmentation and color depends on gene mutation and evolution. For example, a black American may be light skinned and thus resemble the Caucasian Americans living in the United States. An Indian-American shares the same skin color with whites. Thus, it will be wrong to classify people into racial categories using their skin color or body features.
Race discrimination has been long used in the United States to separate or segregate people. The immigrants face discrimination from police, government and native communities. From the assessment, it is clear that diversity cannot be applied in the determination of race. The second lesson is that people should treat others as equal despite their physicality. The primary lesson from the assessment is that one cannot guess the race that an individual belongs to. In the event that people segregate others racially, these developments may lead to violence. The black population or the colored population has been racially segregated for a long time by their Caucasian counterparts. This is the reason as to why defining people based on race is wrong due to the consequences of such endeavors. Therefore, racial profiling has been used negatively instead of applying them in appreciating diversity. I therefore hold that people should desist from judging others by looking at them, and instead opt to appreciate their differences.
I Believe…… I Am Socially Aware
The main points surfaced by the resources include living together or appreciating cultural diversity through participation in social and cultural activities. Cultural diversity is brought out through beliefs, food and behaviors. These factors determine the perception and views that people express towards various issues in the community. The resources talk about awareness about social diversity amongst people. This is because people behave and react to issues differently. In the event a person is socially aware of diversity, they will then avoid forcing the other party or somebody from a different cultural background to subscribe to their ideas (Deloitte). Some of the questions that I was asked to respond to include: Do you step out of your comfort zone to meet people from different backgrounds? When was the last time you tried a different ethnic food? Have you participated in cultural events held in your community? And which generation are you? How does this affect your communication with others? These questions helped bring out the social reaction towards people from different social set up. However, before a person appreciates a different culture he/she must be socially aware about their own culture. This will help them to study and evaluate cultural components brought out during events and conversations. At the same time, engaging in social activities enables an individual to gain a better understand of the cultural activities in each context.
The topic addressed in these resources helps individuals to understand the differences between people living in a community. At the same time, social awareness mean recognizing the small things and activities that individuals perform daily. This may involve the food that we eat and relationships that we engage in on daily basis. These activities define the personality and uniqueness prevalent in the community (Deloitte). I was able to learn about people’s behavior which is a composition of cultural beliefs, behaviors and food. The ingredient used in the preparation and serving of food defines a culture and carries a lot of meaning to the community. Thus, food is involved in understanding and participating in some of the cultural events.
The biggest challenge about the implementation process for lessons learnt lies in accepting foreign cultures. In this case, foreign culture means way of behavior and reaction that does not conform to my culture. This is because the behavior, reaction and values of such culture do not rhyme with the values highly emphasized in my culture (Deloitte). In addition, eating and taking part in some of the cultural activities also proved to be a hard thing for me to do. This is because some cultures and activities hitherto seem to be outdated, hence presenting some challenges when it came to implementation. I plan to use the lessons leant to interact with people and appreciate social diversity between people from different backgrounds. Listening and studying culture can also help an individual realize and appreciate the importance of social awareness. From reading these articles, I am now able to identify some of the ethnic components that will distinguish or differentiate one community from the others.
In conclusion, being part and parcel of the community helps one learn new ideas and cultural values that are unique in nature. All cultures in the world apprehends diverse values that are highly significant to their daily existence. In addition, they give identity to the social group or community. Some of the social features are unique while others are universal for all groups in the community.
Works Cited
Deloitte. “For millennials inclusion goes beyond checking traditional boxes, according to new Deloitte – Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative Study.” PR Newswire: Press Release Distribution, Targeting, Monitoring and Marketing, Deloitte, 13 May 2015, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/for-millennials-inclusion-goes-beyond-checking-traditional-boxes-according-to-new-deloitte—billie-jean-king-leadership-initiative-study-300082508.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.