Cultural Reflection

Culture, by its definition, is, “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.” Almost 80% of Americans identify themselves as caucasian, yet within this large group there is a great variance in culture. This group is comprised of european cultures, ranging from italian to irish, in addition to middle eastern cultures, ranging from israeli to arabian. Similarly, around 12.3% percent of Americans identify themselves as black, yet once again within this group there is a multitude of different cultures; ethiopian, haitian, south african, and many more. These statistics demonstrate that race has no direct impact on cultural diversity. Despite this, people tend to be identified by race almost always more than by culture. Race being more commonly used as an identifier, is purely due to the fact that it is easier to distinguish between races, than between cultures, because the differences are generally more nuanced. Also relating back to the previous idea of the United States as melting pot, many cultures that were probably more distinctive at one point in time have become interwoven into the ‘general’ culture within America. Overall, race, despite its being a popular defining feature, is not the same as

They believe that the teachers in the program are teaching the students that America stole the land from the Mexicans. They also believe that they’re teaching the students to fight back and rebel against the United States. The supervisors think that this program is an “anti-white” program which is not true at all. In the video, the teachers specifically said that they did not teach the students that and they teach them what happened and everyone’s point of view, not just the United States. On the second video, it was more comical because when the teacher asked the supervisor if he had ever learned anything in the class, he said that he had not and that he did not want to hear what they were saying. It’s funny because he’s making all these assumptions about the program when he never learned about what they’re teaching the kids. It can be said that the supervisors are uneducated about the program and it is not right that just because they have a different opinion, and just because they have the power they can ban the

The first and most important thing is that all people are created equal and deserve to be treated with respect. This is something I have always known, but I loved seeing it affirmed in the video. I was also very intrigued by the differences in the scores the children earned when they were the favored group versus when they were discriminated against. I love psychology, and it was fascinating that by simply being told that they were better or that they were worse than the other kids affected their test scores. I also learned that it is easy to say all the right things, but actions speak louder than words. You may say that you believe all people are equal, but it is very important that your actions prove that as well. I am sure that everyone does things, even subconsciously, that are not congruent with what we say we believe. A scene I think I will remember a month from now is the experiment with the adults. It was very interesting to see how the different people responded to the experiment and the thoughts that they expressed

This video showed the viewpoints from people of mixed race. It focused on those that are Latino and Black. It can sometimes be a struggle to be Latino and Black. Some feel like they have to choose which race to identify with. They should be able to embrace both races and not be judged. The divide is really caused because of lack of understanding. If more people get to know one another then they will see that different races can identify and gain a connection.

The first video it talked about how the Jim Crow Laws happen and it was shocking for me because Jim Crow used to be a character for comedy based on a black person, it was basically entertainment for the Whites only. Jim Crow was basically a form of racial discrimination. One person that hated the law was our well known president Abraham Lincoln he wanted to put a stop to slavery because he wanted the

Cole Moore: I thought that Cole’s introduction was very professional and got straight to the point of what his group was discussing. The idea of combining the themes of the military, patriotism and one’s heritage was very impressive and caught my attention. Also, tying it to the themes of the red convertible was very interesting! While the presentation was amazing, I was confused as to what was the artifact. It seemed as if you talked more about general themes rather than close reading the design on the jacket. Nevertheless, you did an amazing job presenting.

The video created pain and confusion to see the way many people segregate or discriminate African Americans. It is hard to conceive in many people’s mind a mistreatment or deliberate actions that cause harm to a black person, simply because their skin color. There are many people who strongly oppose such behavior, and do not agree with the basis of discrimination. Also, immigrants can relate somehow to discrimination, and the many way this could affect them. It is terrible how a person can resent someone just for their color or their skin. This is a world with many different points of view, religious believes, political agendas or circumstances that can set people apart, but to take a physical aggression or retaliate because racial hate is

It is unfortunate that racism and sexism continues to exist in today’s generation. I really do not understand the differences between skin color or gender. I am not sure if the misunderstanding is because I grew up in a diverse community or my eyes and heart are blind. I am proud that I have raised my son to also have eyes and heart that are blind to color and gender. As a single parent I have had to change my tire and oil and with that same perspective, I will have my son wash his own clothes. I have shared with my son, if a woman can do the job, so can a man and vice-versa. In the video, A Class Divided, Jane Elliott, the third grade teacher shared a new perspective that was creative and perceptible and ethical. We are all humans with the same color of blood

From the beginning of the video, the events and stories were horrible. For example, how a Sargent in the police force just came back from Vietnam where he was in his own segregated army defending the same country that treated him as a lesser than when compared to a white man. This is shocking to me personally.

This video has many different aspects that was interesting. There were some viewpoints stated within the video that was agreeable and disagreeable. There were also aspects mention in the video that I heard mention before. For example, “Blacks are better at sports”. I think that statement is stereotyping. People bodies and health is different from one another, which cause a person to perform better than the other. Another example that was made in the video that I found interesting was “Asian are better at math”. People learn on different levels and in different ways, therefore everyone can learn the same information. Stereotyping and being bias has been an issue for years and still is sin some cases. The aspects that was talked about in the

This video altered that ignorance to the verge in which someone of a different background would force me to question whether they were looking at me because they thought I were about to rob them naked, or terrorize them at gunpoint, perhaps they pondered if I were associated with a gang, maybe even abandon my future kids, and obligate them to grow up with a father. That paranoia was prejudice at its finest because the only reason I believed these people were judging me was due to the fact that they were different than me. Considering this, I now understood when people demonstrated bigotry; for all, it was not because of pure hatred, but rather from

When I think of culture I usually think of what I grew up knowing; religion, food music, etc. Being American, people usually think very stereotypically; white, racist, and no flavoring in their food. I disagree with these ideas; coming from an American culture I deal with a melting pot of ideas, the reason for this is because of all the people that come in and out of the U.S.; they leave a mark on this country with a piece of their heritage. It also means wearing all types of different clothing, eating different types of food, listening to new kinds of music you may or may not like; basically just being open to try new things. This culture is probably one of the most unique cultures out there; without this culture, and this country even, the world would be much more different than the world we know today.

This videos raised my awareness of this problem within our society. I believe having this awareness is important because we all make our own misconceptions and have preconceived notions of certain people and ideas. This video really takes a closer look at something that many of us rarely even considered, which is our own bias and cultural influences. I believe this is important to be mindful of and that it can open the eyes of many people in our society. I believe it is very important to keep this concept in mind during this course and in

The most compelling video was the one that looked through the eyes of a college student who got censored for trying to make a change that would not only help people but it could invoke a change that would help society. It was from the campus of Berkley, a guy formed a club that has both male and female members to help bring up and treat issues men have yet are sometimes forced to hide because of how society views them. They bring up and tell men where to go if they have a mental illness for example. This club is forced to stay in a small room because Berkley refuses to view them as a club. They get targeted by the feminists club and students veer away from them. The president of the club has since taken a break and now a woman is continuing on his good work.

Now we know that so many people discriminate against others and now we need to know some negative stereotypes in the world and realize that so many are very hurtful. Some negative beliefs are, “Old people can 't learn new things,” “Old people are grouchy” and “Old people are absent minded.” These things are definitely negative and aren 't true. Many people discriminate against others for who they truly are, just like in the video, (“Diversity in Students”). Melissa is made fun of for not being able to do math and needs help from her friends at school. And the boy is discriminated against for wearing nothing but black and they call him a weirdo. The important thing is you should be