What is culture?
What is culture? Is it as concrete as the rituals of your ethnic ancestors? Is it as elusive as the concept of the soul? Is it merely a fancy word for hobbies, habits, and personal tastes? I am fascinated by the concept of culture, because frequently, it eludes young white Americans. If you ask the average born- in - the - USA white teenager, "What is your culture?” they'll shrug their shoulders and say, "I dunno, American?" To understand myself, my culture, and the consequences of these, I am going to dive deep into the concepts of the definition of culture, the identification of White American culture(s), and the characteristics of my own culture as I see it.
First, we need to define culture for the context of this discussion. A primary distinction is that culture is learned. Culture is not a genetic trait. You learn to like hamburgers and milkshakes as an American. You aren’t born liking hamburgers and milkshakes as an American. But beyond being something that society teaches us, what is culture? Another key concept required for understanding culture, is that it is shared by a group of people. To identify with a culture, others must identify with the culture as well, otherwise you are just identifying with yourself, and this is not culture but self identity.
I believe culture is created and composed by the things that influence you on an individual character defining level. This is a huge category, obviously. This means your upbringing, your economic status, your religion, your politics, your environment, your hobbies, your music taste, and your daily choices are all part of your culture. Although my definition of culture is broad, and perhaps overwhelming, I find to narrow the definition is to underestimate the power of culture on the individual, and thus the power of the individual on society.
The concept of "American" as one's culture, can conjure scary thoughts to outsiders. It's as if one is ignorantly declaring, my culture is Starbucks. My culture is Wal-Mart. My culture is Enron. But my culture is none of these things, and I consider myself an American through and through.
I have often been told, what I declare as my culture, is not culture. But I disagree. What I identify with I have learned to identify with from the lessons of my surrounding environment and society. My culture is environmentalism, individualism, and intellectualism. These are the things I admire and identify with most as an American. Is this my culture? I think so. But some say no; I have no culture, because I am American.
This stark ‘lack’ of culture that characterizes white America today is why postmodern movements such as ‘Emo kids’ are gaining in popularity. It gives them a culture to identify with. And like it or not, I think culture is necessary for the survival of the human spirit. But a stark lack of culture has not always described America. Think of the culture of the 60s, the jazz movement, or the astounding number of regional cultures that exist today still such as Appalachia. America is not culture-less; we are just in a dull moment where not much inspires similar groups of people in order to found a culture. This is why I cry out to America’s youth-be passionate about something, drink it in, and share it with your peers. You will be nurturing culture, and that, is to nurture the human spirit.
First, we need to define culture for the context of this discussion. A primary distinction is that culture is learned. Culture is not a genetic trait. You learn to like hamburgers and milkshakes as an American. You aren’t born liking hamburgers and milkshakes as an American. But beyond being something that society teaches us, what is culture? Another key concept required for understanding culture, is that it is shared by a group of people. To identify with a culture, others must identify with the culture as well, otherwise you are just identifying with yourself, and this is not culture but self identity.
I believe culture is created and composed by the things that influence you on an individual character defining level. This is a huge category, obviously. This means your upbringing, your economic status, your religion, your politics, your environment, your hobbies, your music taste, and your daily choices are all part of your culture. Although my definition of culture is broad, and perhaps overwhelming, I find to narrow the definition is to underestimate the power of culture on the individual, and thus the power of the individual on society.
The concept of "American" as one's culture, can conjure scary thoughts to outsiders. It's as if one is ignorantly declaring, my culture is Starbucks. My culture is Wal-Mart. My culture is Enron. But my culture is none of these things, and I consider myself an American through and through.
I have often been told, what I declare as my culture, is not culture. But I disagree. What I identify with I have learned to identify with from the lessons of my surrounding environment and society. My culture is environmentalism, individualism, and intellectualism. These are the things I admire and identify with most as an American. Is this my culture? I think so. But some say no; I have no culture, because I am American.
This stark ‘lack’ of culture that characterizes white America today is why postmodern movements such as ‘Emo kids’ are gaining in popularity. It gives them a culture to identify with. And like it or not, I think culture is necessary for the survival of the human spirit. But a stark lack of culture has not always described America. Think of the culture of the 60s, the jazz movement, or the astounding number of regional cultures that exist today still such as Appalachia. America is not culture-less; we are just in a dull moment where not much inspires similar groups of people in order to found a culture. This is why I cry out to America’s youth-be passionate about something, drink it in, and share it with your peers. You will be nurturing culture, and that, is to nurture the human spirit.
posted by Michelle at 9:37 PM
1 Comments:
I liked this post Michelle. And actually, I find that a lot of our culture comes from Mom and Dad, and particuarly Dad, at least especially with me. I've been meaning to post on that exact topic and so perhaps I will do tonight, so they can compliment each other.
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