How to Accept and Respect Other Cultures
Regardless of where you live on this great, big Earth, chances are you will eventually interact in some way with a culture that is different from your own. When most people think about culture, their first thoughts involve race or ethnicity(n. 种族地位;种族特点). Culture goes far beyond that, however. In fact, we are all members of various cultural groups and our cultural identities develop based on the influence of these memberships. Like most things that make you who you are, the development of your cultural identity is an ongoing process. As we are exposed to different sets of beliefs and values, we may adopt other cultural beliefs that were not part of our original makeup. In this way, culture is dynamic and complex. In addition to race and ethnicity, our cultural orientations are influenced by gender, class, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, age, and much more. The individual is a complex mix of many cultural influences woven together. It is, therefore, impossible to define a person by a single cultural label. To further complicate
matters, our cultural histories are filtered by individual psychological characteristics and experiences, ensuring that even those sharing cultural similarities are truly unique.
The 10 Cultural Universals
There are certain things that are a part of every culture. These things are called cultural universals. Though the elements within each will differ, every culture includes:
1. Geography: Location, land, flora(植物), fauna, and other natural resources.
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2. Family and Kin: Roles of males, females, children, elders, etc. These include the division of labor, child training, and rites(仪式) of passage.
3. Political Organizations: Laws and rules, government, law enforcement, warfare(战争), and peace.
4. Language: Includes spoken, written, sign language, body language, and number systems.
5. Food, Clothing, Transportation, and Shelter: Includes everyday wear and ceremonial wear. Includes types of housing and building materials.
6. Technology: Includes inventions, tools and weapons.
7. Beliefs, Values, and Rituals: Religious beliefs and practices; birth and death rituals; myths and legends. Also includes attitudes toward the "unknown" and scientific understandings.
8. Economics: Includes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, jobs, trade, and money.
9. Creative Expression: Includes dance, music, literature, games, and leisure activities.
10. Education: Can be formal and/or informal. Includes knowledge needed for survival, training, and the passing on of group values.
Elements of Culture
Culture is a system of shared beliefs that are used by a society in order to interact with the world, as well as with each other. Often, we think of the food, music, clothing, and holidays that are shared by a group as their culture, but these are only some of the elements. Other elements include customs, values, behaviors, and artifacts. Culture is, therefore, a combination of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs shared by those of the same racial, ethnic, religious, or other social group. Many of these groups we are born into (such as racial and ethnic groups) and others we choose (such as religious or political groups). Many of us move between groups, adjusting our ideas and beliefs as we grow and learn. Those who go through cultural shifts may adopt new customs, but they will also retain elements of their previous cultural experiences.
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