Culture Baggage By Barbara Ehrenreich Summary

INTRODUCTION

My research is in response to the essay “Culture Baggage” by Barbara Ehrenreich on page 298. In her writing, Ehrenreich discuses on language, race, and ethnicity and how it applies to cultural baggage. Ehrenreich points out that there were many of other people who already knew of their beliefs and culture and they stood proud for their roots and in heritage, as she slouched back into her seat as if she knew nothing about her culture or where she really were from. Culture refers to the learned and shared behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values and material objects that characterize a particular group or society. Which is a group of people who share a culture and a defined territory, however society and culture go hand in hand neither

People who have distinctive physical and cultural characteristics are a racial ethnic group. This refers to people who identify with a common national origin or cultural heritage. But remember that race refers to the physical characteristics with which we are born. Whereas ethnicity describes cultural characteristics that we learn.

OPPOSITION

Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because

Speaking on my behalf why don’t so called African Americans resemble Africans from Africa? The African American is known as an artificial construct. Believe it or not African Americans are the indigenous to the Americans. This includes North America, South America and its surrounding islands. According, to the Dred Scott vs. Sanford in (1857) exemplifies that if your ancestors were black and were imported into the U.S. and sold as slaves. Then they would be considering not being a citizenship to America. In other words African Americans only are citizens in name but not law. For those who still boastfully claim that the 14th amendment made them citizens then how do you explain the Naturalization Act in (1870). That came afterwards what was the purpose of that act. Altogether growing up all my life all I ever heard was all blacks believed that their ancestors were slaves, truth is just because prejudice went on during slavery times and racism that does not mean that all of our ancestors were slaves. What do I mean by all of this we’ll Ehrenreich emphasizes that she knows exactly what her ancestors were doing 2,000 years ago. Remember the story in the bible where God ask Abraham to count the stars in the sky, well Abraham try and did not succeed. No man earth can count how many stars are in the sky no matter how much knowledge they may have with that being said this is why