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cultural diversity in america essay
role of culture in formation of behaviour
cultural diversity in america essay
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The United States has been described as a “Nation of Immigrants,” as a “mosaic,” or, more traditionally, as a “melting pot” of cultures. In fact, cultural diversity is a common thread in the fabric of American society. Culture, meaning how a group functions in society, or has been defined as: ...multiple influences, including race, ethnicity, nationality, language, and gender, but it also extends to socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, and occupation, among other factors. These influences can collectively be described as ‘socio-cultural factors,’ which shape people’s values, form their belief systems, and motivate their behaviors.
Each culture has distinctive dietary and food beliefs as well as consumption habits, but to the overall culture, food and diet play an important, unique role. “Food plays an important role in the Latino/ Hispanic culture. In some Latino/Hispanic cultures, a good meal will be balanced with food and herbs by “hot” and “cold” types. Those who eat foods whose temperatures are wrong for them can get sick. A good appetite is associated with good health (Cultural Insights…p. 16).” The traditional diet of each culture reflects the geographic location of the country and food availability in terms of vegetables, fruits,
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To better communicate with specific groups of people, it is important to clearly understand their values, beliefs, and everyday activities. I chose the Latino/Hispanic community because this group has experienced so much wrong doing against them as well as the Black community. I was always fascinated with their work ethic and ability to with stand all kinds of racial biases. Latinos/Hispanics is the largest “minority” population in the United States. If this trend continues, the Census Bureau estimates that almost one in four U.S. residents will be Latino/Hispanic in the year
The preparation and flavor of food in Mexico can vary significantly based on the region. The basis of most cuisine is rice, beans, meats, and vegetables served with either flour or corn tortillas. Dining is considered a time for socialization with varying mealtimes that can begin late into the evening. Depending on the people, their socioeconomic status can influence the availability and nutritional value of food in certain areas of Mexico. Due to geographical and climate limitations the Polish food choices are limited to potatoes, vegetables, meats and dairy products. All of which may be changed depending the growing season that can have a significant impact of food availability. The Polish American diet is frequently high in carbohydrates, sodium, and saturated fat (Purnell & Paulanka, 2008). This type of food preparation should be taken into consideration when interacting with individuals from this culture. The influence of the catholic religion impacts both the Mexican and Polish cultures...
It is true that the more people from different cultures that are in a given area, the more the cultures are diversified. However, with all realities, some claim that immigrants dilute the American culture. Indeed, they cause some changes to the culture. Nevertheless, these changes can bring a wealth of attraction and a source of beauty for the country that everyone should be proud of. It is obvious that every single immigrant in the US has his own culture and way of life. When all these are added together, they form a very rich culture. In addition, they bring various interesting aspects such as food, music, literature, etc. That makes the Americans rich in cultural knowledge. The importance of cultural diversity is that it teaches the people to understand each other’s views, interests, and ideas and helps people view the world in different ways. This would finally lead the society to work towards each other’s interest, mutual goals, and objectives. Tamar Jacoby in his article “Are Today’s Immigrants Assimilating in U.S Society, Yes,” he said that, “Those who are coming now are people who understand cultural fluidity, understand intermarriage and find that a natural, easy thing. This maintains unity and balances in the society” (411). Once this stage is reached, all the problems would be solved. Then it can be said that America has reached a true democracy, echoed by
Knowing our cultures is very important in understanding our environment as well as of others. It also help us understand how people take different aspects of life including diet. This is because culture determines our perception and attitudes toward particular issues about which is helpful and which is not, what makes sense and what does not. Some cultures prefer quantity meals to quality food which can lead to obesity or even some cardiovascular diseases to people of that culture while others prefer a balanced diet hence a healthy body, in central America, in particular Honduras and Guatemala, they prefer frying their food first. Due to this method of cooking it is possible to have a devastating health effect on the
The phrase, “We are what we eat” holds some essential validity and truth to it. Food is a constituent feature of our environmental ties to where we subside. It is a part of our daily lives. It can act as a form of communication with other individuals. Food can be an indicator of the nutrition idiosyncratic cultural groups are practicing. Notably, which ingredients hold higher placement of emphasis in consumption from a day to day basis. The way food is assembled or arranged has specific meanings in certain locations. From humble beginnings to global acknowledgment, the diffusion of Hispanic cuisine and some of it’s signature dishes will be analyzed under domestic and foreign context.
Latino/a Americans are also one of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups according to the United States Census Bureau (date). When looking into the Latino/a American culture, the most important values leisure time, activities, the Catholic church, and family relationships (Saracho & Spodek, 2005). Andres-Hyman, Ortiz, Anez, Paris, and Davidson (2006) state Latino/a Americans, like Asian Americans and African Americans, value collectivism, interdependence, and cooperation. Religion is also extremely important to the family and plays a huge role in daily life. Some families believe being socially well-educated is more important than being academically well-educated, and if an individual knows how to behave properly in a social setting, they will honor their family in the eyes of the community (Saracho & Spodek, 2005, p. 212). Latino/as rely on their family, community, traditional healers, and/or church for help during a health crisis, and value marianismo, which refers to traits in women including moral nurturing and self-sacrifice (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2014); the male counterpart, machismo refers to the belief that men should be strong and provide for their families (Andres-Hymean et al., 2006). Andres-Hyman et al. talk about the three major cultural constructs worth noting in the Latino American culture. The first construct is dignidad y respeto, which means dignity and respect. Familismo means family values and emphasizes family relationships and family loyalty. Lastly, personalismo refers to relating to one another on a personal level instead of a formal or institutional level. Latino/a culture also values building interpersonal relationships, and if one is unable to interact with others due to a...
Immigration has always been an issue in the United States, which is often portrayed as harmful and as major threat to American culture. As a result, various anti immigration policies have been aimed against immigrants in order to prevent and preserve the miscegenation of American culture, such as English only policies. Among the largest minority groups in the U.S, are Latinos who currently compose of 15% of the U.S population (Delgado and Stefancic 3). Unfortunately, Latinos have been accused of taking American benefits, jobs, and have wrongfully been depicted as a result of not assimilating to American culture. Latinos are often accused of resisting assimilation, but what has failed to be acknowledged is that there are obstacles set in place that are preventing Latinos from completely assimilating. Among those greatest obstacles there is discrimination. Institutional as well as individual discrimination have prevented many Latinos from feeling a sense of belonging. As a result Latinos have been reluctant to assimilate. Another major component is proximity. Many Latinos are native to nearby countries which allows for easy communication with family members as well as their culture. Moreover, it also allows for a constant influx of immigrants that replenish and preserve Latino cultures and traditions in the U.S. Lastly, Latino movements are working diligently to promote unity among communities for the purpose of creating a sense of identity and pride amongst Latinos, such as the Chicano movement.
Since the creation of the United States of America, immigrants from all backgrounds have sought refuge, a home and a life in this country of prosperity and opportunity. The opportunity of freedom to exercise natural rights is a large pull factor that causes many people to come to America. Others come because it is a country where one can prosper. Prosperity of people in a country, however, is a more challenging phenomenon to explain than opportunity. Immigrants seek economic, social and educational as well as cultural prosperity. The question of how to gain such prosperity is a difficult one to answer. Some immigrants come to America, cast off their past identity and attempt to find a new, less foreign one. By assimilating to American culture with this new identity, they start a long and treacherous journey to seek prosperity in a land vastly different from the one they once called home. Many will gain educational, economic and social prosperity, but never gain cultural prosperity. Assimilating to American culture so hastily, some immigrants are never able to explore and keep up with their cultural backgrounds. Their families grow up and became Americans, never cognizant of their given up ethnic identities. Those immigrants, however, who are able to gain cultural prosperity through the help of other immigrants of their respective background, become integrated into American society while keeping their ethnic identity. This is the sort of opportunity that the United States of America has provided new arrivals since its founding. Although many immigrants become overwhelmed with American culture and assimilate into it, those who contribute to a working ethnic society are able to dela...
“Culture is a cluster of intangibles and tangible aspects of life passed down from generation to generation.”(cite) More importantly, culture is define as the way of life of a group of people who share these same values and beliefs, therefore, we will check the Hispanic culture. The U.S. Census Bureau defines Hispanic or Latino as mutual inhabitants in the United States who are of Latin American or Spanish origin. Latinos has become a larger proportion of the U.S. population, there is a greater need for social work education to offer culturally sensitive training to social work students (Furman, Bender, Lewis, & Shears, 2006; Iglehart & Becerra, 1995). A Hispanic woman, Marcela Hede voices that, “Being Hispanic is mainly defined by my language
In today’s society, Cultural diversity in the United States of America can be seen in all aspects of life, such as in the media, workplace, household, and schools. Cultural diversity is defined as the characteristic of diverse cultures, as contradicting to monoculture, as in a homogenization of cultures, affiliated to cultural decay. In this present stage America, most individuals inaccurately use phrases such as “American culture,” or “Western culture,” as if such common and standardized cultures exist. People, in general, neglect to acknowledge the presence of cultural diversity, and cultural differences within the American society.
According to this article “there is no better way to learn about a culture then to observe their attitude towards food (Lindberg, Stevens, and Halperin, 2013)”. I also think that it is important to learn about a cultures dietary patterns when trying to teach them new nutritional goals. In this article a questionnaire was developed to learn more about the eating and dietary habits of Hispanic people. One stumbling block for the author of this questionnaire was the fact that his target group was composed of people from different background and countries. It was discovered that while an object was called something specific in one spanish dialect, in another a word may be nonexistent. Another culture difference that was discovered was that some cultures believe that it is healthy to eat sugar when stressed. It was also discovered that women in the Hispanic culture view overweight child as a sign of the child being healthy while children that thin are considered poor in health. It was interesting to read in this article that most Spanish speaking immigrants are healthier than those Hispanic born in America (Lindberg, Stevens, and Halperin, 2013). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Hispanic people make up the second largest group of
America has always been defined by several cultural myths. The myths provide those within the country and those outside a mirror to how American society is set up. Cultural myths are important especially to people who are immigrants or who have a history of being immigrants in society. The two most important myths in immigrant research are the myth of individual opportunity as well as the myth of the melting pot. This study looks at how these two cultural myths intersect in the essay.
Human culture is a very diverse element of humanity. It has a variety of different building blocks that create the full meaning of the term. It involves aspects such as food, customs, music, language, and art. Similar patterns of culture form groups of people with common beliefs and lifestyles known as societies or communities. Culture can vary based on location of the society and the history of how the culture arose. Culture is constantly changing in so many ways and controversy arises between these societies with different views. In Barbara Gallatin Anderson’s book, Around the World in 30 Years, and several of the case studies the class has discussed this year, these diverse cultures were closely analyzed and the problems that arose from
Anyone can agree that cultures vary significantly. Anywhere from society views, to genetics, and even food! The eating habits of all the different cultures in the world are one of the most significant changes between nations and cultures to other nations and cultures. Anywhere in the world will have different eating habits, for example, Americans eat small meals throughout the day and then indulge in a big filling meal for supper, while in Mexico, breakfast tends to be the biggest meal of the day. Now, because of these changes in cultural views, anthropology is very much involved. This is why I am going to go in depth on the eating habits from four different cultures: Japanese, Mexican, and American.
We need to be aware of the diversity in the classroom. Cultural diversity includes: bi-racial, adoptive, immigrant, gay, and step-families. It is a large majority of the students today even in my generation. Focusing on making a balanced curriculum that exposes the students to all of these different backgrounds is very important. I know that it is likely that a teacher will not be able to cater to every student, but it is important to involve each of them. There is a large percentage of students that have dropped out due to the lack of having a connection with the curriculum. It is frustrating that we are lacking progress in our schools to help these children connect when studies show that each cultural group will soon be equal in numbers. We need to form a better
In the future, the world will only become more diverse. People should learn to appreciate it by acknowledging the differences around them. Sometimes people are scared that “recognizing differences will divide people from each other. However, learning about cultural differences can actually bring people closer together” ( “Section 1”). It would be better if people became closer together instead of growing apart because of discrimination and other mistreatment. Building relationships with different cultures should be a goal of everyone and even nations as a whole. Each group has different strengths that can benefit the the community altogether. Since the world will definitely become more diverse, it is important to be informed about cultural groups so you can become more marketable and succeed in a diverse world.