Cultural Norms and the Effects on America

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Cultural norms play a function in the way individuals view the world. Although, some individual’s experience social dilemmas between their heritage and being American. As United States citizens, individuals should go beyond ethnicity and see everybody as an American. America was established by immigrants from all over the world, which turned the nation into a collage made of a number of diverse cultures. With these different cultures come the laws and religions that govern their behavior. In, Mind Reading an Anthology for Writers by Gary Colombo presents a number of remarkable essays on cultural customs. In “Hidden Culture” by Edward T. Hall, he describes culture as well as, how an individual’s culture effects their capability to understand another person’s cultural customs. In “Mrs. Cassadore” by Mick Fedullo, explains his life experience while educating the Apache students on the reservation. Fedullo overcomes cultural obstacles. Fedullo helps his students to realize that it is acceptable to be Apache. Fedullo teaches his students that one should never transform who they are. “The Self and Society: Changes, Problems, and Opportunities by Roy F. Baumeister make use of labels to explain selfhood. Baumeister discuss the history of selfhood to rationalize selfhood. For example, how changes in the society and culture affect selfhood. Two other articles that give some insight on American culture are “A Quilt of a Country” by Anna Quindlen, and “Communication In A Global Village” by Dean Barnlund. Culture is something people are born into. The way people view culture is how they are raised around it. Throughout history, our country has experienced social revolutions. When there are social revolutions, bringing about structural...

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...eople would be more insightful to other cultures.

An individual upbringing and cultural teachings make a person, and how they react to others. Unfortunately some people cannot make it past the ethnicity and sometimes tensions can be detected between their tradition and being American. As citizens in the United States all man and women ought to go further than ethnicity and see every person as an American. This is something that needs to be taught from childhood on. It is a shame that it is now 2010 and prejudice is very much alive in the United States. Maybe someday the citizens in America will be able to move past the cultural and ethnic differences and see each other as equals. Then America will be a nation to be revered as a country that can overcome anything. All it takes is a little faith and kindness and understanding that everyone matters.

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