Reflection #4

Inathaelle Pigne
EDF 2085
Prof: McNair
A lot was said about culture one was that culture is not something that we were born with but something we learn. Culture to is the language, the Values, beliefs, standards, the way we are guided, it forms our behavior etc...Whether we realize it or not culture is a huge part of our lives. Culture makes us who we are today. It is not something that we choose if we want it or not, is given to us. It is past down maybe by our moms, dads, guardian, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, cousin and so on. Even sometimes in the way people try to explain their ways of doing something culture happens to rare its head in the mist of the situation. For example: "Well, in my culture that is not the way we do things or the girls are suppose to "act like a lady" While we are on the point of "act like a lady"; what does that mean exactly? Who says that this is how ladies should act? Some examples of acting like a lady: ladies are not suppose to be a loud mouth, they are suppose to know how to cook, Ladies do not just drop their self on a chair. I could go on and on about this but this goes to show that there is a stamp on gender and that people are raise knowing this is the way things are supposed to be. Society says the way girls and boys are supposed to be. The media, that we see on T.V also shape are way of thinking and accepting things to be the norm of society and the norm of which we individual s are suppose to live. What it means is that the human race no matter where you are from, have a conception of the way things are suppose to be or that it is the right things to do. That is what culture does to us it shapes our way of thinking and doing. It gives us restrictions in a way. Most of the time there is only a few ways of viewing everything in life because of those restrictions that we were raised with. Those restrictions whether we think or know they exist in us we have it to an extent. It is what makes who we are as a person; I could even say culture equals human beings. Culture is also experienced; you are raised a certain way so therefore you have been through it. Matthew Arnold, Lewis Henry Morgan, Herbert Spencer, John H. Bodley all had their say or ideas on culture. Even though they may have a little difference in their definition on culture they still have a lot in similarity. Intercultural competence. When I first saw these two words the first "intercultural" I understood. Competence next to intercultural kind of confused me in sense. The word competence on Dictionary.com means "the quality of being competent; adequacy; possession of required skill, knowledge, qualification, or capacity. Capacity for me means capable of, having the abilities able to withstand. So intercultural competence to me being able to or having the capability to know how to belong or be like different culture; also know how to incorporate other cultures into your own. Being able to understand another culture is a great thing; because now you are able to understand where that other person is coming from and why they are the way that they are. You are capable of relating to the person and know that just as you have beliefs, standards, ideas etc...They have their own and it is okay because not every culture is the same. Communication is also important in culture knowing another language is a plus. In Miami we can see that it is an advantage for getting a job or getting ahead in that job. But communication is not easy of course; the reason being is that you can say one thing and the person listening may hear something different. Example: Let’s look at this idiom, "it's raining cats and dogs" I know that this means that it is raining very hard outside or it is pouring rain; but to some one that is not raised in the United States may not be familiar with that phase. They might think that it mean there are actually animals falling from the sky. Non-verbal communication, we say something even when we did not say anything, How? Well by our body language. By a smile it is understood around the world; eye contact is a big for us in the U.S because it show that you are paying attention and a sign of respect for some of us. Culture and intercultural competence are what makes or breaks us as human beings.