My Personal Culture

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Culture defines people’s values, beliefs, and personal interests. Culture is important because it allows people to maintain a unique identity society. Many cultures have common interests, while others may have customs that differ greatly from that of another. Technology has had a huge impact on present day cultures. Many culture have been altered including my own, and some have been created due to the rise of technology. Cultures differ so greatly that someone belonging to one culture may not agree with the values of another, which then causes social and ethical issues. My culture shares many similarities with others around the world; most of which have connected more people in recent years than ever before. Cultural gaps, and lack of understanding for peoples’ values and beliefs are significant reasons why cultures fail to understand one another.
For instance, I am African-American, but I don’t like to identify myself as an African-American. I was not born in Africa, therefore I do not consider myself African American. I say this because it creates cultural confusion. A man born and raised in Africa would not put himself in the same light as a black man born in America. Africans have their own identities, and most prefer to keep it that way. Former Yale professor and expert on African culture Tracie Reddick says "Africans and black Americans often fail to forge relationships in the classrooms and the workplace. They blame nationality, ethnicity, culture, economics, and education" (Reddick). There are plenty of cultural gaps within race alone, and that is why personal culture is so unique and important. I have the same skin color as an African, but that is pretty much it. What may be important to someone from Nigeria could mean...

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... really am. Like I said, I am black and American, but not African-American, I try to understand people from outside my racial group by listening to different types of music, and I am tolerant towards peoples’ views towards religion and beliefs.

Works Cited

Cass, Connie. "No Joke: While Majority of Young People Decry Racist, Sexist Slurs Online, Many Still Persist with Insults: U.S. Poll." National Post. Postmedia Network, 20 Nov. 2013. Web. 04 May 2014.
Reddick, Tracie. "African vs. African-American, A Shared Complexion Does Not Guarantee Racial Solidarity." African vs. African-American. Tribune Co., 1997. Web. 02 May 2014.
Swan, Christopher. "Connecting the World Through Social Media." IABC: CW Bulletin Swan. International Association for Business Communications, n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
“Yo-Yo Ma Quotes.” Thinkexist.com. Thinkexist, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

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