What Culture Means to Me

Every human is unique because of the genetic diversity, and also their culture. Culture does not necessarily define a person, but it does influence one’s beliefs and values. Culture can be defined as shared patterns of behaviors, ways of thinking, and interactions that are learned through socialization. Your genetic make up, most likely, will not change, unless you are somehow introduced to radioactive substances. Culture, however, because it is learned, it can vary and it can change over time. When analyzing culture, people tend to focus on certain aspects such as religion, music, language, diet, and education. Culture seems to have a definitive and infinitive meaning. This means that while culture can focus on certain aspects of ones life, it is not confined to one particular definition. Culture can vary. My definition of culture is that it is a learned behavior due to family history, environment, and social interaction.

Culture can be defined by one’s family history. Without a doubt, the way a person a raised has a huge impact on their life. Parents teach their children how to be a good person based on their own beliefs. If a parent grew up from a poor background, then that parent may instill the importance of education and hard work. If a parent grew up being overweight, then that parent may instill the importance of eating healthy and exercising. In other words, the next generation is learning behavior patterns to hopefully better themselves as a whole.

Environment is also part of culture. Where one grows up can have many influences on what they think and how they behave. If a person were to live in the mountains, then their perception of cold weather will be different from a person who lives by the beach. Also because...

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...usic from the Internet. Music can be performed for entertainment, act as a stress relief, and enhance academic behavior.

Cultural texts can come in many forms such as: music, books, art, film, and dance. Cultural texts can be interpreted into several meanings. This is why people who share a common cultural text can have different views on the world and how they live their own lives.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Leon J. “American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 59, No. 6” (1957): 1075-1081. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.

Iriye, Akira. ”The Journal of American History, Vol. 77, No. 1” (1990): 99-107. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.

Lihe Dong, Guiren Yuan. “Frontiers of Philosophy in China, Vol. 1, No. 2” (2006): 237-244. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.

MacDonald, George F. “The Journal of Museum Education, Vol. 16, No. 1” Current Issues in Museum Learning (1991): 9-12. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.