Saturday, November 17, 2012

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I asked two friends and one family member about culture and diversity.  When asked about culture, most of the people shared that culture includes the values and beliefs that a group of people share.  One friend explained that we have multiple cultures.  She stated that the culture in our family may be different from the culture in the workplace or in society.  As a result, some of our beliefs can be conflicting; however, they are acceptable in different contexts.  Overall, everyone agreed that culture is a part of life and it influences what people believe in and how they act.

When asked about diversity, I received conflicting views and opinions.  Some believed that diversity was the differences between people.  One person believed that diversity was based on race only.  After reviewing these definitions, it is obvious that the people did not see diversity as deep as it is covered in the course.  Diversity is based on any differences within and between groups.  Diversity is about differences; however, it can include different views, different cultures, and different races. Diversity can include different talents among employees.  Therefore, I feel that people have a better understanding of culture than diversity.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Tammie,
    I had the same result. Diversity is a little harder to pin down when trying to define it. I liked that you brought up the aspect of different talents among employees. That can be true within any type of group.

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  2. Tammie,

    I also feel culture and diversity can be hard to define. The people I asked had to stop and think about their responses. I think it is interesting how your friend explained that we can have multiple cultures. The people I asked also did not explain diversity at the same level we have learned in our class.

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  3. Tammy,

    Two of the three people I talked with had difficulty putting words to culture and diversity. It seems as though we all know what it is but defining it is a struggle. I don't feel like the people I talked with went into as much depth as we have in the course. They only scratched the surface. And as I read your blog and others', I think about how a majority of the population probably struggles with defining culture/diversity and how early educators have an opportunity to change that. Thanks for sharing!

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