Essay On Culture And Diversity

In class we discussed the variances in cultures, identities, and diversity that exist within society. These topics fueled an informative discussion about how identities are shaped based on the culture that surrounds an individual. From this, I was able to determine my own definitions and ideologies of culture and diversity.
Though the concepts may seem very similar, each person may have their own perceptions of what each one means. In my opinion, a culture is a group of people that share the same beliefs and customs while diversity represents the differences within those individuals. For example, many people refer to the United States as the “melting pot” due to the vast amount of individuals of different ethnic background that immigrated and rebuilt their lives here. From these individuals and the generations that followed, the western culture we have today has been formed.
Both culture and diversity are subjective and based on social constructs such as race or religion. Perhaps the most interesting part of the discussion was about the creation of race to place everyone into categories. People began to see skin color as what sets everyone apart despite other differences in character or ideologies. As these differences started to cause a separation between different types of people, it also created …show more content…
Though I think of myself as very well versed culturally, I did not realize the vast amount of information I did not know. The most defining moment was when we had begun to discuss a group I did not recognize as a cultural group within society—individuals with disabilities. In addition to class discussion, one assignment required students to interview an individual in the community with a disability. From this experience I learned the importance of person first language and, most importantly, the perceptions of the world in which we live through the eyes and experiences of someone