n the United States, some people consider a common language so important that they advocate making English the official language of certain cities or states or even the whole country and banning bilingual education in the public schools
ridiculous, you have to learn about others and there way of life. why would anyone view that as a negative if anything it's a valuable tool to be able to speak another language
Perhaps our most important set of symbols is language. In English, the word chair means something we sit on. In Spanish, the word silla means the same thing.
language is culture and symbol written
Recent studies of college students provide additional evidence that social contact can help overcome cultural differences and prejudices
meeting people different from you can show you, you might've been wrong about how you viewed them or their people
While many societies frown on homosexuality, others accept it. Among the Azande of East Africa, for example, young warriors live with each other and are not allowed to marry. During this time, they often have sex with younger boys, and this homosexuality is approved by their culture.
being gay is accepted in other countries, while as others not so much
Some of the most interesting norms that differ by culture govern how people stand apart when they talk with each other
culture get down to the tiniest things about a society, like eye contact or personal bubbles
As these examples indicate, shared symbols, both nonverbal communication and tangible objects,
a symbol is nonverbal communicatin
Other objects have symbolic value for religious reasons. Three of the most familiar religious symbols in many nations are the cross, the Star of David, and the crescent moon, which are widely understood to represent Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, respectively.
religious symbols can be a part of culture
Different cultures also have different rituals, or established procedures and ceremonies that often mark transitions in the life course. As such, rituals both reflect and transmit a culture’s norms and other elements from one generation to the next. Graduation ceremonies in colleges and universities are familiar examples of time-honored rituals.
graduation is an example of ritual, can be religious or just a society thing to be considered culture
Are rituals more common in traditional societies than in industrial ones such as the United States?
yes
Our examples show that different cultures have different norms, even if they share other types of practices and beliefs.
if the world is so connected today by technology etc how do societies not have more similar cultures in todays world
For most Americans, the flag is not just a piece of cloth with red and white stripes and white stars against a field of blue. Instead, it is a symbol of freedom, democracy, and other American values
how its a symbol
Some of our most important symbols are objects. Here the U.S. flag is a prime example.
a symbol can also be a physical object
In the United States, if we make an “O” by putting our thumb and forefinger together, we mean “OK,” but the same gesture in certain parts of Europe signifies an obscenity. “Thumbs up” in the United States means “great” or “wonderful,” but in Australia it means the same thing as extending the middle finger in the United States.
interesting
In the United States, for example, if we nod our head up and down, we mean yes, and if we shake it back and forth, we mean no. In Bulgaria, however, nodding means no, while shaking our head back and forth means yes!
this is interesting
A more important topic on which norms have changed is abortion and birth control
the church played a big role in the way people viewed contraception
Contraception was also practiced in ancient times, only to be opposed by early Christianity. Over the centuries, scientific discoveries of the nature of the reproductive process led to more effective means of contraception and to greater calls for its use, despite legal bans on the distribution of information about contraception.
culture plays a role in the norms of a society or what people think is acceptable
Other types of cultural beliefs also change over time
culture changes over time
Japanese do their best to minimize conflict by trying to resolve the disputes amicably.
in my social work class, we talk about Japanese culture and how they will tend to avoid eye contact or conflict
By the 19th century, Americans had come to view hard work not just as something that had to be done but as something that was morally good to do
culture influences morals
as U.S. residents were especially likely to think that hard work brings success.
culture determined the way people view poverty in the US
If Americans believe hard work brings success, then they should be more likely than people in most other nations to believe that poverty stems from not working hard enough. True or false, this belief is an example of the blaming-the-victim ideology. Figure 1.1.3.12 presents WVS percentages of respondents who said the most important reason people are poor is “laziness and lack of willpower.” As expected, Americans are much more likely to attribute poverty to not working hard enough.
culture determines the way a person thinks or their mindset and can influence things like work ethic
shows that U.S. residents are more likely than those in nations with more traditional views of women to disagree with this statement.
culture can play a role in a society's gender inequality, racism, economy, etc.
artifacts are much more numerous and complex in industrial societies. Because of technological advances during the past two decades, many such societies today may be said to have a wireless culture, as smartphones, netbooks and laptops, and GPS devices now dominate so much of modern life.
artifacts can even be technology
The last element of culture is the artifacts, or material objects, that constitute a society’s material culture.
any physical object representing a society or culture
“pig love.”
things seen as negative in other cultures can be looked up to or valued in other cultures