Is there a difference between a man in New York City wearing a three-piece suit and an Aboriginal person in Australia wearing a loin cloth? Many would say that you could not be more diametrically different. But I would say they are the same in terms of having the same aspirations of good health for their babies, their loved ones, themselves, and hope to enjoy a long happy life. Obviously, the differences are cultural by what is worn externally and how they carry themselves in the routine of life. The New Yorker in the rush chugging a cup of coffee and a bagel in the other hand, which is unique to his culture, while an Aboriginal person is more connected to his natural environment which is unique to his culture, like the native American. So, it is the culture that separates people and not the figurative heart. In this week's episode, a historian and a representative of the media expounded on the cultural region of Appalachia, southwest Virginia bordering the state of Kentucky and Tennessee. If you are tired of the hustle and bustle of life, there is an open invitation for you to enjoy the beautiful hiking and off-road trails and much more of this historic region. However, over the years many have misunderstood the Appalachian folks as strange and thus stereotyped them and their way of life. In fact, the historian indicated movies have been a huge culprit, such as the movie Deliverance in 1972 starring Burt Reynolds.
The intension of this blog is to expand the wonderment of other cultures and minimize the apprehension that comes with the unknown. Unfortunately, many tend to give much more credence to an anecdotal account rather than a fact. Understanding that we are all different in our likes and dislikes in food, recreation and in so many other ways, and the forming and shaping of our feelings can be argued had their inception in how parents reared us. If we find ourselves a little apprehensive of other cultures, it is time that we peel off the layers of our misconceptions and get to know and appreciate the differences of the human family. In speaking of the Appalachian folks, and I call them folks because it carries a connotation of humility, friendliness, being well grounded to home and family, and motivated by the desire to survive, and I love their thick southern accent. Am I stereotyping? Yes, I am, however, in a positive way since the true meaning of stereotyping is generalizing how people behave and it does not always come with a negative connotation. You have to admire their self-sufficiency in how they live without help, a region where these folks can grow and hunt their own groceries, find and develop their own water sources, repair their own homes, and mine out enough coal to electrify the entire country and The rest of the world, and yet, these folks are viewed as not too intelligent, truly an enigma. These small, isolated Appalachian Mountain towns hide a wealth of knowledge that has developed from generation to generation. You must consider the history of the 1600s, where these people used these mountains as a safe place from oppressive governments and used the new world as an escape like many other groups. But why these mountains in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and other mountain states, you may ask? This region reminded them of the terrain or topography of the beautiful homes from Ireland, the Germanic countryside, Britain, and the many other European countries. Any of you with Irish, German, or British ancestry? Can you see that we are not so different? It begins in our own locality. How many eateries are there in your hometown representing diverse cultural Cuisines? I think that would be a good start to get to know the differences or the commonality that we all have, which is a paradox, and to a degree it is tantamount to learning a new language. Getting to know different people and their way of life is one of the best ways we can learn from each other, and in turn, learn more about ourselves, there is a clear element of kinship. By jumping in with our both feet into other cultures that are so different from our own, it lends itself to learning about each other, where people came from, their customs, and what they grapple with as a community. It also compels us to criticize well established assumptions held about our own daily routine, stimulating in us amazing personal growth. You may find out something new about your own culture during the process. Have you ever been encouraged to learn another language? Over the years this has served me well. Of course, I am not fluent in different languages except in Spanish and I sometimes wonder about English. At any rate, why not learn certain phrases to make the initial human connection? It does not have to be complicated at all, but just a little effort to learn (hello) or a simple phrase, especially if you are likely to meet diverse cultures of people. If I can do it, I am certain you can too, I have learn phrases in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic and middle eastern Indian, you should see how much people light up when they find that you took the time and effort to learn something about them, and they will usually reciprocate, making the human connection possible, thus enabling you to share something that is beneficial to them and family. Do not be apprehensive to ask pertinent questions, but make sure you are being an active listener, it is imperative to go out of your way to show respect when someone is kind enough to open their door and share their cultural world or values, and you may find yourself reevaluating personal biases. By normalizing the fact that we can learn to change our point of view and permitting ourselves to admit our biases, we can start to recognize other cultures of people for who they are, yes, people just like you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2024
Categories |