I believe that experiencing other cultures and being open to them makes me a better person. It doesn’t just apply to me; I feel that everyone should experience other cultures. Other cultures not only open your eyes to differences in the world, but it keeps people from seeing that their culture isn’t the “BEST” and only culture in the world. It helps alleviate a lot of the ethnocentrism that happens especially in this country. I once had a friend that told me that everyone said good instead of well, which isn’t true. The unfortunate part of that assumption was that this girl had never experienced other cultures so she believed that everything that she did was what the rest of the world did as well. I find it extremely important to be open to other cultures because it doesn’t just open up a line of communication, but on a large scale it can be the difference between getting along with different cultures on a country to country basis. Not respecting a culture is like discriminating against a race, so people should always keep an open mind when meeting people from other cultures.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
May 18
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6 comments:
Erin--
I agree with you that people must experience other cultures. Even though I have never been out of the country, I am still able to experience cultures different than mine right here in Indiana. I think this is a very good point to make.
-Erin
I really respect the views that you voice in this blog, and I also agree with them. I also think that ethnocentrism is a dangerous thing, and I also think that one of the only ways to learn is to be dumped in a situation completely foreign, culturally. That is the best way to become aware, moreso than reading the paper or watching the news. That is how you gain empathy, not just sympathy.
Erin-
I really agree with what you are saying in this post. Ever since I was younger I have constantly traveled out of the country with my parents. I think that by experiencing these new and different cultures I am able to grow as a person and change the way that I view the world. Good Job.
I completely agree with your belief. In fact, I also wrote about how people should experience other cultures to help learn to be more open to other cultures and opinions. Although I didn't mention it in my blog, I agree with your view that experiencing other cultures will also help stop ethnocentrism, which can be dangerous. I think people should experience other cultures, even if they can't go to another country. I think it is a very important experience that people should have at some point in their lives.
Way to be diverse! Your opinions exemplify those set forth by diversity day. I agree with you though. Despite my opinions of diversity day ,I too believe that experiencing other cultures can open your eyes to the world. The separation of cultures results in the separation of cultural progress. Cultures cannot be erased without destroying years of work, rituals, and training, so it is up to debate which culture is necessarily the best. We should endeavor to appreciate more than just the culture in which we reside.
I would always agree that having an open mind to other traditions and cultures that may be unlike your own is an important concept and can build character and knowledge about other things you might not know. I believe a person can learn a lot from being an active observer. When a person takes time to listen and put themselves in others shoes if you will, a lot can be discovered. I have also found that when a person does take the time to experience other cultures you might see differences, but you will find a lot of similarities as well, making a person learn more about themselves.
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