Vicki 2013 Response: Cultural Heritage

I believe that it is worthwhile to fight to preserve your cultural heritage. So many times I see people with hispanic heritage that don't know how to speak spanish. This angers me. It feels like the parents didn't think it was worthwhile to pass on valuable cultural heritage. Something as simple yet rich to pass on to your children is language. It is so simple for children to learn it, too. And one day the parents will realize (and I know it happens) they should have taken the time to teach their kids a different language than what will be taught at school.

I think the best way to relate with other people with a different cultural heritage is by trying to communicate and really understand what their culture is like. The absolute best way to learn about other people and their cultural heritage is to actually take a quick visit to their country of origin. Once you are immersed in the culture and the language, it will be so much easier to learn the different language and understand the other person better. If you wonder why your friend can't drive a car, you might learn that people from his/her home country actually get around town on a bike. Going to other countries is also a great way to make the culture and history really come alive. Instead of reading about in History textbooks or buying Rosetta Stone to learn another language, you can personally witness what the people in the country are like and how the country came to be that way.

-Vicki 2013

Cultural Heritage

Is it worthwhile to fight for the preservation of one’s cultural heritage (traditions, customs, language, social values...)?

    Yes, I believe that the preservation of one's cultural heritage is worthwhile fighting. Because it makes up a large portion of a person's identity, it isn't sensible to lose one's heritage and a major part of their identity. By practicing your customs publicly or privately, a person is able to have at least somewhat of a connection to their culture. But, if someone were to lose their sense of belonging to a culture, then it would be very difficult for them to find their way back. The reason for this is that, a person is born with their own natural cultural background, and if they decide to let their identity go, then they give up the ownership of their identity or cultural heritage.  

Which part of your experience could be useful for connecting with people from a different background and make communication easier?

      Because my parents were Indian and were born there, the language, traditions, way of life, and structure of society influenced them.They passed this cultural heritage down to me. And this makes it much easier for me to be able to communicate with people from my background, then it would be with a person from another cultural background. The 1st language that I learned was Urdu, my mother and father's language. Because they spoke it at home, I quickly picked it up and because of the experiences I've had with trying to learn that language, I can not only communicate but also understand the ways in how my cultural society works.  

 -R.S.

answer

—Is it worthwhile to fight for the preservation of one’s cultural heritage (traditions, customs, language, social values...)?

    Answer: I think it is important to fight for our cultural heritage. It is part of one's identity. To be known of the cultural heritage is easier to find one's identity. There are different parts of cultural heritages. Language of one culture is important. In order to read and understand the cultural better, language is the most helpful tool to use. Social values are also improtant. Knowing what the values are can help people more clear to know the setting of the society. Once a person knows what his cultures are, he completes one part of his identity.

   

—Which part of your experience could be useful for connecting with people from a different background and make communication easier?

    Answer: We meet different people everyday. To be able to communicate with them is important. I'm living in a foreign country, and I meet different people with different backgrounds everyday. It is not easy talking with them. First I don't know their language well, so sometimes they don't undertand what I am talking about. I also don't know a lot of cultural rules. For example, asking a person's income is not polite. I have to study those rules in order to  better commuicate with them. My expriences tell me I should study the person's culture before I talk to them.

likezekeem

                                       

questions

Initially, most people would say yes. It is important to stay in touch with your culture. I believe that culture is important, of course, because it's something that brings you together with a group of people and gives you a sense of belonging. But recently I've started to see culture as a limiting factor. I don't like the idea of having a set of rules dictate who you should be. I'm looking at it from an individualist standpoint I guess because that's...generally how I look at things. Maybe that's American culture.
Experiences that help me connect with people of different backgrounds... Well, to state the obvious I go to an international school, which helps me to connect with people by having friends from different backgrounds. Generally, I've friends from different backgrounds for as long as I can remember. A lot of them have ended up leaving the country, and when I stay in touch with them I sort of see what things are like in other parts of the world. For instance, one friend moved to Saudi Arabia-a drastically different culture from the US. Another close friend moved to Mexico. By staying in touch with them I guess you could say I see different cultures from their perspective, since I haven't had that sort of experience myself.
--CZ

Cultual Heritage

I think it is import to perserve your culture heritage becuase it is one of the many elements that make you unique from everyone else. When someone is able to connect with their heritage and feel like they are a part of it, it is easier for that person to communicate with other people of that group and ultimately have more connections with people around the world. It's important to perserve language because you want to be able to understand people of your culture and the different aspects of the culture. Traditions and customs are also worth keeping because they are positive things that some people of your surroundings are not aware of. This helps to shape your identity by keeping you unique from everyone else.

Living in a foreign country helped me connect with people from different backgrounds because I was surrounded with those people from different countries and I was able to learn about their cultures and lifestyles. I feel like it is easier to relate to people from different places now that I understand their backgrounds and why they might act a certain way. Therefore, it is easier to communicate with them because I now know how be tolerant of different cultures and accept their differences.

Is it worthwhile to fight for the preservation of one’s cultural heritage (traditions, customs, language, social values...)?

Yes, I think to some extent that it is important to preserve unique cultural traditions. Without things like that people would be less unique, and their experiences and ideas would be the same (more or less) to others. But if cultural heritage becomes too important in society, it can lead to ethical issues. When people only see others by their heritage, they will judge them soley based on their background, and things like this have led to many crimes based on race such as the Holocaust and segregation in America.

Which part of your experience could be useful for connecting with people from a different background and make communication easier?

       Based on where you came from or the things you have been through on life, you might be able to relate to others better. If two people have the same ethnic origin, they will be able to understand and relate to each other better. Things like accent, language, traditions, cuisine, all help people relate to each other. Also if people have gone through the same situation as someone else they will be able to relate to them and will probably feel more comfortable around them. Like if two people both were soldiers in WW2, they could probably relate to each other better than they would an average person. Also, if two people studied the same subject in college, they would have an easier time discussing and relating to people.

       For me, since I am from India, I can relate to people who are also from India. I have an easier time relating to people my age, than people a different age. I can also start a conversation quicker with someone who follows basketball or plays video games. But I think that I can
        be comfortable around people who are totally different from me, background doesn't play a big role.

-SM

Cultural heritage

—Is it worthwhile to fight for the preservation of one’s cultural heritage (traditions, customs, language, social values...)?

—Which part of your experience could be useful for connecting with people from a different background and make communication easier?