Culture 101
This represents the first installment of a multi-part series called "Culture. "In the next few weeks, we will be examining the many aspects of this subject; including what it means to be Black in a pluralistic society. Enjoy.
I want you to think a little bit about what it means to live. Many of you live in communities with many services; schools, recreation centers, theaters, dance halls, various outreach programs, churches, temples, stadiums, various centers, supermarkets, sports stores, malls--plenty of places for different activities, group involvements, etc.
I also want you to consider that most of our people live in a community with others; some from different cultures and ethnicities--different nationalities, customs, and/or traditions. Communal qualities are made to serve the constituents of that neighborhood or community and groups which comprise them--serving them with facilities, services and utilities--such as water, electricity, adequate ventilation, heating; roadways, various means and modes of transportation (such as trains, buses, subway systems, etc.), and buildings with various activities.
Initially, this might not mean that much to you (you might even take it for granted)--but if you are observant and explore more about what these terms truly mean--you'd find that a multi-cultural or multi-national environment creates a much different spin on the politics within the environment in which you live: One that will demand you to play a much more active role within this society; if you are ever going to have your interests considered, within that pluralistic society. But we'll discuss more about this stuff later on.
More importantly, I want you to reflect on the fact that you are living within a country, established by another group of people who are maintaining its' controlling interests [this very point will become significant later on], while professing to be pluralistic.
"The New Colossus" is a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–87), written in 1883. In 1903, the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the lower level of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty; a statue erected on Ellis Island in New York--serving as a symbol for all immigrants seeking refuge or planning to make America their home.
A sonnet is a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of 14 lines that are typically 5-foot iambics rhyming according to a prescribed scheme; also : a poem in this pattern. First used in 1557. And refuge means, shelter or protection from danger or distress; i.e., a place that provides shelter or protection; or something to which one has recourse to in difficulty.
The poem reads, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
Culture is what a people do. Their interests, are the reasons why they do the things they do; meaning people do things--that reflect the types of things they're interested in; some of which, larger groups of the same ethnicity, are interested in. Other times, it may be what a certain group of people think are most important to have done--at the expense of other groups and ethnicities. . .
Naturally, these type of interests change from one social, economic, political--or ethnic group--to another. These interests of the people may include; their interests in art, music, writing, performing arts; adornment, fashion; sporting life (hunting) and farming; land development, landscaping, architecture, acquisition of property; business, employment; sports, entertainment, hobbies and pastimes; all of which are examples of social interests.
Of course, there are also personal interests which may vary from various group interests. Different people, from different nations and various locales, may have different forms of art, music, songs, journalistic endeavors; and of course, literature and poetry--as well as, various types of folklore. Each group express particular concerns for their people, their priorities--and express, of course, their particular folk's self interests. The same, it is, with people who are in positions of power, with the opportunity to enforce their will and receive services from others.
Many people who have similar interests, gather together in bands called "social groups." The word "social" means to congregate in groups advocated for the same common cause--and/or similar interests. Social groups form for many activities--such as hunting, gathering, planting and harvesting, obtaining land, building homes and other edifices, protection of the group and/or the establishment of order. This is done to achieve greater effects and to go farther than could be achieved by individual efforts.
The key ingredient concerning "banding together" is that they agree--I.e. have similar interests; because smaller numbers advocated for the same common cause, will achieve much more than larger individual efforts with more or better "fire-power" (study the Vietnam war as an example).
In the case of gather people together from the same nation or same ethnic group--cultural and genetic traits are an extra-added incentive that serve to bind people in a way that common interests won't. The idea that we all went to the same parish or school, lived in the same neighborhood, attended the same festivals, hung out at the same recreation centers, or played on the same semi-pro team--has more of a bonding effect than our interest in politics, art, or women--for example.
Our national and cultural traits has us feeling in the same way about many of the same things like area, rights, titles, or legal shares in things. This is our community, our neighborhood, our city, our country! This is the land that we love! This is our "world as we know it!"
These sentiments are here--primarily because we are members of the same ethnicity--with many of the same feelings, character traits, thinking patterns and associations to things. However, culture is much more simpler than that! It is the understanding shared between a man and woman, then passed on to their offspring. When applied properly, these bonds are unshakable.
This means that what we know is largely due in part, to the realm of our parents' understanding--their level of growth and various affiliations. This is a fascinating ideology, because we live in a world of dynamic opposites and complements, and based upon that--the further extremes of our understanding make it much more difficult to see than how we were raised: For example, if your parents had an understanding of the virtues of peace, certain aspects of war and militarism would seem almost like closed chapters to those of us born within that understanding. Of course, necessity and circumstance would deem it necessary for some of us to know more, and this aspect brings on the aspect of growth and civilization.
However, this process of growth and development, based upon our parents' awareness and experience, is the basis of our rearing (as well as legacy)--along with the commonality between our families; serves as cohesiveness within our communities and bonding elements within our societies.
The interests of these communities, then, would be defined as, qualities or acquisitions that attract their attention; or those things that represent items families really need in order to operate well and/or feel secure.
Peace and Blessings folks,
C. Be'erla Hai-roi Myers
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