people arent food.

TOPIC: What is Culture-What is my culture?

SOURCE: Personal observation and experience

RELATION TO TEXT: RR p.7 judging others' beliefs and behaviors, cultural "difference"

COMMENTARY:

If someone were to walk up to me and ask me to define culture my first response would be my background or where i originally came from. If they then proceeded to ask me what My culture is I would then tell them well i was born in Arizona but spent most of my time in California, then i would of probably sum it up as American. It wasn't until later on that I realized there is more to the word culture. One of the things that caught my attention as I was reading(ch.1 RR) was the section on death and how different people view it and their traditions that go with it. I grew up thinking that people are not food, and that canabalism is completely horrific. When I read that the Wari practiced eating their dead out of compassion I was shocked. Not only that I found it strange that they believe it helped with their grief. When I was young I was told that whenever someone dies you are suppose to bury them. But when I put all my other preconcieved biases aside and tried to see it from their perspective as well as an onlookers prospective and payed more attention to their beliefs, traditions and rituals and what they signify to themselves I began to have at least an understanding about the meanings behind their actions even though my beliefs completely conflict with it. Now my response to those two questions above would be more along the lines that culture is more information and behaviors you have learned starting from when you were born til the time you die by the people who surround you and people use that information and knowledge to interpret experiences. As for my culture I would say that it is quiet diverse but simply put is the place grew up.