Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

I chose to write to three different friends, each having a different culture than me.

Friend #1:
Culture: a group’s certain customs, beliefs, and values which may differ from those of other groups – could include but is not limited to religion, food, dress, family. Diversity: when people in a certain group differ in some aspect – culturally, racially, or otherwise

Friend #2:
Culture is the emotional and social climate of a specific (or even a broad)
group of people. Diversity assesses the differences in these cultures.

Friend #3:
Cultures is how we grow up...clothes, traditions, foods. Diversity - different ethnicities and races

The aspects of these terms are similar to the definitions I have studied in the following ways:
- Friend 1 and 2 really looked past the idea of “surface culture”, what most of us tend to think of as culture (Derman-Sparks Edwards, 2010). Friend 3 defined culture as the true definition of “surface culture.”
-Diversity was also defined broadly, as it should be... Friend 1 and 2 realized that diversity does not simply mean the color of one’s skin, but ALL differences among people.
- Friend 3’s definitions were very similar to my previous definitions; whereas, Friend 1 and 2 had great definitions - ones that are quite similar to those that we have studied.

Aspects truly haven’t been omitted in terms of of Friend 1 and 2’s definitions. They really picked up on the idea that culture and diversity are quite broad statements, and that they’re not limited to specific ideas such as simply skin color or language.

This exercised influenced my own thinking about these topics because of the way that each person’s definition of these terms is quite different. The terms are quite ambiguous, and I think the definition truly varies from person to person. It’s interesting, though, that you can really see what is important to a person based on the way and list of how they define these terms.

References:
Derman-Sparks, L., & Edwards, J. O. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).