TO WHAT EXTENT DOES CULTURE INFLUENCE PERCEPTION AND/OR REASON?
I do believe culture plays a big role in perception and
reason (as I have said before in previous posts). I was born in the US but I
grew up in an Iranian household where my mother always told me to put myself in
other people's shoes. I was always taught things in both the American and Iranian perspective. I
noticed that sometimes I would and still do side with my Iranian roots or bias
which definitely influences me differently than others. Like the example I said
in class different languages or cultures can say words or phrases in a certain
way that can't be conveyed in another language because they experience and see
things in their daily lives differently. This is not a bad thing at all! having
different cultures influence our thought process can help us put ourselves in
other people's shoes and connect better with different cultures OR motivate us
to learn more about other cultures. Sometimes I host French students for my
boss at work and although I have been studying French my whole life through the
American school system, I learn so much about French culture and lifestyle
through another kid my age experiencing it and telling me first hand. I get
more perspective and understanding of life through her culture. This changes my American
influence or perspective I have learned in French class and I get more of an
actual French perspective through a friend.
I COMPLETELY agree with everything you say because they are things that I always emphasize as well. I too was born in America, but live in an Iranian household. Iranian and American standards and cultures are very different, and for someone dealing with both cultures everyday, I have had to change my perspective constantly and see things from both sides in all situations. But I have never thought that this was a bad thing, and I consider myself lucky for having such diverse and contrasting parts to my life that give shape to my thoughts and perspective. I think I always understand both sides of an argument (also because the two countries I come from are so contrasting), but this has helped me in having a better understanding about the world around me. Having such contrasting biases in life ha also contributed to my strong stances in everything I believe, because since a young age I had been faced with different arguments.
ReplyDeleteThat's really awesome that you get to learn so much about French culture through the French students who stay with you! I bet you learn a lot about the language too!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I completely agree with what you said about different cultures providing different perspectives on perception and reason. Approaching a situation from a different way than normal may be the best option. Maybe the way something is done in another culture can help one figure out how to solve a problem. Learning how things are done in other cultures can always broaden your scope on the world. It'll also make you a more worldly person, which is great if you plan on traveling out of the country. A reason Americans are often looked down upon by other countries is because they don't appear to know all too much about other cultures. However, as an American I personally try to learn as much as I can about other cultures in the hopes that I don't disappoint those around me by making false accusations. Either war, learning perspectives of other cultures is always a great thing! It makes you multiple sided rather than just one.
Alex by the way!
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