Jan
13
These readings offered a unique perspective on what “culture” truly is. It is a difficult concept to grasp, especially as a Canadian living in a multi-”cultural” society. With such a vast mix of characteristics in all Canadians, how can we pick out certain elements to classify our culture with? Especially with the wealth of North America, and all the examples of “high” (unreachable for many) culture, what can we claim to be truly everyones? One perspective, is that through mixing and matching all these social stratums and cultures, we have lost our definition and thus lost our culture. However, in the first reading, by Williams, it shows that this is not the case in the slightest. Instead, modernization has expanded and enhanced our culture. The increased global mobility of persons, in terms of migration patterns, has diffused traditions and self expressions throughout the world. Furthermore, our advancements in the media and communications have allowed us to experience cultural practices that we may never otherwise have observed. For instance, in our class we have a specific demographic of those in a circumstance to choose to go to university. It is acceptable to say, none of us will carry out a portion of our lives in the ”slums,” yet in our first lecture, we were able to see two video examples of life and arts in these communities. This helps us gain perspective on how our own culture is displayed while appreciating those in other classes and societies. Therefore, we are at no loss in our own culture at all, rather we are no longer restricted to the terms of our immediate surroundings. It may be more difficult to define, but that is representative of our cultural breadth.
Culture is the essense of a society. We may be in different social classes, come from various ethnic backgrounds, hold seperate political positions, however, we can all come together for a mutual appreciation of the arts and expressions that we value. In the places that I have lived in I daily witnessed seperation of lifestyle and values, but when a Canucks game came on, or it was time for the Calgary Stampede, or even the Houston Rodeo, everyone could come together and take pride in the place that they live. Therefore, spending in the arts, or whatever it may be that unites the people is a justified request. We all know that governments and religion have faltered in uniting the masses time and time again. However, the cultural elements have the capability to be that glue.
