For this blog, I asked three friends to provide their personal definition on diversity and culture.
Rosa believed culture is a way of life for a specific group of people. This may include behaviors, beliefs, and values of the group of people. Diversity is characteristics that make a group of people unique such as race, age, and gender.
Kristina believes culture is learned behavior that is passed on from generation to generation. Diversity is understanding that each individual is unique and has individual differences. The differences can include their ethnicity, gender, and religion.
Jennifer believes culture is similar to the way a group of people communicate their traditions, values, and beliefs. Diversity is how people are different. Diversity can include economic status, education level level, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientation, etc.
This week of the course is requiring us to look beyond the “surface culture” and look into the deep culture. Each of my friends mentioned parts of the deep culture such as beliefs, values, and traditions that are passed on from generation to generation. Janet Gonzalez-Mena shared that culture can be compared to an iceberg (Laureate, 2011). The tip of the iceberg represents the food, music, customs, etc. Below the surface of the iceberg you can actually see the different people and a diverse group of cultures. I believe specific examples, of deep culture, may have been omitted because they were asked about culture in general.
Janet Gonzalez-Mena shared that culture is a set of unconscious rules that govern everything we do (Laureate, 2011). The responses have motivated me to go beyond the surface when thinking about culture and research the deep culture of individuals. The surface culture what you can see from the outside, however understanding the deep culture requires building the trust and holding a deep conversation with someone about their culture. The deep culture involves thoughts, personal values, and beliefs. I wonder if the responses of my friends would change if I asked them to provide their definition of deep culture.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Culture and diversity [Video file]. Retrieved from http://class.waldenu.edu
Lady J's Blog 
Hello Jacquia,
Great Post!! Each person you talked to had similar, but different perspectives on culture and diversity. I truly believe the perspective anyone has depends on their personal experiences and understandings. Most people I come across definition of culture usually describes just the surface culture. Culture is so much more!! You stated above that you wonder if you would get the same response if you asked about deep culture, that is a good question to ask. Do you think you would have to tell what deep culture is before asking?
LikeLiked by 1 person