Chapter 5 - Culture

Culture

 Culture is defined as, "An established, coherent set of beliefs, attitudes, values, and practices shared by a large group of people" (Chapter 5, p. 124).  Many factors may influence your perception of culture, these factors include your nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and even age (Chapter 5, p. 124). But what makes a culture feel like a "culture" is that it's widely shared. (Chapter 5, p. 124). This is because cultures are learned, communicated, layered, and lived (Chapter 5. p. 124).

Co-Culture

Co-Culture is defined as "Members of a society who don't conform to the dominant culture - by way of language, values, lifestyle, or even physical appearance, they have their own cultures that co-exist within a dominate cultural sphere"  (Chapter 5, p. 125). 

The U.S. is a great example of co-cultures as the U.S. is an amalgamation of many cultures coming together and forming a nation of many different beliefs, values, lifestyles, and physical appearances. The U.S. is a very diverse nation with even some states feeling like their own sub-country within the main country. 

Living in the U.S. has allowed me to experience many different cultures that I might not have elsewhere. Specifically, New York has allowed me access to the diversity of cultures seen in the U.S. My dad's side of the family all resides in Long Island, NY which is only 2 train trips away from the city. Every year my family and I travel to Long Island to visit my relatives and we get to explore the city while we stay there. 

In the city, you can find sections dedicated to co-cultures seen within the U.S. For example Little Italy and China Town. One year when I went to NY, friends of the family who also happen to have relatives in NY came with us. The friends of our family come from Chinese and Dominican descent. When we went to the city during our stay, they introduced me to the activities in China Town during the celebration of Chinese New Year.

I soon found out that during Chinese New Year that China Town residents and business owners would actually hand out gifts to kids to celebrate the new year. These gifts would differ between each person as some would give away food, red envelopes filled with money, and tea. 

Their introduction to these activities is a perfect example of one of the many co-cultures seen within the U.S. During this trip they also allowed me to practice intercultural communication. I loved experiencing Chinese New Year with members of that culture. They also introduced me to soup dumplings which is an amazing dish that I recommend everyone tries!