Is culture a way of life for an individual, or is it based on an entire society? Could it be both? I believe that the simplest way to define culture is that it is everything, as the writer Aimé Césaire states.
"Culture is everything. Culture is the way we dress, the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties-it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses."
Traditionally, the idea of culture sparks ideas of theater, books, and museums. While true, this idea tends to be a narrow view of culture, and is very limiting. From the very instant we wake up in the morning, we are living our own, individualized culture. The way we fix our hair, the foods we choose to eat, and so much more depend on the society we live in as well as the experiences we have had. We were all raised differently, and this affects our lives as adults. Also, there are so many different societies in today’s world, and each of these also has its own culture. For example, one large aspect of American society is athletics, especially football, whereas a European society might put more focus on food and taste. There are so many societies within a society, and each has a different culture.
What are your opinions? Do you agree that culture has a broader meaning?
I completely agree with your view on culture. In my opinion is it impossible to narrow the meaning of culture down to one definition. It is totally individualized and I think that is what makes it such a beautiful subject. Great work!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your definition of culture. I also stated in my blog that "culture is everything;" it truly is made up of everything around us. I also agree with you in saying that culture is often viewed as simply music and books. There is so much more that makes up our culture that we don't even realize at first.
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