2/02/21; Week 5: Response to Cultural Paradigms

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We live in an amazing world, don't you think?

Although we are all human beings who live in the same world, we have some cultural differences depending on the place where we live. These differences make our world even better. However, if we are not aware of the cultural paradigms that exist in all cultures, we can fall into the trap of misperception, misunderstanding, and even disrespect.

   According to the Cambridge dictionary, paradigm means "a model of something or a very clear and typical example of something". So basically, culture paradigms are patterns established in the places where we live that define the way we will interpret things and situations. Professor Ivers, a BYU-Idaho professor, explains that "our paradigms cause us to interpret the world around us" and that people from different cultures can interpret the very same event differently.

I've never been abroad, but I've already experienced some cultural differences in my own country. I live in Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world. So you can imagine how much cultural diversity have here. When I got married I moved to another state, and even it was also a state located in the Southern part of Brazil, like the one I was born, I faced many cultural differences. I remember a day when I was walking with my kids on the street near my house and a neighbor passed through me and got surprised at how casual my clothes were. I wasn't wearing unmodest clothes, it was just a t-shirt and flip-flops. However, for people from that region, it's weird walking on the street so causal. In other words, we have different points of view about the same thing.
Cultural differences are not just a matter of typical foods and music, but also a matter of what's true for someone. Everyone has its truths and these truths are based on everyone's cultural paradigms.  For example, for people from Tongo in West Africa, a thin body is not synonymous with beauty as it's in the USA and in Brazil. Delali Bright, a woman from Tongo, once says in a TED Talk that she hopes her children "will never let any cultural standards or prejudices stain the way they feel about their self-image". This is also a message for all of us.

As a TESOL teacher, I hope I can spread the message that we all have our cultural paradigms, which is something natural, and we all need to be aware of that and strive to understand, respect, and appreciate this amazing diversity. I know that this is a way to develop ourselves as human beings, and as children of God. 

Let me show you how cool are these cultural differences. Take a look at the video below of different greetings from many parts of the world. Then, share a comment saying what you think about the video. Thank you!



References:

Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/dicionario/ingles-portugues/paradigm 

Brother Ivers class: https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/html5/html5lib/v2.85/mwEmbedFrame.php/p/1157612/uiconf_id/43228871/entry_id/0_9w0czg1f?wid=_1157612&iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura_player_1539879321&entry_id=0_9w0czg1f

Delali Bright's talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/delali_bright_cultural_clashes_in_defining_beauty








Comentários

  1. HAbadie3 de fevereiro de 2021 às 03:19

    Neat video! Your post and mine are similar! I have never been abroad either and touch on some differences that I experience moving from one side of the United States to the other.

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    Respostas
    1. Larissa Yopan3 de fevereiro de 2021 às 17:29

      Hey Heather,
      Thanks for your comment.
      I am pretty sure there are many cultural differences in the USA as well. In Brazil, we have influence from many different countries from Europe and Africa. So, depending on the region you can find different cultures.

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