Culture Original by Dr. Susan M. Larsen with Many Additions by Dr. Gayhart

Culture [Original by Dr. Susan M. Larsen with many additions by Dr. Gayhart]

Culture - That complex whole that includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, laws, customs and any other habits and capabilities acquired by human beings as members of society. Culture refers to all those ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that are socially transmitted from one generation to the next. E.B. Tylor (18871)

Characteristics of Culture:

 Only human beings have culture (as far as is known) since Culture is a product of the mind and reason. Humans “create” their world according to desires; other forms of life adapt to the existing natural order.

 Culture exists in the minds of individual human beings who have learned it in their past associations w/other human beings and who use it to guide their own continuing interaction with other humans.

 Human cultures vary considerably since created values and tastes and desires are complex and unpredictable.

 Although different in certain respects, cultures resemble one another to a certain extent. “Core Values” seem to be: Care of the Young; Prohibition against Murder; Truth-telling.

 Once a culture has been learned, it tends to persist. The “Status Quo” defends attacks on “tradition” and a cultural revolution can only occur after much preparation and unrest within the prevailing culture (cf the overthrow of Russian Communism).

 Cultures are continuously being changed, even though human beings tend to resist these charges.

 In the process of changing a culture, members of a society often borrow from other cultures. When aspects of other cultures are taken on by a culture this process is referred to as "acculturation."

 No person can escape entirely from his culture. Those who do not feel a part of a culture are said to experience “alienation” (see “The Kids of Haight-Asbury”)

1 Functions of Culture:

 It enables us to communicate with others through language.

 It makes it possible to anticipate how others in our society are likely to respond to our actions.

 Culture gives us standards for distinguishing between what is right and wrong (norms), beautiful and ugly (values), reasonable and unreasonable.

 Culture provides methods for training children to behave (socialization) in certain ways generally considered appropriate in society.

THEORES

Culture Relativism - every culture must be "judged" by its own cultural in criteria because standard of right and wrong and good and bad are relative to the cultural context within which they appear. This view denies any “universal” truths or values although they would agree that there might be “Core Values” (see above).

Individual Relativism = The view that moral obligations are grounded in each person’s own approval. This stands in contrast to a different form of moral relativism called Cultural Relativism, which holds that moral obligations are grounded in the approval of social cultures.

Ethical Absolutism - is the belief that there exist universal circumstances that are always good and always bad for human beings. This view is found in the more conservative elements of politics and religion, especially those that base beliefs and values on a written source that is considered sacred or ‘holy.’ When viewing other cultures whose practices seem “bizarre” or “strange” the response usually is: the other culture is “depraved” “sick” “unhealthy” or “primitive.”

Subculture - A small within a larger culture. Subcultures share in the dominant culture but also have a unique and distinctive set of attitudes, values, and behaviors that differ in varying degrees from the "dominant" culture and from other subcultures within the culture.

2 Examples of Subcultures in the U.S:

 Regional- i.e. South, North, East, West, Midwest.

 Occupational - i:e. Truck Drivers, Farmers, Lawyer'

 Age - i.e. Youth, Senior Citizens.

 Homosexuals (Gay/lesbian.)

 Social Class - i.e. Middle Class, Poor, Rich.

Group Relations Concepts:

 Invasion refers to the situation which occurs when members of a different or new group enters into a social or physical environment from which they were previously absent.

 Competition refers to the process which develops when members of the new group begin to struggle with the established group for scarce articles.

 Conflict occurs when one group seeks to institute techniques to establish and perpetuate a position of superiority.

 Accommodation refers to the process which occurs when two or more groups are able arrive at mutually agree able settlements relating to specific issues in contention will be developed between them.

 Assimilation refers to the process through which the identities of separate groups merge into a single group.

 Segregation is when one or more groups are isolated from other groups

 Annihilation refers to the overthrow of one group by another, most often through violent means.

"SOCIAL NORMS"

William Graham Sumner (1840-1910)

Sumner was one of the first Americans to teach sociology in a major university (Yale). He published "Folkways" in 1906 which sought to describe the origins of social norms."

3 Norms Are standards or guides for behavior. Norms specify behavioral expectations by defining what are correct and incorrect ways of responding to situations. William Graham Sumner Classified Norms into 3 Major Types: a) Folkways - are relatively weak norms which are only mildly enforced in a society. (not against the law)

Example of Folkways

 Correct manners.

 Appropriate dress.

 Proper eating behavior. b) Mores - are the strongest and important norms of a society. Violation of mores will evoke severe punishment. (against the law most of the time.) Examples of Mores:

 Bigamy

 Incest

 Cannibalism b) Laws - are norms which are designed, maintained and enforced by the political authority of a society. Examples of Violations of Laws

 Speeding

 Cheating on Income Tax

 Murder

4 Class Discussion:

1. Westboro Church Pastor Phelps and Steve Drain. How do we explain such rage? What forces create such personalities?? How can such persons be approached? Is it possible to reason with them?

2. We watched the Video “The Kids of Haight-Asbury.” The free spirits who were interviewed reject the lifestyle that is tied to career and schedule. Do have any MORAL objection to their values and behavior?

3. We watched Bowling for Columbine by film maker Michael Moore. He tries to convince his viewers that America is soft on gun control. Do you find his film convincing?

4. Michael Moore also blames the Media – News for creating fear and paranoia in American culture. Do you believe that the Media is to blame? Is society as dangerous as portrayed in the News? Why Moore hail Canada as such a safe haven?