Makings of Culture

What role does race, class, gender, sexuality, language, and religion play in shaping one’s culture?

Race, class, gender, and language play an important role in shaping my culture. I am not going to mention sexuality and religion because I do not feel that it affects my personal culture in a way the others do. Your culture adapts and changes over the years.

My race is Chinese but, I was born in America therefore I am Chinese American. Because of my skin color and face features, I am not your typical American or Chinese. I am a mixer of both, and my personality says a lot about me. Therefore I am faced with stereotypes and assumptions from both sides.

My social class affects my culture because of the limitation, demographic, and social stigma. My social class limits me to do or experience certain thing because, I simply don’t have the funds. This intern limits my own cultural development to what I have around me which is the demographic. The demographic is urban, that leads to my urban culture. Then there is the stigma of the “urban culture” which also shapes who I am. The stigma that society places on urban communities affects the way I act, talk, and present myself. This intern effects my personality and in essence my culture.

My gender mistreats me. I am a female which in both American and Chinese culture is misunderstood. In the American culture we would like to think that women and men are treated equally but, females are still looked upon as objects. In the Chinese culture women are little Mrs. Homemaker’s. In both cultures females are suppressed. This affects and shapes my personal culture.

Language, is what I feel affects my culture the most. I speak Chinese (Cantonese) and English. When I was a younger, I spoke Chinese perfectly. I interacted with my family and Chinese friends. As I got older and started to learn English, I spoke less and less Chinese. Now looking back at it, that is when I stopped talking and interacting with my family and Chinese friends. As my language changed, I saw how my behavior, personality, and my surroundings changed. Thus, my culture is evolving and as I grow, it will grow along with me.