Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

"I guess I describe culture as a shared set of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (maybe knowledge and language too) that is learned rather than built in. Diversity just means difference - so there must be two or more variations in some aspect of culture (unless were speaking of genetic diversity)" - Psychology Professor

"Diversity is groups of people that are different. Culture is where people live" - 8-year-old son

"Diversity is differences in people. Culture is where you come from, where your people are from." - Husband

I found three people who are diverse from one another and diverse from myself. My husband and son are both in different age categories than I am, as is the Psychology Professor. My husband also comes from a different cultural background than I do, as he was raised in a different time period and raised by a 100% Italian mother. He has strong Italian traditions and beliefs, whereas I do not have any Italian in my culture at all, up until we were married. My son, who is obviously much younger than I am, is being raised in a mesh of cultures of my husband and my own, as well as the situations and events that occur in his life and help to shape his culture. My old Psychology Professor is much older than myself and my husband, and I do not know very much about his cultural identity or background aside form his educational background. I still find it interesting that when I asked, I expected a philosophical answer that was much broader and difficult to understand, but what I got was a basic answer similar to my own and the textbook answers we have discussed in class. I did ask one other person, a middle-aged woman that attends my church. When I asked what her definition was, she asked me, "do you want to know the proven answer or my own answer." I told her I wanted to know what she thinks the definitions are. She said she had to think about it but I haven't heard back from her yet. I was interested to get her answer since her children are adopted and come from a very different cultural background than her own. I can imagine that the reason for her question back to me is somehow rooted in that difference.