Technology, Culture Change and Diversity

Culture Shock The disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own. With culture shock there is a feeling of impaired ability to function due to 3 things: The absence of familiar or comforting characteristics of your own culture The presence of seemingly irrational, offensive or even hostile aspects of a new culture The lack of ability, linguistic or otherwise, to gain cultural understanding rapidly enough to adapt to these changes. DOES IT ONLY OCCUR WHEN YOU MOVE GEOGRAPHICALLY??

Ethnocentrism The practice of judging all other cultures by one’s own culture. Ethnocentrism is the view that one particular ethnic group is somehow superior to all others.

Cultural Relativism The belief that the behaviours and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the cultures own standards. What’s right for one culture might be wrong for another and that’s alright. There is no absolute standard of right and wrong by which to compare and contrast morally contradictory cultural values. Basically the opposite end of the spectrum from ethnocentrism

Cultural Change In your textbook find the definition of and provide an example of the following: (make a chart) Cultural Lag Discovery Invention Diffusion TRY AND COME UP WITH YOUR OWN EXAMPLES

Definition Examples… Cultural Lag A gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institutions Technology and “health identifiers” Discovery The process of learning about something previously unknown or unrecognized Scientific research…vaccines and cures for diseases Invention The process of reshaping existing cultural items into a new form Guns, video games, airplanes, Charter of Rights and Freedoms Diffusion The transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group or society to another The Pinata

Sub-Culture A group of people who share a distinctive set of cultural beliefs and behaviors that differ in some significant way from that of the larger society HUTTERITES

Counterculture A group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles. SKINHEADS

HUTTERITES: Large communal group Do everything for themselves Strong faith in God Reject worldly concerns Joy of work Faithfulness Thriftiness Tradition Humility Conservative views of the family Life is centered on the community, every decision is based on what is best for the community Non-assimilation: Communities are located far from other communities They do however take advantage of technologies for farming and trade. Considered a SUBCULTURE because their cultural components differ significantly from those of the dominant culture:

SKINHEADS Skinheads strongly reject the dominant societal values by believing in racial group superiority, patriotism, belief in traditional roles of men and women, physical violence to express anger towards minorities. Sometimes referred to as “Neo-Nazi” Primarily young, white, working class males Wear boots, jeans, suspenders, green flight jackets, chains and shaved heads Some groups are highly organized, have leaders, hold meetings, distribute racist propaganda and attend rallies