Chapter 14 Blog

            The background that people have been raised in is very important as to determining the way that they see the world, cultures, and society. Each background that someone is born into alters the way that they view societal norms and things accepted by cultures. For example, I was born in an American consumer-based society so I don’t think that it is anything out of the ordinary to have more than one television inside of my house. I find it odd if somebody else doesn’t have any televisions inside of their house, or even a cell phone or computer. However, if I were to travel to a poorer nation, the people there who have been raised in a society that cannot afford extra amenities such as televisions or computers they would be shocked that I was able to have those things.

            The same concept can be applied to cultural norms within societies. As a middle class American, I have been exposed to advertisements that use a great deal of sex appeal in women to attempt to sell a product. So many Americans have been exposed to this kind of advertising that it is no longer a big deal at all. However, the cultures of countries such as those in the Middle East are much more strict in this aspect in that women cannot expose themselves or even show much more than their own faces. The general thought process of what is accepted and not accepted is totally different in the two different countries because the culture is completely different.

            This can even happen in different parts of our own country. Places like California and New York have always been typically liberal for a long time, whereas places such as Texas have always been particularly conservative. This can definitely be connected to the difference in society and culture where more people believe in the “bible belt” of the south in Texas and believe in freedom of expression and such in California. These cultural differences also help to create an identity for each place. This identity could definitely be considered a generalization or even a stereotype that every person from that area thinks and acts the same way. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, people definitely base their thoughts and generalizations on the culture that they themselves have been raised in.