In the Culture and Society paper so far, something I've come to understand is that our personal identity is not just important to us individually, but to society as a whole. This is because a group of individuals create a culture, and form the foundation of society. One of the things that I have particularly liked was the quote that was shared by both lecturers, and tutors alike: "We blame society, but we are society." I think this is a crucial concept that we must all understand if we want to actively and positively participate in our cultures, and in our society as a whole. We cannot think negatively of society when we, as mentioned previously, form the foundation of it.
Developing my photo board for this paper gave me an opportunity to self-reflect...
When pondering the first photo (representing my own personal culture), I realised that I am fortunate to have grown up in two countries with very different cultural settings. Born in England, and raised in New Zealand from the age of 12, I have been able to observe contrasting cultural behaviors and attitudes, and then choose which of these behaviors and attitudes I would like to incorporate into my life. This has proved beneficial to me.
With the second photo (depicting my identity), I chose a photograph from my wedding. This is symbolic to me of my standing as a wife, daughter, big sister, and LDS Christian woman. Putting this photo up with its description was liberating, as I was able to share my faith with classmates. Those who commented on my photo were very kind with their remarks, making me feel even more confident about sharing who I am, and what I stand for.
My third photo (that shows my view of a human rights perspective in society today) had potentially more room to offend. I posted a photograph of my now-husband and I kissing during our engagement shoot, with a caption alluding to how "gay pride" is okay in our society today, but to be straight and proud makes you a bigot. Equal rights and gay marriage has been at the forefront of global news recently, and I took this photo board as an opportunity to speak out about "straight pride"- and the response was positive. Every person that liked my photograph left me feeling more like I had given an opinion that is relatable and important in current society.
My final photograph (detailing my view of a historical influence in society today) was of Rosa Parks, a black woman who stood up for what she believed in by remaining seated in a "white man's chair" on the bus. She paved the way for equality of gender, and diverse races. Though racism still exists, she was one of the founding mothers, so to speak, of acceptance regardless of the color of your skin. This one action affects all people of all races today.
Overall, the photo board exercise helped me to look into myself. In interacting with others on their photo boards, I also came to understand that the thoughts, values and moral standing that we have as individuals have a significant effect on how we interact with others; meaning we each have a significant role in society as a whole.
Grace Harding
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1109715
(550 words)
