Embracing Cultural Differences

I live in a multicultural area of Sydney. I really appreciate diversity and the different perspectives it brings. It's not always easy to communicate with people from a different background though I think we should try.

@Former-Member I agree 🙌 Interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds has helped me to learn and appreciate so many new and exciting things around me(new history, new language, new food, new costumes, etc.), which I had not noticed before! ⭐️

Interesting topic @Former-Member .

I've been brought with multiculturalism all around me. As far as I am concerned, that's the norm.

When considering how to embrace cultural differences, I believe it is more about seeing people as individual people rather than collectively as a group. Although somebody may have and Asian background, they in themselves will have different likes and dislikes to somebody else with an Asian background.

During the height of the "black lives matter" movement, I came across and interesting reading. It quoted "black lives matter", but had the word "black" crossed out. Hence it was, "lives matter" which is true. ALL lives matter irrespective of culture, religion, or status.

Treat people as individuals. Respect them as you would respect yourself. Do to others as you would have someone do to you.

LIVES MATTER,

BPDSurvivor

Like you @BPDSurvivor I have grown up with diverse cultures around me and take it as a norm, although different ethnicities have been around me at different times.

As well as a range of food there is a range of music and other traditions to learn about and enjoy, but @Former-Member is right to mention the difficulties. I just keep working at it. I have also found that I sometimes got swamped by others' cultural pride, and so have learned to value my own culture as well.

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@Former-Member wrote:

Not everyone from the same cultural background may have the same belief, values, or practices. The issue arises when we make assumptions and judgments about others based on their appearance or cultural identities. 🌎 🌍 🌏

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This part I certainly agree with, as you can't judge a book by it's cover. No matter how closely something might be viewed as "a defining aspect of such-and-such experiance, or such-and-such culture", there will always be people of that ethnicity/heritage who don't adhere to that standard. It is certainly entirely possible for someone born and raised in a completely foreign culture to be ideologically matched with yourself.

But personally, I've always found that pursuit of the truly foreign is counterproductive. Pursuit of home; that which reflects yourself, is what is truly enriching and fulfilling.

Seeking to understand the foreign, in my experiance, is a self-defeating exercise. I've always found that the more layers you peel back, the more confounding the foreign becomes; and wider the rift becomes between you.

But as I say, none of that has anything to do with heritage, origins or ethnicity; it's about character. Hell, I'm a white, 3rd-gen Australian living in an overwhelmingly white community, and I'm surrounded by foreigness. The world around me might be identical to me in demographic terms, but I just don't get any of them.

Hi all! Love the thread concept @Former-Member

Interesting reflection @BPD and thank you for sharing. To your point about “all lives matter”- I believe there’s a vast misunderstanding about the black lives matter movement. When one asserts 'Black Lives Matter', it is not suggesting that Black lives should be or are more important than all other lives. Instead, it is simply pointing out that people of colour hold lives that are relatively undervalued by western society - This is not a belief; it is supportive by multiple centuries of racial bias, discrimination, and ill-regard for Black humanity as well as a truck load of socio-economic studies.

At SANE we believe that in Australia and around the world, black, Indigenous and other people of colour continue to experience intergenerational and ongoing trauma and discrimination in a way that is both unique and pervasive. It is unacceptable. I personally am super happy to support the Black Lives Matter movement, and whilst yes of course we know that all lives are important and we all need to treat and respect every human being equally, the sad reality is we are not born equally. There still are race issues (racism and discrimination) in our society that we need to actively transform.

Back to the thread's vibe though! In terms of the multiculturalism in Australia, it truly is one of the country’s great strengths. Upon previous visits to Melbourne myself and my mates went to a whole strip of incredible Vietnamese restaurants that had completely shaped the culture of the neighbourhood and created a huge amount of economic growth for both the Vietnamese and broader community! It’s so great to see all of the different foods and businesses on offer as a result of diversity and culture
Fave vietnamese snack is Banh Mi 🤤