SCRIPT ON CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Moderator: Introduction of the discussants

Jane: A pleasant day to all our valued listeners and most of especially to all students of Cauayan City
Science and Technology High School, I am Mary Jane V. Ramones a Senior High School Teacher.

Val: I am Val Jeffrey Lalu also a senior high school teacher, we will be with you throughout this
episode.

Jane: We are about to begin so first find a comfortable place, check your speakers if you can hear us
clearly. Are you ready? We will now get down to our business.

Val: Today, we are going to discuss cultural understanding, why do we need to understand culture?
So first we need to define what is culture? Yes ma’am Jane can you impart your knowledge about
culture?

Jane: Yes sir Val, the definitions of culture cover a wide range of perspectives. Based on what I have
read, the following words and phrases are use: we have food, religion, language, music, region or
geography, ethnicity, clothes, and so on. Generally, there is always one person who raises his or her
hand timidly and says, “I think culture is more than that. It’s the things we don’t see, like our beliefs
or views about gender. Both are correct-culture represents the things we see, the tangible, as well as
the intangible things.

Moderator : So sir Val, if culture represents the things we see, tangible or intangible things right?
What is tangible and intangible? Can you site some example?

Val: If we say tangible mam, this are the things that are touchable or real, or it means something that
can be understood. Kabaliktaran naman ng intangible.

Jane: Culture is a strong part of people’s lives. It influences their views, their values, their humor,
their hopes, their loyalties and their worries and fears. So when you are working with people and
building relationships with the, it helps to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures.

Val: Definitions of culture usually incorporate an expression of values and beliefs of groups, the
learning that occurs in groups, and the expressions of those cultural norms.

Moderator: What is cultural norms sir Val?

Val: Cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are shared expectations and rules reinforced
from parents, friends, teachers, and others while growing up in the society.
Jane: Another definition of culture has been adapted from Edgar Schein is that culture consist of the
shared beliefs, values, and assumptions of a group of people who learn from one another and teach to
others that their behaviors, attitudes, and perspectives are the correct ways to think, act and feel.

Val: There are five(5) basic characteristics of culture.

 Culture is learned
 Culture is shaped
 Culture is dynamic
 Culture is systematic
 Culture is symbolic
Moderator: Ma’am Jane if we say culture is learned what does it means?
Jane: If we say culture is learned, It is not biological; we do not inherit it. Much of learning culture is
unconscious. We learn culture from families, peers, institutions, and media. The process of learning
culture is known as enculturation.

Val: While culture is shared because we share culture with other members of our group, we are able
to act in socially appropriate ways as well as predict how others will act. Despite the shared nature of
culture, that doesn’t mean that culture is homogenous(the same).

Jane: If we say culture is based on symbols it means that a symbol is something that stands for
something else. Symbols vary cross-culturally and are arbitrary. They only have meaning when
people in a culture agree on their use. Language. Money, and art are all symbols. Language is the
most important symbolic component of culture.

Val: Culture is integrated. This is known as holism, or the various parts of a culture being
interconnected. All aspects of a culture are related to one another and to truly understand a culture,
one must learn about all of its part, not only a few.

Jane: Culture is dynamic, this simply means that cultures interact and change. Because most cultures
are in contact with other cultures, they exchange ideas and symbols. All cultures change, otherwise,
they would have problems to changing environments. And because cultures are integrated, If one
component in the system changes, it is likely that the entire system must adjust.

Val: That’s all the five basic characteristics of culture so we go now to the FUNCTIONS OF
CULTURE. Among all groups of people we find widely shared beliefs, norms, values and
preferences. Since culture seems to be universal human phenomenon, it occurs naturally to wonder
whether culture corresponds to any universal human needs. This curiosity raises the questions of the
functions of culture. Social scientists have discussed various functions of culture. Culture has certain
functions for both individual and society.

Jane: The first function of culture is Culture defines Situations: Each culture has many subtle cues
define each situation. It reveals whether one should prepare to fight, run, laugh or make love. For
example, suppose someone approaches you with right hand outstretched at waist level. What does this
mean? That he/she wishes to shake hands in friendly greeting is perfectly obvious-obvious, that is to
anyone familiar with our culture.

Val: But ma’am Jane in another place or time the outstretched hand might man hostility or warning.
One does nit know what to do in a situation until has defined the situation. Each society has its insults
and fighting words. The cues (hints) which define situations appear in infinite variety. A person who
moves from one society into another will spend many years misreading the cues. For example,
laughing at the wrong places.

Val: The other function of culture is, culture defines attitudes, values and goals. Each person learns in
his culture what is good, true, and beautiful. Attitudes, values and goals are defined by the culture.
While the individual normally learns them as unconsciously as he learns the language. Attitude are
tendencies to feel and act in certain ways. Values are measures of goodness or desirability, for
example, we value private property, (representative) Government and many other things and
experience.
Goals are those attainments which our values define as worthy, (e.g.) winning the race, gaining the
affections of a particular girl, or becoming president of the firm. By approving certain goals and
ridiculing others, the culture channels individual ambitions. In these ways culture determines the goals
of life.

Jane: That’s right sir Val, and now we go to the third function of culture which is culture defines
myths, legends, and the supernatural. Can you tell us what does it means sir Val?
Val: Of course ma’am, Myths and legends are important part of every culture. They may inspire,
reinforce effort and sacrifice and bring comfort in bereavement. Whether they are true is
sociologically unimportant. Ghosts are real to people who believe in them and who act upon this
belief. We cannot understand the behaviour of any group without knowing something of the myths,
legends, and supernatural beliefs they hold. Myths and legends are powerful forces in a group’s
behaviour.
Culture also provides the individual with a ready-made view of the universe. The nature of divine
power and the important moral issues are defined by the culture. The individual does not have to
select, but is trained in a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or some other religious tradition. This
tradition gives answers for the major (things imponderable) of life, and fortuities the individual to
meet life’s crises.

Jane: The last function of culture is culture provides behaviour pattern, these means that The
individual need not go through painful trial and error learning to know what foods can be eaten
(without poisoning himself), or how to live among people without fear. He finds a ready-made set of
patterns awaiting him which he needs only to learn and follow. The culture maps out the path to
matrimony. The individual does not have to wonder how one secures a mate; he knows the
procedure defined by his culture.
If men use culture to advance their purposes, it seems clear also that a culture imposes limits on
human and activities. The need for order calls forth another function of culture that of so directing
behaviour that disorderly behaviour is restricted and orderly behaviour is promoted. A society without
rules or norms to define right and wrong behaviour would be very much like a heavily travelled street
without traffic signs or any understood rules for meeting and passing vehicles. Chaos would be the
result in either case. Social order cannot rest on the assumption that men will spontaneously behave in
ways conducive to social harmony.

Val: That’s the five basic characteristics of culture, there are also some ways to understand cultural
differences. It can be easy to stick with what you know, rather than trying to meet people who are
different from you. However, actively trying to understand and embrace cultural differences can open
you up to whole world of exciting new possibilities and experiences. Here’s what you can do:
First, become self aware, work out your own beliefs, values and personal biases. Yet in can be
confronting, but by doing this you’ll be able to think about how these traits might impact on your
approach to and understanding of differences.

Jane: Second one is “do your own research” learning about different cultures can be a great way of
developing an understanding of cultural diversity. Do a spot of research online or through books, and
study some of the history and traditions of other cultures.

Val: Third, “talk to someone from a different cultural background” try and get to know them a bit
better, You don’t necessarily have to ask them directly about their culture, but by getting to know
them you’ll automatically find out more about their life and experiences.

Jane: We need also “to travel” one of the best ways to experience and understand other cultures is to
actually live among them. It might take a while to save for, but planning a trip overseas to a country
you’re interested in can be the best way of opening yourself up to new cultures or khit dito lang sa
ating bansa to get familiar with the different culture we have in the Philippines.

Val: We should “be more accepting” sometimes it’s not all that easy to gain an understanding of
cultural difference, for whatever reason. In these situations, the best approach is just to acknowledge
that some people are different and to accept that that’s okay.
Jane: We have also culturally different, with diverse opinions, even if we here or read something
about a certain culture, it’s important to realize that this doesn’t mean everyone from that particular
background acts/thinks/believes the same thing. Just as not everyone you know has identical beliefs,
people who come from different cultural backgrounds aren’t all a certain way, either.

Val: Ofcourse :don’t stereotype” one of the biggest difficulties to overcome in understanding cultural
differences is making judgements based on one opinion. Do your own research and make an effort to
actually learn about people, instead of making broad-brush assessments.

Jane: The last one is “ everyone is unique” the main thing to remember is that everyone, no matter
what their cultural background, has different opinions, habits and ways of life. The sooner you accept
that everyone is different, the easier it becomes to understand and embrace cultural differences.

Val: Meron din tayong benefits of learning about different cultures ma’am. These are the following:
1. You can understand the world better- being exposed to diverse cultures can help you
appreciate more in life. The more you interact with people from different cultures, the more
you value and respect them. Attending social groups is an excellent way of exposing yourself
to diverse cultures and practices. Whether you will interact with people from different regions
or countries, you will learn something new during the event. When you join the social
gathering with other cultures, you can see why other people do things the way they do. You
can easily undertstand and develop symphathy with others.

Jane: Number 2 is You can prevent and overcome racial and ethnic division- when people have
ethnic and racial division, it can hurt society. For example, if there is a racial division in your
community, it could lead to misunderstandings, lack of opportunities, and even violence. People will
suffer from both financial and human resources.

Val: Third is You can enhance your communication- language maybe critical part of our
communication, but it can be overcome with other ways of speaking. Some countries do not
understand English. However, there are some different ways to communicate with them, including
figurative language, presentation, and google translate. You can also learn their language if you have
the chance to talk to them everyday.

Jane: And syempre You can learn new experiences – part of opening ourselves to multi-culture is
making new friends. We can meet people from different backgrounds with different perspectives.
Plus, we can also learn valuable stories and lessons from each other. What makes it more interesting is
that we can appreciate our own culture from a different perspective. It is truly on of the life-changing
experiences. If you are open to multi-cultural experiences, you can have more abilities to solve
problems in multiple ways. Plus you can also increase your awareness of your social connections and
associations.

Val: It is important to remember that everyone has an important viewpoint and role play when it
comes to culture. You have to be expert to build relationships with people different from yourself; you
don’t have to have a degree to learn to become sensitive to cultural issues; and you have to be social
worker to know how culture has affected your life.