by Adriele Moraes
It’s natural for us as human beings trying to adapt to society and fit in somehow, whether being part of a group that shares something in common with us or behaving in a way we think is more socially accepted. Since we are born, we already belong to something that, for me, can be called culture: a group we are part of regardless our choice. For example, since I was born in a certain country, I will absorb the habits, behaviors, beliefs and a lot of other characteristics of that place, which are taught to us by our parents, by school, by media etc. The problem with it is that, if we don’t have enough discernment to decide what is something we do believe and what was imposed to us, we can reproduce or even create the so known stereotypes.
Brazil is one of the countries recognized for being very diverse, and this diversity is an important aspect that shows how distinct and unique people can be. Therefore, there’s no point classifying people according to labels, false conceptions we think are true when actually are not. As well as people are different, they also have different opinions about things, especially if they are from another country. In an interview with foreign students made at a Brazilian university, it was possible to identify some of these differences. For example, when asked about what is considered a taboo, a forbidden subject to speak about inside their culture, people from China said whereas in Brazil people are free to talk about everything, in their country they are not supposed to discuss about the government, due to political reasons and the social media censorship.
The more I know and learn about other cultures and other people, the more I learn about myself, and realize that it makes no sense seeing people from a limited way or judging them as right or wrong just because they have a different perception on things or because they are from a different country. Actually, differences, in my opinion, exist for us to develop the respect and love for each other, and they can be a reason for unity instead of separation. We all share many things in common, and one of them is the fact that we are all the same as human beings. This is much more important than the country, the culture we belong to or anything else that sets us apart rather than uniting us.
It’s natural for us as human beings trying to adapt to society and fit in somehow, whether being part of a group that shares something in common with us or behaving in a way we think is more socially accepted. Since we are born, we already belong to something that, for me, can be called culture: a group we are part of regardless our choice. For example, since I was born in a certain country, I will absorb the habits, behaviors, beliefs and a lot of other characteristics of that place, which are taught to us by our parents, by school, by media etc. The problem with it is that, if we don’t have enough discernment to decide what is something we do believe and what was imposed to us, we can reproduce or even create the so known stereotypes.
Brazil is one of the countries recognized for being very diverse, and this diversity is an important aspect that shows how distinct and unique people can be. Therefore, there’s no point classifying people according to labels, false conceptions we think are true when actually are not. As well as people are different, they also have different opinions about things, especially if they are from another country. In an interview with foreign students made at a Brazilian university, it was possible to identify some of these differences. For example, when asked about what is considered a taboo, a forbidden subject to speak about inside their culture, people from China said whereas in Brazil people are free to talk about everything, in their country they are not supposed to discuss about the government, due to political reasons and the social media censorship.
The more I know and learn about other cultures and other people, the more I learn about myself, and realize that it makes no sense seeing people from a limited way or judging them as right or wrong just because they have a different perception on things or because they are from a different country. Actually, differences, in my opinion, exist for us to develop the respect and love for each other, and they can be a reason for unity instead of separation. We all share many things in common, and one of them is the fact that we are all the same as human beings. This is much more important than the country, the culture we belong to or anything else that sets us apart rather than uniting us.