Cultural Diversity A Personal Perspective sociology Assignment 2022

RUNNING HEAD: SOCIOLOGY 0
Cultural diversity: A personal perspective
Sociology
8/12/2019

SOCIOLOGY 1
Understanding ‘culture’ in practise is crucial because otherwise individuals can easily
underestimate the effect of cultural variations. The point at which things can start to go wrong
is to underestimate culture (Watson, 2017). Culture is treated as an iceberg, in comparison
with what we cannot see, what we see of a culture is tiny. Culture’s invisible aspects, such as
values and beliefs, are generally hardest to comprehend and cope with by individuals. If we
communicate in cross-cultural circumstances, a lack of consciousness can lead to poor or bad
choices. Culture awareness helps us reduce the chances of making bad decisions and increase
the opportunity for us to make more insightful, considered decisions. Culture differences
includes changes in arts, language, behaviours, dress, food, celebrations, values, customs,
roles, rules, traditions, status, beliefs, thought process and perceptions etc. (Holland, 2017).
In my view, when I moved from Hong Kong to Australia, I realised that being
culturally aware is not about negotiating your own culture or forgoing values or identity of
ourselves. I took it in another way and understood it as being adaptive to new approaches of
doing things, opinions and decisions to reach at the optimistic outcomes in cross-culture
communications. It includes concerning one’s own and as well others cultures. Cultural
sensitivity relates to a collection of abilities that allow learning and comprehending
individuals who do not have the same cultural background as others (Baker, 2015).
As per my views, culture sensitivity means that asking straightforward questions,
seeking appreciative and showing compassion towards people rather than adjudging them.
The best thing I did before moving to Australia was doing a bit of homework before and
avoiding of jumping to conclusions, understanding of new surroundings. It is an undeniably
unique adventure to be in a fresh location, surrounded by individuals who have had vastly
distinct experiences of life from one own in many instances. It opens mind and heart to those
with whom we may have not shared an understanding before (Ang & Linn , 2015). This
cross- cultural exchange is one of the beautiful, complex and exciting aspects of travelling in