Cooper 1

Kenneth Cooper
Professor Corri Ditch
English 113B
23 February 2015
My Culture and Race
Culture is the behavior and beliefs of a particular group of people. Culture is not
something that belongs purely to the past; it is an integral and inalienable part of what we are
today and will become tomorrow, explains George MacDonald. This quote means that culture is
constantly being modernized to fit the culture of now. Since cultures are being re-created groups
often change while also slowly changing their beliefs. People in the same groups are known to
have the same opinions but I see myself being different from the group norms. I take myself to
be a strong willed person. I go after what I want and I like to achieve in my goals because it
makes me feel greater about myself, as in accomplishing the things that need to be done. I also
value the things I have because it's what brought me here today the person I am and have
become. Who I am is greatly influenced by how my culture.

Family may be the most important culture I am part of. My family has helped me define
my self-identity. My parents are two main people that make me who I am. They have each
contributed to the qualities I have. Through my parents I was able to be active in two cultures
which makes me have my own culture with the combination of the two. The main culture I am a
part of is African American. My other culture is Mexican American because Im a quarter
Mexican.

Cooper 2
For my culture as being African American I feel different in a way. I don't feel like I am
the labeled "black" term. I do everything the same as everyone as I am supposed to. Most people
think black people have to be good at sports or other things aside from that I don't feel the
necessity to act or speak like the way people assume black people talk, because that's not me. I
also dont tend to have many friends that are African American. This is because I dont feel like
Ill fit in well and I like to feel comfortable with who I am at times. Im a very real person so I
will never feel the need to act in a way thats not me. In a rap song called Chum by rapper Earl
Sweatshirt he says Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks. This is similar to
how I feel in the fact that I feel slightly different from others. The only thing I love to do that has
a big influence by the African American community is listening to rap music and writing my own
rap lyrics. In Rap and Race by Rachael Sullivan, she explains how rap was originally music
made by African Americans and the same culture listened to the music, later other races began to
enjoy the rap music as well. In spite of the increasing numbers of White rap fans, many people
still viewed rap consumers as African American ( Sullivan, 606). This means that now all races
listen and even make the music but people still view it as predominately African American
culture.

The other culture I am a part of is the Mexican American culture. This part of my culture
is almost hidden because most people seem to assume Im only African American when Im also
a quarter Mexican. People see that I am after I tell them but its not their first thought when
meeting me. This side of me comes out when Im with my moms side of the family. My
grandma is Mexican American and my mom and I live with her. I live in a neighborhood of
mostly people from the Mexican decent. I love when my grandma makes enchiladas, tacos,

Cooper 3
beans, Mexico rice, and other foods. I was raised eating these foods when I was at my moms
house. Food is basically the only part Mexican culture I express. I have made a couple rap song
lyrics using the influence of Mexican culture but its not a regular practice for me.
People become very accepting of others part of their culture. An example of this is when I
told a group of my close Mexican friends that I was part Mexican. They thought that was very
cool and it felt as if they accepted me more because I was part of their culture. Its not that my
friends and I werent close but it appeared to me that we got closer.

I encourage where I am from and seek to learn more about it in my African American
culture by taking a class on African American History. Which is good so I do know where I
originate and where I am proud to be in right now so to speak. It also inspires me and my family
that I do take it because they feel proud of me and proud that they raised me for who I am
supposed to be. My ethnicity is very important to me but sometimes I don't like the term people
think it is okay to use. Let alone I don't usually hang out with most African Americans, I don't
think I ocurred to I just make friends along the way who are in my life and guide me through my
path as well. Encouraging friends are the ones who have reminded me who I am and who I am
with them as a person. My family and friends are a big a very big impact in my life and I know
they encourage me to make good decisions.

Most difficulties of having African American culture that I have found and encountered in
my research are the stereotypes. People will learn beliefs about a culture without even trying
through the media. People may think that they can be exposed to the media without being
influenced by it, but this seems to be an impossible thing to do, says Mark Orbe in Media and

Cooper 4
Culture: The Reality of Media Effects. People are unselfconsciously being influenced by
media and can potentially make assumptions of others cultures based off what is showed in the
media. An example is that some people may think that black people are not safe to be around or
that they steal and all these other assumptions. Let alone I am not saying that everyone is
innocent but other cultures are just as the same. Just because of the skin color people assume all
these theories and facts they tend to know when there are just as many other people and cultures
and ethnicities that do the same. As along with drugs, alcohol and intelligence. All these labels
on African Americans is not right yet we have our freedom but we can't change what people
think even though laws are established now for the equal rights everyone has. In Kurylos
Culture and Communication it reads, These experiences shed light on how we construct and
maintain racial identities and how we respond to challenges to those identities (Kurylo). This
means society maintains racial identity and challenges are part of any identity. There will always
be stereotypes and racist remarks until society changes. Until then, not letting anyone put you
down or saying remarks about your culture or your ethnicity will go a long way. There will
always be comments on social media, along with jokes that keep race boundaries strong.

Cultures are made up of groups of people that usually share the same basic beliefs.
Although I feel like a bit of an outcast from my African American culture I still think it is
important to who I am. I am involved as much with my Mexican American culture but I still
have a part of me that holds that culture. I am associated more with my African American culture
than my Mexican American culture because I am mostly African American. Ultimately I have
my own unique culture that comes with the combination of both my cultures and with my

Cooper 5
individual beliefs. I am proud to be who I am and to have cultural ties but also to be myself and
have my own views.

Cooper 6
Works Cited
Kurylo, Anastacia. Inter/cultural Communication: Representation and Construction of Culture.
Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013. Print.
MacDonald, George F. The Journal of Museum Education: What is Culture? Maney Publishing.
1991. Print.
Orbe, Mark P. Interracial Communication: Theory into Practice. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications, 2008. Print.
Sullivan, Rachel E. "Rap and Race: It's Got a Nice Beat, but What about the Message? Journal
of Black Studies 33.5 (2003): 605-22. Web.
Sweatshirt, Earl. Chum. Columbia Records, 2012. MP3.

Cooper 7
Kenneth Cooper
Professor Corri Ditch
English 113B
8 May 2015
My Culture and Race
Culture is the behavior and beliefs of a particular group of people. Culture is not
something that belongs purely to the past; it is an integral and inalienable part of what we are
today and will become tomorrow, explains George MacDonald, author of The Journal of
Museum Education: What is Culture?. This quote means that culture is constantly being
modernized to fit the culture of now. Since cultures are being re-created groups often change
while also slowly changing their beliefs. People in the same groups are known to have the same
opinions or common beliefs. I feel there are qualities about me that set me apart from the group
norms. I take myself to be a strong willed person. I go after what I want and I like to achieve in
my goals because it makes me feel greater about myself, as in accomplishing the things that need
to be done. I also value the things I have because it's what brought me here today the person I am
and have become. Who I am is greatly influenced by my African American culture.

The most important culture I am part of is my immediate family. My family has helped
me define my self-identity. My parents are two main people that make me who I am. They have
each contributed to the qualities I have. Through my parents I was able to be active in two
cultures which makes me have my own culture with the combination of the two. The main
culture I am a part of is African American. My other culture is Mexican American because Im a
quarter Mexican.

Cooper 8

For my culture as being African American I feel different in a way. I don't feel like I am
the labeled "black" term. I do everything the same as everyone as I am supposed to. Some people
might think black people have to be good at sports or other things aside from that I don't feel the
necessity to act or speak like the way people assume black people talk, because that's not me. I
also dont tend to have many friends that are African American. This is because I dont feel like
Ill fit in well and I like to feel comfortable with who I am at times. Ive had a handful of friends
that have told me youre not black. Comments like these make me feel especially different
from most black people. It also is the reason I dont open up as much as I want to because I dont
want to be judged. Im a very real person so I will never feel the need to act in a way thats not
me. In a rap song called Chum by rapper Earl Sweatshirt he says Too black for the white kids,
and too white for the blacks. This is similar to how I feel in the fact that I feel slightly different
from others. One only thing I love to do that has a big influence by the African American
community is listening to rap music and writing my own rap songs. In Rap and Race by Rachael
Sullivan, she explains how rap was originally music made by African Americans and the same
culture listened to the music, later other races began to enjoy the rap music as well. In spite of
the increasing numbers of white rap fans, many people still viewed rap consumers as African
American (Sullivan, 606). This means that now all races listen and even make the music but
people still view it as predominately African American culture.

The other culture I am a part of is the Mexican American culture. This part of my culture
is almost hidden because most people seem to assume Im only African American when Im also
a quarter Mexican. People see that I am after I tell them but its not their first thought when

Cooper 9
meeting me. This side of me comes out when Im with my moms side of the family. My
grandma is Mexican American and my mom and I live with her. I live in a neighborhood of
mostly people from the Mexican decent. I love when my grandma makes enchiladas, tacos,
beans, Mexico rice, and other foods. I was raised eating these foods when I was at my moms
house. Food is basically the only part Mexican culture I express. I have made a couple rap song
lyrics using the influence of Mexican culture but its not a regular practice for me. When Im
around people from the Hispanic decent I feel similar to when Im with African Americans
which is a bit uncomfortable.

I encourage where I am from and seek to learn more about it in my African American
culture by taking a class on African American History. Which is good so I do know where I
originate and where I am proud to be in right now so to speak. It also inspires me and my family
that I do take it because they feel proud of me and proud that they raised me for who I am
supposed to be. Let alone I don't usually hang out with most African Americans, I don't focus on
race when it comes to friends. Encouraging friends are the ones who have reminded me who I
am. My family and friends are a big a very big impact in my life and I know they encourage me
to make good decisions.

Most difficulties of having African American culture that I have found and encountered in
my research are the stereotypes. People will learn beliefs about a culture without even trying
through the media. People may think that they can be exposed to the media without being
influenced by it, but this seems to be an impossible thing to do, says Mark Orbe in Media and
Culture: The Reality of Media Effects. People are unselfconsciously being influenced by
media and can potentially make assumptions of others cultures based off what is showed in the

Cooper 10
media. An example is that some people may think that black people are not safe to be around or
that they steal and all these other assumptions. Let alone I am not saying that everyone is
innocent but other cultures are just as the same. Just because of the skin color people assume all
these theories and facts they tend to know when there are just as many other people and cultures
and ethnicities that do the same. As along with drugs, alcohol and intelligence. All these labels
on African Americans is not right yet we have our freedom but we can't change what people
think even though laws are established now for the equal rights everyone has. In Kurylos
Culture and Communication it reads, These experiences shed light on how we construct and
maintain racial identities and how we respond to challenges to those identities (Kurylo). This
means society maintains racial identity and challenges are part of any identity. There will always
be stereotypes and racist remarks until society changes. Until then, understanding this concept
will help allow people to see above the medias misguiding information. There will always be
comments on social media, along with jokes that keep race boundaries strong.

Cultures are made up of groups of people that usually share the same basic beliefs.
Although I feel like a bit of an outcast from my African American culture I still think it is
important to who I am. I am involved as much with my Mexican American culture but I still
have a part of me that holds that culture. I am associated more with my African American culture
than my Mexican American culture because I am mostly African American. Ultimately I have
my own unique culture that comes with the combination of both my cultures and with my
individual beliefs. I am proud to be who I am and to have cultural ties but also to be myself and
have my own views.
Works Cited

Cooper 11
Kurylo, Anastacia. Inter/cultural Communication: Representation and Construction of Culture.
Los Angeles: SAGE, 2013. Print.
MacDonald, George F. The Journal of Museum Education: What is Culture? Maney Publishing.
1991. Print.
Orbe, Mark P. Interracial Communication: Theory into Practice. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications, 2008. Print.
Sullivan, Rachel E. "Rap and Race: It's Got a Nice Beat, but What about the Message? Journal
of Black Studies 33.5 (2003): 605-22. Web.
Sweatshirt, Earl. Chum. Columbia Records, 2012. MP3.