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After watching a Ted Talk by Wade Davis about cultures that are no longer being practiced and becoming endangered, I was able to make a connection between biodiversity and cultural diversity. Biodiversity is strongly related to the threats of cultural diversity because without biodiversity there would be fewer cultures created and reduced cultural diversity. For example, the biodiversity of our animals and plants can be incorporated into many cultures. In American Culture, a bald eagle represents freedom and great strength and is the emblem of The United States of America. The culture of American Thanksgiving uses a turkey to represent abundance while it was the pilgrim’s first meal.
Davis reminds us that it is not only biodiverse symbols that are implemented in culture, but also cultural values that are based on biodiversity and the natural environment. Davis states through time and ritual, people have “forged a traditional mystique of the Earth that is based not on the idea of being self-consciously close to it, but on a far subtler intuition: the idea that the Earth itself can only exist because it is breathed into being by human consciousness”. This means that culture allows individuals to form varying relationships with their natural environment. If one grew up believing there was a sacred spirit in a rock, he or she would do more to protect it, than if one’s culture made he or she believe rocks are only for mining or using as raw materials. Unfortunately, many popular cultures that are practiced now do not place emphasis on protecting the planet, unlike the Kogi of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. American culture is more focused on consumption, creating material wealth and assimilation than conserving the biological and cultural diversity that we have left. Thus, because most mainstream larger cultures do not actively protect the environment and the plants and animals living there. It is up to governments to create laws and fund projects to protect cultural diversity, so that the culture of the smaller groups like the Penan of Southwest Asia and the Inuit can continue to protect the Earth through their values, and responsibly use Earth’s natural resources in ways other people can learn from. But, how exactly can the government protect cultural diversity? In Australia, and my country, Iceland, the government has been taking steps towards promoting cultural diversity that other politicians and world leaders can learn from. Davis states we need to ensure “that all peoples and all gardens find a way to flourish” so I believe that the government is one way do achieve this. In Australia, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship launched the Diverse Australia program that gives funding and educational resources to accomplish inclusion, fairness, and give all Australians a sense a belonging. These resources include “opportunities for people to participate equitably in Australian society and to understand the rights and responsibilities that we share as part of that society” and why living in a multi-cultural society is important to the citizens and the nations wellbeing. Another way, the government protects cultural diversity is through the Community Liaison Officer network which encourages diversity and harmony through creating relationships between the government and community organizations. The Community Liason Officer focuses on community relation issues, and such as social justice issues. This role is crucial because the officers have the power to make sure ethnic and racial minorities are not getting undermined and taking advantage of, their unique cultural identity is protected, and they feel cohesiveness with the rest of the community. In Iceland, the government takes different steps to protect cultural diversity. In Reykjavik, they have intercultural day, where people have a parade for peace and nonviolence while they celebrate multiculturalism. This fosters a sense of belonging for recent immigrants to Iceland. Another example is an Icelandic government advertising campaign that shows appreciation to immigrants for choosing Iceland and it is shown in different languages, conveying the message that immigrants are able to keep their own cultural identity and not just assimilate into Icelandic culture. Iceland also chooses to participate in a European-wide Action Week against racism where events are organized to combat prejudice and celebrate a society that contains many different cultures. All these events that Iceland creates allows diverse kinds of languages, music, dance and arts to fill the streets and go on display in front of other Icelandic citizens to learn about. Further, because Iceland’s economy is fueled by tourism and the millions of students’ that study abroad and visitors that come to Iceland, climate change and other environmental changes could have a large affect on the cultural diversity in the country. If Iceland’s natural environment and landscapes are not conserved, this would correlate to a reduced amount of tourists and international people coming into the country to experience the beauty and wonders of Iceland’s nature. In other words, an environmental change, such as climate change could disrupt Iceland’s ecosystem and volcanoes. This could correlate to a reduction in cultural diversity because the visitors that participate in activities with the natural environment would no longer visit Iceland and bring their culture with them. Citizens who use Iceland’s natural landscape and implement it into their culture, such as the hot springs, would also lose some of their cultural due to environmental changes. Therefore, it is partly up to lawmakers and politicians to “actively endorse or passively accept the massive destruction of both biological and cultural diversity on the planet” as Wade Davis states in his Ted Talk. However, I disagree with the argument of Wade Davis that says “we believe that politicians will never accomplish anything” and a magazine like National Geographic is the solution to protecting and encouraging cultural diversity. My argument could be wrong in the minds of people who read the magazine, and media sources that tell stories about other cultures and have interesting anthropological topics. These people such as Wade Davis may not see the active work in maintaining inclusion and cultural diversity that governments such as Australia and Iceland do everyday and the effectiveness of the politicians work. These people who believe government is not the answer to protect cultural diversity do not realize that a lot of the government’s work is behind the scenes. It may take months to put legislation to protect a certain group of people or culture into effect, so these people may not see the instant effects of government, unlike the rapid effects that the magazines produce. On the other hand, it takes one day in our globalized age to distribute a million copies of National Geographic. Rather than dismiss lawmakers and government and state they do not get anything done, I believe it takes both media sources, like magazines, and government to promote and protect the thousands of cultures in the world. Companies, like National Geographic, can work with the government to accomplish tasks. For example, if the magazine publishes an article about a disappearing language, readers of the magazine can encourage the government to take action and lobby to produce legislation that will reduce the disappearance of the language. By collaborating together, this is one efficient way we can work to create a pluralistic world that celebrates and protects differences, both in cultural diversity and biological diversity.
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I just finished creating a report on the status of education in Iceland which you will find on my Political and Economics page. Feel free to make comments here on this report!
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AuthorMy name is Annawade Stevenson and I am a elementary education major at ASU. I just recently moved to Tempe, AZ. Archives |