For this assignment, I'm going to define myself through the lenses of Mormon culture, feminist culture, female culture, personal family culture, American culture, and white culture:
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| Salt Lake City Temple: In Mormon culture, everything we do revolves around the Temple and the work that takes place there. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/fa/b6/8e/fab68e6f20d995dabd6e535451792ecb.jpg |
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| Funeral Potatoes: Mormon culture and my personal family culture, funeral potatoes symbolize the importance of homemade comfort foods at gatherings, celebrations, in grieving, and in socializing . http://www.trmckenzie.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Funeral-Potatoes-recipes.jpg |
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| "The Feminine Mystique": Within the culture of feminism, this book reinvigorated the women's right's movement in the 1960s--resulting in what we know as feminism today. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/21HH85PDoBL._AC_UL320_SR184,320_.jpg |
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| Wedding Bands: In my family culture and Mormon culture, wedding rings not only symbolize marriage, but also dedication and love for one another. https://apis.xogrp.com/media-api/images/b3d41b57-14f1-4353-b4e1-c11d1f0e34c1 |
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| iPhones/Smart Phones: In White culture, having a smart phone rather than a flip or slide phone can serve as a symbol of status, white collar work, and wealth. https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iphone/iphone-6splus-colors.jpg |
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| Uncle Sam: In American culture, Uncle Sam serves as a symbol of American greatness, bravery, and the ideal belief of our dedication to freedom. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Unclesamwantyou.jpg |
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| Covered Wagons: In Mormon culture, pioneer wagons symbolize the strength of early-saints and promotes feelings of pride in our pioneer ancestors; in American and white culture, pioneer wagons symbolize our conquering of the land, the spirit of the West, and the fortitude of our ancestors. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/04/e4/c1/04e4c11f177e2eea94cf7c0836eddfbe.jpg |
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| College Education/Degree: Getting a college education is a sign of intelligence and status in American culture. https://cpms.byu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/byu-medallion1.jpg |
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Birth Control: In feminist culture, birth control symbolizes
advancements
with reproductive
rights; in female culture, birth control symbolizes the
practically universal experience of pregnancy and
menstruation
http://www.waynewomensclinic.com/wp-content/uploads/istock_000001141281medium_wide-5ef5cf4c139044596c667f818762bbdb5dcf15f9.jpg |
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| The "Melting Pot": The (ideal) American belief America is a country of diversity. https://classracegender.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/melting_pot.jpg |
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| Inclusion of "God" in American Culture: American culture assumes a national Christian identity and references it in our national anthem, in our currency, and in other aspects of national interest. http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2016/01/24/dear-atheists-don-t-fear-in-god-we-trust/jcr:content/image.img.2000.jpg/1456961003481.cached.jpg |
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Football: Football as a sport is experienced almost religiously within American
culture. Men are typically it's biggest fans and the professional athletes who
play football are exclusively men as well. Often seen as the epitome of "masculinity".
http://www.drodd.com/images14/football12.jpg |
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| Vogue Magazine: In American and White culture, it promotes fashion and beauty standards. https://jackarbizu.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/20120430-164904.jpg |
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| "The Family: A Proclamation to the World": In Mormon culture, the family proclamation outlines what we believe is God's standard in order to have an "eternal family". http://rationalfaiths.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/proclamation.jpg |
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| The Statue of Liberty: In American culture, the statue of liberty represents the American belief that everyone is welcome in America. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdCLAAsWoAEEP16.jpg |
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| Disney Movies: Most American watch these movies and relate to them. They teach children about the importance of never giving up and that happy endings are a reality. https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7435/12529754163_0202b7ca6d_b.jpg |
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| "The Book of Mormon": In Mormon culture, The Book of Mormon is used for missionary work and is heavily studied. It is treated as the "most true" book on the earth https://smilingldsgirl.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/book-of-mormon.jpg |
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| Reading Books to Children: Within my family culture, white culture, and American culture parents read stories to their children to excite them about learning how to read, to bond with them, and to put them to sleep at night. http://images.wisegeek.com/dad-reading-with-two-children.jpg |
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| Apple Pie: There's a saying that goes: "There's nothing more American than apple pie". In white and American culture, apple pie is often served during Thanksgiving and Christmas and is referenced as a source of American herritage/ what it means to be an American. http://images-gmi-pmc.edge-generalmills.com/36452ba2-648c-4c67-90f7-3a1fc36cf6f4.jpg |
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| Sewing Machine/Sewing: In my family, women bond over sewing projects together or showcasing their projects to each other. For example: Homemade gifts of blankets or burp cloths are expected at baby showers and are seen as more desirable too. http://demandware.edgesuite.net/aamm_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-joann-product-catalog/default/dwb6c5bdd4/images/hi-res/14/14028245.jpg |
After reviewing my artifacts, I've realized that my culture isn't necessarily inclusive or applicable to all people. While considering the artifacts that I gathered for American culture along with the topic of hegemony, its easy to see that while American culture makes a lot of promises and promotes the idea of equality for all, the reality of America is much different (especially within in the context of President Trump's recent executive orders regarding immigration and our beliefs surrounding the artifacts of the "melting pot" and the Statue of Liberty) and the promises are only actualized for certain groups of people in most cases. I can also imagine that the meanings and importance behind covered wagons (for example) within white, Mormon, and American culture, are quite different than the meanings that Native American culture associates with the artifact. Also, white and American cultural artifacts confine what it means to be an American by promoting that all American's are/should be christian ("In God We Trust"). When considering football in American culture, it also promotes designated standards for what women and men should be and should be interested in. Some American and white cultural artifacts also reflect an emphasis on the importance of appearance, by promoting that buying expensive items and having a college degree are necessary in order to be perceived as successful. Mormon cultural artifacts promote specific outlines of what a family is; while as a Mormon I follow that outline and believe in it, it doesn't necessarily mean that every family is like that, that families who aren't like that aren't "normal", or even that every Mormon family follows that pattern. White cultural artifacts like "Vogue" promote white beauty as the standard for all women and Disney movies usually only represent white characters as protagonists or tell "one story" of foreign cultures--isolating groups who don't fit these designated molds.
Despite this, I think my culture serves as both a help and a hindrance in school settings. It serves as a help by promoting ideal (although perhaps not completely true) values--such as the idea of of the melting pot, the belief that all immigrants are welcome in America, and that our country has a lot to be proud of. Through the idea of these values, students can strive to achieve equality and also feel like they belong in America itself. However, due to the fact that those same values tend to favor white students over minority students outside of the classroom, minority students have a harder time achieving success within the classroom. The cultural artifact of reading to children is beneficial to most students in general, but as seen with the example of Disney movies as a cultural artifact, many children may feel left out and misunderstood by how their culture is portrayed in film and literature. However, I can make this a help for students by choosing to read books and watch films that include protagonists and plots that have diversity in race, religion, family setting, and sexuality. The emphasis on Christianity may also be a hindrance to children in the school settings because they may feel like their beliefs aren't represented (such as saying "one nation, under God" while reciting the pledge of allegiance). Within Utah, children who aren't Mormon may feel left out as well because of a shared culture between many of their peers and teachers that doesn't necessarily apply to them. Regarding the American cultural artifact of football and it's role in enforcing gender roles, I think it would be hindrance to students--especially those who don't fit within their designated gender roles. However, my culture as a feminist can help students by encouraging and empowering them to be who they want to be regardless of their gender, sexuality, or race.
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