Everywhere around the globe, there is always an experience of racial or cultural differences. In my personal experience, I have come across a different aspect of both culture and race. Being an Iranian and living in America for the last six years, I can attest that diversity is common. I happened to experience discrimination in my country since I was not a Muslim, and here, in the US, I had to adapt my language and learn English to cope with the local culture.
When I came to America six years ago, I could not speak English, but I had to learn it to adapt well to the American culture. One horrible experience that I have experienced due to cultural differences was the discrimination back home in Iran since I was not a Muslim. I could not access education even though it is a basic right and freedom was not guaranteed. My exposure to cultural differences in media was the TV show I started watching called Kim’s Convenience. The show revolves around Asian migrants and their struggles to adapt and how they are caught in between balancing different cultures. According to Schwarzenthal et al. (2018), while the values of equality advocate for people being treated equally, cultural pluralism emphasizes the importance of accepting cultural differences. Kim’s Convenience show succeeds in showing how people of different cultures can integrate seamlessly in a culturally diverse society.
In conclusion, it is always a good thing for people within a society to accept others with cultural differences. My experience can be termed as a positive one since I moved to the US, in that I have managed to learn English, and now am taking my nursing classes which were not possible in my home country. Therefore, cultural pluralism is unique in that people can integrate with society despite their cultural differences.
Reference
Schwarzenthal, M., Schachner, M., van de Vijver, F., & Juang, L. (2018). Equal but different: Effects of equality/inclusion and cultural pluralism on intergroup outcomes in multiethnic classrooms. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(2), 260-271. Web.
