Culture,what is it?

[pablo]

A reccuring theme on here is that Australia has no culture,so what is culture?im asking.

I dont call theatres,the ballet etc culture for instance,i call things like that the arts,for me culture is about the people of a particular place,and the peoples ways/interests,the things that have formed that place.

For example,theres plenty of theatres,museums,art galleries in lpool,plenty of character buildings(2nd most listed after London i think?),massive cathedrals,one for each of the christian faiths,but none of that is to do with culture for me,culture is how the people are,how they interact,their mindset.

 

 

I would say the culture of my city is about football,about the river and the first dry dock that brought the city wealth,ok yes it was on the back of slavery and cotton,but that was then and im not apologising for that 200 years later,it is also the cities great companies like the Cunard line,White star line etc that have given it a great seafaring tradition,along with it being the headquarters for the atlantic conveys in WW2.

The strikes on the docks and Fords etc also formed others opinions on Lpool people and the workforce,as did derek hatton etc,for good or bad??????????

Another thing that changed my city was the irish immigration to lpool,many just simply couldnt afford to carry on to america IF they made it across on the coffin ships to lpool,so they stayed here in their thousands,40 % of the population at one stage i think,but they brought their ways to us and undoubtably some of those ways have stayed with us,liverpool was the only city in England to have an elected irish nationalist mp for instance,so deffo being a port town is what helped to form us and our city.

So thats what i think culture is,a places people,in the case of my city i guess were pretty outgoing or even cocky by nature,a bit bolshie and cynical as well maybe.

So do you agree,is culture about THINGS or PEOPLE?

[BritChickx]

I'd say culture is a certain way a group of people live or history of different cultures/era's which is shown in buildings/museums etc

[pablo]

Yeah fair do's it is,but i think its to do with influences on a place as well,IE loads of seafarers used to travel to america from lpool,those seamen brought back blues music,that blues music was what inspired the beatles members to get involved in music,hence a whole new concept/movement came about...the merseybeat?

So i think its INFLUENCES that make a place,and therefore give it its culture/its persona(if a city can have a persona?,i thinkthey do)

[Guest Jarper]

"the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization" (Princeton)

 

So yes, it's the people, though obviously these things are influenced by the surroundings

[Guest JT1977]

Is it the people or the place? Can it not be both? For instance, the place influences the people and the people add to the place. When talking about culture, or, more specifically, Australias lack of, may I point out the burgeoning culture of the Chav in the UK? Definately a culture, or at the least, a subculture.

 

You talk of Liverpool, in Sunderland there are many similarities. The people are fiercly working class, staunch Labour supporters (even though many do not actually know their policies). Since the closing of the pits and the ship building industry, Sunderland has lost a lot of it's identity, but the culture still remains, they are still proud of the mining and shipping past. Football is not just a sport, like many northern towns, it borders on religion.

 

You can find many people who are not into football or are more interested in the areas past prior to the pits, who are happy to discuss politics, but you may have to look out for them, as the city really does live up to it's own self perpetuating stereotype.

 

When living in the countryside, at first, many of them seem like friendly, uneducated yokels, however scratch under the surface and it is due to regional tribalism, they do care about politics, but, insofar as how it affects their area.

 

Yes, I am aware that a lot of what I have said does subscribe to certain stereotypes, but the stereotypes exist for a reason. Culture is different things for different people, with higher priorities on different aspects.

[pablo]

Agreed it can be both JT,good call,thats basically what i was saying tbh,IE the river/Irish sea has had a massive influence on Lpool,likewise the shipbuilding in Lairds similar to Sland in a way,so yeah fair do's.:wink:

[Guest JT1977]

Yeah fair do's it is,but i think its to do with influences on a place as well,IE loads of seafarers used to travel to america from lpool,those seamen brought back blues music,that blues music was what inspired the beatles members to get involved in music,hence a whole new concept/movement came about...the merseybeat?

So i think its INFLUENCES that make a place,and therefore give it its culture/its persona(if a city can have a persona?,i thinkthey do)

 

Definately! And that is without taking the people into consideration. Look at the monstrous city concrete flats, the sort that are always in The Bill, it looks miserable and depressing, is there any wonder they end up crime ridden areas? I am aware that it becomes more complex than that, such as the sort of people who end up living in slums tend to come from the much more poor backgrounds than most of us.

 

Then go to somewhere such as Salisbury, it is a lovely city that does, even on the most busiest of days, exude a relaxed charm. Yes, there is money in the city, but the surroundings helps to give you a more relaxed feeling.

[Guest Guest 47403]

I think a lot of people mistake the arts and what they deem as intelligent conversation as culture.

[Guest guest37336]

Hi ya Pablo.

 

If I was to use your example then in all honesty I would say that where I live is 'culture less', I live in a fairly homogenised urbanised town made up of mainly commuters into London, (hence they call themselves Londoners,:mad::biglaugh:) and you could in all probability transfer this town into many areas of the South east and feel exactly the same.

 

It 'seems' to me that the closer to London people live it becomes very samey and not a lot of differences mate. But when you actually hit the innermost outskirts of London (Brixton, Whitechapel, etc, not the square mile etc) then culture well and truly hits you in the face, the people, smells, foods etc then scream out culture to me.

 

I think a lot of the people 'up north' and east, south and west then the 'cultures' become very evident mate, they seem to have retained a certain 'personality and character of all their own.

 

To some up mate, to a degree if you live within thirty miles of London it becomes homogenised and very sterile. This is of not taking into the account of all the lovely little villages we have around here mate, lovely to see and 'feel.

 

But once a town gets bigger near London it does in my opinion become a sort of 'travel' hub' that loses a hell a lot of character.

 

Cheers Tony.

[Si T]

Culture is quite simply "how we do things around here"

 

People who deem the arts etc as culture are simply self important people who have to see themselves as on a higher plane to the rest of us for their own feeling of self worth.

 

My culture is to play footie on a Saturday afternoon, have a couple of pints afterwards and coach my under 8's on a Sunday morning. Thats the culture of me and my friends.

 

I am also a Chartered Management Accountant working as a Finance Director and also have an MBA. My job is seen as one of the "Professions", whatever that means, and is supposed to be one of those jobs which would coincide with "cultured" people.

[gpo1971]

The culture argument always makes me laugh. Like everyone in the UK spends all their time walking round castles, art galleries, trekking across the Brecon Beacons etc.

Things must have changed a lot since I left 3 years ago because the vast majority of the country were watching X-Factor, Dancing on Ice and sitting in on PlayStations when I left.

There is plenty to do here culture wise if you seek it out. If you point blank refuse to do that, or even accept that its there, then there's no point discussing it.

[Guest chris955]

It's what you find in yoghurt.

[Exile]

everyone in the UK spends all their time walking round castles, .

after living in Sydney for 3 years I finally went back on a holiday and strangely this was honestly one of the first things I did! By no means did I do this when I was there, but I knew I could. It was only when I couldn't, that all I wanted was a bloody castle :-)

 

Culture is a hard thing to quantify and then its an even harder thing to compare across nations. Although I believe "culture" is a human and not a country's trait, its directly influenced by a huge array of factors; be it architecture, history, wildlife, geological environment, art, music etc

 

These things can be incorporated into how you 'display' your culture, but its their effect on you and the subsequent way in which you behave and reference them that is "culture", in my opinion.

 

Interestingly, I have re-read my post and can now conclude that I have no idea what culture is because I can barely define it, but I'm from Europe so I must be brimming with it :biggrin:

 

Things like chavs I would like to put into a temporary sub culture category, because I am extremely optimistic that they will all either die out, or be sectioned away :biggrin:

 

I did hear an amusing joke about culture though, (sorry Australians, don't shoot the messenger):

 

Whats the difference between Australia and some yoghurt?

If you leave yoghurt long enough it will develop its own culture

[Guest Guest16631]

culture is dictated by the people.............................without them they are just buildings............people take their culture with them..............take all the china towns........an area in a foreign country totally given over to their culture.............the buildings are the skeletons on which a culture is grown...................australia was a country inhabited by an aboriginal culture............how much is left.............just a thought...........................:smile:

[Guest RichB]

Australian culture includes :

 

The foulest tasting, weakest, most overpriced beer I have ever tasted.

Watching a load of tattoed numptys chasing an egg shaped ball around a field.

The new Holden Ute..

Property portfolio which is on the verge of collapse and they still cant see it..

They surely are a gullible lot that believes everything nanny tells them...

[Guest Guest16631]

 

don't forget the vegemite..............mate

[Guest guest36762]

after living in Sydney for 3 years I finally went back on a holiday and strangely this was honestly one of the first things I did! By no means did I do this when I was there, but I knew I could. It was only when I couldn't, that all I wanted was a bloody castle :-)

 

Culture is a hard thing to quantify and then its an even harder thing to compare across nations. Although I believe "culture" is a human and not a country's trait, its directly influenced by a huge array of factors; be it architecture, history, wildlife, geological environment, art, music etc

 

These things can be incorporated into how you 'display' your culture, but its their effect on you and the subsequent way in which you behave and reference them that is "culture", in my opinion.

 

Interestingly, I have re-read my post and can now conclude that I have no idea what culture is because I can barely define it, but I'm from Europe so I must be brimming with it :biggrin:

 

Things like chavs I would like to put into a temporary sub culture category, because I am extremely optimistic that they will all either die out, or be sectioned away :biggrin:

 

I did hear an amusing joke about culture though, (sorry Australians, don't shoot the messenger):

 

Whats the difference between Australia and some yoghurt?

If you leave yoghurt long enough it will develop its own culture

 

:shocked::shocked::swoon:

[Exile]

don't forget the vegemite..............mate

 

someone's wiped their arse on bread again :biggrin:

[Exile]

:shocked::shocked::swoon:

would you be happier if they bred, grew and became the dominant culture/species?

it would be like a burberry sponsored version of the movie Idiocracy :biggrin:

[Guest guest36762]

would you be happier if they bred, grew and became the dominant culture/species?

it would be like a burberry sponsored version of the movie Idiocracy :biggrin:

 

I thought they already were

[ali]

Australian culture includes :

 

The foulest tasting, weakest, most overpriced beer I have ever tasted.

Watching a load of tattoed numptys chasing an egg shaped ball around a field.

The new Holden Ute..

Property portfolio which is on the verge of collapse and they still cant see it..

They surely are a gullible lot that believes everything nanny tells them...

 

Welcome to PIO, quite a first post ... or did I miss your introduction in the welcome thread?

[Guest guest36762]

Welcome to PIO, quite a first post ... or did I miss your introduction in the welcome thread?

 

consider that a ticking off mate

[ali]

consider that a ticking off mate

:nah:

[gpo1971]

Australian culture includes :

 

The foulest tasting, weakest, most overpriced beer I have ever tasted.

Watching a load of tattoed numptys chasing an egg shaped ball around a field.

The new Holden Ute..

Property portfolio which is on the verge of collapse and they still cant see it..

They surely are a gullible lot that believes everything nanny tells them...

 

He he, you mean like Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Lambrini, Thunderbird Cider, Vauxhall Corsa, a pint a pie & a fight are all great examples of British culture? You might have brought the big guns out like Kerry Katona, Jordan and Jeremy Kyle!!!!

 

Real renaissance stuff that.

[ali]

He he, you mean like Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Lambrini, Thunderbird Cider, Vauxhall Corsa, a pint a pie & a fight are all great examples of British culture? You might have brought the big guns out like Kerry Katona, Jordan and Jeremy Kyle!!!!

 

Real renaissance stuff that.

 

Your examples made me smile ... thank you .. I needed a laugh:wubclub: