Prism

Prism is a pretty big culture for me that's something I encounter everyday at school. I don't know how I didn't think of writing about it before! Must be an testament to how subtle and taken for granted cultures can be sometimes....

A lot of people at school seem to make assumptions about "Prism Kids." Smart, nerdy, Asian. Sometimes they assume stuck-up and overachieving, inflexible and socially idiotic.

I don't feel particularly limited by the stereotypes, though. While people announces such stereotypes, when people find out I'm a "Prism Kid," it doesn't seem like I'm treated any differently. I think ultimately, if people are receptive and willing to understand, stereotypes can be erased and eliminated quite effectively. When I tell people I'm a prism kid after having known them for a while, they're usually surprised, and kind of have an "Oh" moment that causes them to think that some of their original opinions don't really apply.

But thinking more about it, I also guess that some stereotypes, especially those tied to race, won't be as simple to resolve as being labeled "Prism." Being "Prism" isn't really something that's obvious from just looking at someone. On the other hand, someone's race is pretty obvious, and that creates a first impression the moment someone is seen. So the preconceptions are already in place, and a person can become close-minded towards someone they've already judged with stereotypes, regardless of how the judged person might actually be....

Being "Cultured"

What makes something "cultured"? What is that even supposed to mean?

Dictionary.com says it's means something is enlightened; refined.

But what does being enlightened or refined depend on?

It seems like knowing a lot of the "classics" whether in music, or literature, or art, is a qualification for becoming a cultured person.

I feel like this term is wrong. Being cultured, I think, should be about knowing all different aspects of a certain area. It annoys me when critics say something popular is trashy just because it's popular today. There must be a reason people all like it! Being commonly liked shouldn't make something lame or looked down upon.

By knowing pop culture, I think people can actually go far because it's information that they actually need and because it's what makes them a part of the society around them, not a society from 200 years ago. However, at the same time, I also guess knowing older stuff is also somewhat important, since all cultures are backed to some degree by history.

But the term really should be broadened to all things, from ancient to pop-culture :)

Maplestory

I thought I would write about my own interest-based culture, rather than ones I'm constantly surprised by :)

Although this makes me semi-hypocritical about Starcraft, I myself enjoy being a part of the Maplestory community. It's something that my friends scoff at, since some of them consider it silly, and not a "serious" game like STARCRAFT.

I don't really talk about Maplestory too much. Instead, there's a pretty interesting community within the game, I think. I realized, as I played, that I also just spoke another language while I played! It was automatic and imperceptible to me, but I guess if I ever discuss Maplestory with any of my friends who don't play, they would be just as confused as I am when I hear about Starcraft or baking.

While I get intimidated by Starcraft, these interest-based cultures must be something that one can get encultured into. I had to adjust to the maplestory culture, as did my friends for starcraft. It's amazing, then, that such a big change in how our minds work and how we think about things can be accomplished so gradually and imperceptibly.

Another Interest-Based Culture

I didn't know baking could be so intense....
....but apparently, it is.

I was trying to figure out what in the world the picture at the right ------> was a picture of, and all of a sudden I stumbled into the rabbit hole and found myself in a galaxy of pastries.

It's pretty similar to Starcraft-ism, really. There's a whole 'nother language that I don't understand, a ton of technology I don't know how to use, and an overall sense of awe and confusion I get when I try to immerse myself in such a foreign area....

It's (almost) sort of a culture shock. Is culture shock possible for interest-based cultures? Maybe not.....I guess culture shock would be more likely for nation-based cultures since nation-based ones are so broad--manners, food, language, beliefs, religion, society, politics, everything. When someone's being awed and confused from all sides, I'm sure the shock is much more than my baking surprise.

Gamers

I think I've been thinking about culture too much as a country-limited thing. But there's a lot of other different types of cultures, right?

For instance, infamous Gamers.
Starcraft is a big one, I think. I found out that Starcraft is one of the top reasons for divorce in Asia.....must be serious, then. And I think I see how that could happen! A lot of my friends talk about Starcraft all day at school. It's become a cultural wall, since i don't play! When my friends talk about Starcraft, i find myself zoning out because I have no idea what they're "mining" for, and what "Zergs", "Protoss", "Terrans" and "creep" are supposed to be.....(but you can see that I've heard the terms enough times to know they exist.....). They have an entire different language that they pretend is English!

So clearly, country divisions don't need to be the strongest ways for cultures to be formed. My friends are Korean-Starcraft-Player worshipers, and any language barrier definitely doesn't get in the way when they're watching Starcraft videos narrated in Korean so that they can learn more tactics....

Haha, I don't know how wonderful this Starcraft culture is, but I'm sure, then, that the principle that strong cultures can develop from common interests is a valid one!!