Not only do differences in culture separate groups of people, but people assign different meanings to their collective culture. The example the panel gave was that Russia sees culture as their major contribution to the world. They believe that Russia shares one culture and that it is the same for everyone. In contrast, the United States believes itself to be made up of many different sub-cultures and places far more importance on ideas than culture anyway.
I thought that the example of the different meanings assigned to culture in Russia and the US gave me new insight into the definition of culture and makes me understand just how complex the subject really is.
I think you make an interesting point about how different countries view culture differently. From the perspective of an American it certainly seems true that we see Russia as having one culture, but when we look at our own country we see that we have many different cultures for many different groups of people. I think, in some ways, it is a matter of perspective. When we look outward at other cultures we usually think of one predominant cultural image whether it be Russians in fur hats or Frenchmen sitting in cafes. Because we are removed from the culture we tend to be ignorant of the many different cultural groups that make up a country. I don't know a lot about Russia, but in France, for example, there are many different cultures outside of the typical Parisian image, including people from the French Riviera and the contested Alsace and Lorraine regions. This distorted perception also works the other way. While we see our own country as very multi-faceted when it comes to culture, other countries who only know about American culture through TV and movies may have a very different view seeing Americans as rich, lustful and violent. I think cultural diplomacy could help change this as it would allow countries to share a more in-depth view of the many facets of their culture.
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