Culture

I found an article about the Somalian culture in the New York Times.

“MARINE Cpl. Charles Cox landed here expecting to see starving children in a grim tableau of misery and death. In his first week, though, Corporal Cox drove by lush farms and grazing land for cattle and other livestock that rivaled the richest countryside near his hometown, Mobile, Ala.”
This quote from the beginning of the article really stuck with me. Many people have already painted a picture in their mind about what certain cultures look like. This story goes to show that unless you have lived in a culture or have experienced it, you don’t know what it looks like or is about. Throughout the article, the author talks about how Somalia is perceived to be mostly one thing, like Muslim. But as the author found out, other religions, like Christianity, are beginning to show up. In the article it talks about how soldiers, stationed in Somalia, do not see the large number of hunger people that the news shows. Instead, they see curious people, who want to learn of a new culture and way of life. I think that it is important to learn and experience a culture before you paint a picture in your head because the media and news dwell on the negative and cultures are built of so much more than problems.

Schmitt, Eric. "THE WORLD; Somali Culture Holds Surprises, Some Pleasant, For American G.I.'s." New York Times. (1992)