Culture & Heritage, Does it Define You?

One of my secret pleasures is watching “Independent Lens” on Louisiana Public Broadcasting. (LPB) I really do enjoy being able to see how different people view the world. Independent Lens almost never fails to deliver something new and interesting.

Tonight they showed a film called “Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness.” It is the story of anthropologist Melville Herskovits (1895-1963), whom Harvard professor Vincent Brown calls "the Elvis of African-American studies." The son of Jewish immigrants, Herskovits founded the nation's first major African studies program. It was, truly, a very interesting film that posed the question “who had the right to define culture?” Mr. Herskovits believed that 1940’s black culture was not pathological but derived from black roots in Africa.

This then lead me to begin thinking about today’s society. How do the roots of our heritage affect today’s culture? By culture I mean the anthropological view which is: the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another. Those who know me well you know I often make jokes about my Mexican heritage. At times I’ve even made jokes about European heritage and my mysteriously cloaked and unconfirmed Italian heritage.

As I sit back and think about it all I’m not sure if I truly allow either one to affect who I am. Yes I’m trying to learn a little bit of Spanish, in part due to heritage but mostly at the moment due to my relationship with my Imelda, my girlfriend. Yet all together, I don’t really believe my heritage has affected the outcome of who I am. Is that sad? Possibly…

Why is that? I look at many of my friends who are my age and they too seem not to care too much about their ancestral home. Yet, at the same time, have many friends who are deeply submerged in their heritage. We see people who are deeply involved in their African heritage, their Mexican heritage, or their Italian heritage. But let me ask you this, what is American heritage?

Does the region of your past family members dictate who you are and how you act?

Am I saying we shouldn’t honor and respect those who have come before us and where they come from? That we should ignore the struggles early immigrants of today and yesterday have made? To quote the great Apostle, “By no means!”

I whole heartily believe in the honoring of our forefathers. Both American and non American, after all if it were not for immigrants then the only people here would be Native Americans. I love to see the embrace of cultural art, life, and experience! I love to see the crossing and mixing of such things to create and birth new cultural art, life, and experience. In truth I believe if we do not grasp our past we can not truly find our future. I also believe if we do not allow our cultures to collide and mingle then humanity as a whole will become dull, boring, and worthless.

What I struggle with, however, is from my stance as a Christian. Culture is one thing but what happens when culture contradicts scriptural principles and truths; when culture puts you under bondage that God never meant for you to have. Is there room in scripture for culture?

Absolutely, however, when culture contradicts an absolute truth, then something must change.

Couple of examples; let’s take the culture of middle/upper class white American society. (please, take note these are generalizations and not true for the whole) Some work hard and do their very best to provide. Many live in nice houses in fantastic areas. Many believe that if they were able to work their way to the top then everyone should be able to do so too. To a point this is true, however, there is often a slight problem that appears in this society. The concept of elitism comes into play. The idea of I made and if you can’t too bad.

Does having the best shoes, the best car, the best schools, make you superior than the rest? Should you act and think as so? What happens when a person of this class looks out across “poor America?” Do they see themselves as better?

Here is where culture must bow to scripture. Just because you are by appearance more than another, scripture often lifts the humble, the meek, and the poor. In fact in the ultimate example of what we should be like, we see the highest of them all, lowering himself to the lowest of positions.

Is it wrong to be rich and have nice things? By no means! Is it wrong to be rich, have nice things, and think that you are truly better than everyone? YES! Again the Apostle Paul places us all on equal ground stating “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Now lets look at lower class black culture. (again it is stated that this is a generalization of a few not the whole) Here in Louisiana, I’ve noticed, there is an interesting teaching being bread into our children. I remember a conversation with my friend, Tacoya (T.C.), where he remarked on something his grandfather had taught him.

Essentially he was told that if anything is ever not going your way, you should blame it on the fact that you’re black. The black man is poor because the white man doesn’t want blacks to succeed. If things aren’t going your way then it’s not your fault. You’re not to blame, it’s someone else’s.

As sit back and look across the black community around me, I see this concept in many people. What this has brought into the community is the concept of it’s always someone else. I never have to take responsibility. I never need to answer for my actions. I never need to take care of myself.

Again here is where culture must bow to scripture. Scripture says that you can succeed, that God can help you to overcome all obstacles. Scripture also dictates that we are responsible for our own doings. If you don’t put the effort into something then it is your fault if you don’t succeed. The Bible says that God will provide a way out of temptation , but it doesn’t say he’ll force you to make the right choice. You have to make that.

To be fare on both sides of the issues, when I was in collage I had a conversation with a sociologist. Sadly, and to my shame, I can not remember his name; but will happily report back when I remember. In our conversation he state quite simply:

“The problem with racism today is that neither party knows the facts. White people think that everything is on equal ground and that blacks do have the same opportunities as whites. However, the problem is that the average income for a black male still staggeringly lower than the average white male. Blacks are still socially struggling to get up.

The blacks feel that the white man is still trying to hold them down, when the reality is that most white people don’t perceive that there is even a problem. In truth if many black people do try, they will succeed”

Above I’ve shown two example of where culture conflicts with scripture. So again I ask, what do you, me, us, allow to define who you, me, us, are?