What is Culture?

There's an advert for The Culture Show on BBC TV at the moment asking assorted people what they think culture really is.

So, what is it to you?

Last week myself and the better half walked all over York looking at the National Gallery copies York City Council has had put up on ancient building in the city. We also recently went to the art gallery to look at Stubbs' Whistlejacket and play with a still life exhibit (which is there to play with, before anyone thinks I'm a secret anti-art activist :p : ). We've even got tickets for some Shakespeare at an outdoor theatre in August and travel to Stratford often.

However, I still think watching Coldplay last night on BBC2 probably moved me more than the paintings and almost as much as the stage acting.

Art's fine, but culture is in words more than pictures for me.

My answer is Ali G.

It's the difference between a pot of yogurt and Australia :p :

Coldplay? With their album full of 3-year old Oasis songs? :p

I'd define culture as any experience which makes me use my brain above and beyond its usual level (ie not much!). So many things are dumbing down and it seems almost a national pastime to lower expectations and standards, so anything which challenges that is to be welcomed.

For me, culture is the beliefs and customs of a group of people and the manifestations of them

I agree with Drew, it's all about yogurt :)

Being a bit more serious though, I think that culture is a personal perspective, much like, What is style. Culture can be a part of a small community, to a region, a country, or even down to the individual IMO. Personal taste can be a part of how a culture is developed, as well as peer influence, and tastes. Thats my grasp of it JMO.

I think of culture as soceity really, in basic terms. Art (and in that I include music, literature and art etc ) reflects soceity and when I think of Culture it's like an amalgamation of all of those things together.

I know that's not a very coherant answer... my brain is tired.

Culture is found in a petri dish...........

And if you are very lucky...

It comes out looking like a work of art.

Culture is, IMO, the knowledge, of any kind, of a group (ranging from a person to Earths population).

Culture is the art of cultivating plant, e.g. agriculture, horticulture. :)

I think culture is all but impossible to define, unless you use the dictionary definition. It is so many different things to so many different people. This is why I really dislike the comment often made about immigrants — 'they don't share our culture'. What exactly is that culture? How boring would it be if everybody subscribed to the same set of cultural preferences and values?

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

I think culture is all but impossible to define, unless you use the dictionary definition. It is so many different things to so many different people. This is why I really dislike the comment often made about immigrants — 'they don't share our culture'. What exactly is that culture? How boring would it be if everybody subscribed to the same set of cultural preferences and values?

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:up: Indeed, what exactly is "our" culture other than a mish-mash of the various nations who have invaded us peacefully or otherwise over the centuries?

Rolf Harris. 'Nuff said.

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Originally Posted by Breeze

It comes out looking like a work of art.

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so that's how the national endowment for the arts apporpriates their fundings? ;)

Culture is a sense of belonging. :)

I'm an exchange student (For anotehr 13 days anyway!), and to put culture into words is near impossible. The experiences I've had whilst being an exchange student (been an exchange student for short and long term periods) can not be explained in words.

Words like... pride, belief, religion, identity, history and so on all come up in my mind when I think of culture... and those things, are too deep to try and explain...

Culture is everything from a McDonald's Hamburger to this internet Message board.

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Originally Posted by SOD

so that's how the national endowment for the arts apporpriates their fundings? ;)

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Apportions. They appropriate their funds through extortion of tax dollars. ;)

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Originally Posted by SOD

so that's how the national endowment for the arts apporpriates their fundings? ;)

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I have sneezed on a transparent dish. That'll be $3 million, ta. :)

In Romania we define culture from 2 points of view:

1- All the material and spiritual values created by humans and the necessary institutions to communicate this values.
That may explain why in your opinion a Coldplay song inspires you more than a Van Gogh painting.
2 Is related to a (high ) level of intelectual development that someone achives and makes him get various knowledge on diverse domains. All this knowledge is culture.
That may explain why in 50 years almost nobody will remember the Coldplay song while the van Gogh painting would still be at high price.

This is a question I've had to ask myself lately, because I'm doing a project on "youth culture". I've had to decide whether it is the culture of youths, or "youth culture". When I think of "youth culture" I think of the way youths behave, and the way they are thought of in society. But if I am doing the culture of youths, I think it will be slightly different, like what music and art and media they are into.

It's a tough question!

culture is what people think, what they do, and the material products they produce.