Cultural Differences Between Mike And Mark

l groups share similar spiritual values, but differ in how they respond to social and cultural problems. In the two video presentations, Mike and Mark differ in their attitudes towards racism and oppression given several considerations. Both Mike and Mark share similar spiritual beliefs that influence ways of dealing with the adversity and stress, but their responses to the discussion of racism vary in clarifying their cultural identity and self-identity in relationship with family, community, and personal history.

African-Americans and Whites have differing attitudes toward families. Mike’s (Garzon lecture A) family was described as close-knit with family values and commitment mentioned as the highest virtue. He stated that the men had influence in his family structure, despite the stereotype of the absent black father. Even though his father committed suicide, he stated that his grandfather had a strong influence on his life and his brother. Mark’s (Garzon lecture B) response to his family heritage was different in that he grew up in a single-parent household. In addition, his attitude on ethnicity was that ethnic heritage was not of much importance to him. These differences in attitudes occur not only in the family structure, but also affect their
Mike grew up in an integrated, diverse neighborhood, where he played with his neighbors just as if they were family. The black church was considered the therapeutic resource for the black community, as there was not a network of counseling services in his area. Although Mark and Mike grew up in small towns, Mark was not exposed to as many African-American groups growing up in the seventies. Mark expressed an intense interest in his closeness to Latino and Filipino families and culture. Compared to their attitudes toward community, their self and cultural identity is affected by their relationship with personal