Cultural Ignorance

What comes to mind while reading this: broken, uneducated, hard to understand? In today’s society we are quick to label others, all without considering their background or the influences of their culture. However, it is our cultures that have shaped us into who we are without us even knowing. Our perception of the world around us has been hindered because of cultural ignorance. Education is one of the dominating factors in our lives. For some, it is their education--or lack thereof--that will be the deciding factor in the outcome of their lives; therefore, with such a large influence on our futures, how do we not take into account an individual's past? We have started using “education as [an] exercise of domination [stimulating] the credulity
In our minds, we believe the start of their story is when they become successful, hindering our perception of success. They are written off as “lucky,” every single one of them: whether they are a computer programer, a composer, an athlete, or simply someone good at math. Yet, it’s not just “luck.” “We [are] be able to predict which countries are best at math simply by looking at which national cultures place the highest emphasis on effort and hard work” (Gladwell). Gladwell and Tan both analyze the reasoning behind “Asian students. . .[do] significantly better on math achievement tests than in English” (Tan). It’s not something they just happen to have, it had to be passed down. Gladwell references to this as “cultural legacies.” In “Rice Paddies and Math Tests,” Gladwell explains how the major factor behind Asians having a higher math I.Q. is, “[the] big difference in how number-naming systems in Western and Asian languages are constructed.” Due to Asian language not having students perform another step--converting words into number--they are able to learn numbers fast: making them learn basic math sooner too. The hard work put in by past generations influences the work ethic of their descendants. Not only is it hereditary, but it is also found in their home life. Most second generations have immigrant parents; therefore, they have been raised with simple English. These factors push ethnic students away from English majors and paths due to their cultural background. This pushes them towards analytical classes, math. Therefore, by preventing them from taking English pathways, we are forcing a hard-working culture into a single job field because our perception will not allow us to