CHROMOSOMES AND CULTURE

There is a big difference between chromosomes and culture. Chromosomes determine whether we are male or female. Chromosomes also determine our biological makeup. We can have XY chromosomes if we are male and XX chromosomes if we are female.

There are also anomalies of chromosome makeup such as XYY and XXY and others. There are also other varying genetic disorders such as Downes Syndrome, which has a whole extra chromosome. There are also extra fragments of chromosomes that indicate genetic disorders.

Culture refers to the type of society and background a person comes from. Ethnic and language background denotes culture. There is such a thing as the American culture or the European culture. Every nation has a unique culture. Groups have a culture.

There is such a thing as culture among the gay community. Culture is what makes up diversity. Culture defines diversity. Diversity has to do with the many different cultures that exist and the differences between them.

There can be a music culture, prison culture, university culture. Each has a unique type of community and way of doing things.

So in a sense chromosomes can sometimes define culture. People of Downs Syndrome also have their own culture. People with physical disabilities have a unique culture. The hearing impaired have their own culture. The blind have their own culture. It is important to learn of these many different cultures. Although we are all equal, we are all different. There can also be a male culture and a female culture. We are alike in many ways but also different in many ways.

Men like doing some things better than other things. Men like playing pool, getting together with the guys, drinking, swearing, talking loud, working on carpentry things and mechanical things like cars, and watching football games. Women like cooking, taking care of children, cleaning, and going shopping. Sure there are some major lapovers such as Men become chefs and love to do the backyard barbecue. But this is more of a power type cooking than the little woman slaving over the stove in the kitchen. And some women like carpentry and fooling around with cars.

There are also physical differences between men and women that define their roles such as it is now known that women can not drink as much as men because they do not have the same enzymes in their stomach as men and therefore alcohol goes more directly into the bloodstream of the woman than of the male. (http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/alcohol/guide/info-alcohol.htm).

There are also the obvious differences between male and female such as the different sexual organs and the woman’s ability to give birth.

It is nice to think we are all the same, but the fact is that we are not the same. and we do have different cultures. But this does not say that we have different cultures as far as what country we come from, what language we speak, etc. If we are from the same country and speak the same language we are of the same culture. But then we may have a different background culture. Such as our genealogy is from many different cultures in America as it is in most countries. So we have culture within culture and all of these different cultures must be respected even those defined by chromosomes.

However all men have some female characteristics such as caring for their children and all women have male characteristics such as working in a male environment. Our male and female sides can be developed to more fully understand the opposite gender. As in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire where the husband reverses roles by becoming his wife’s housekeeper, we can all become more sensitive and caring about our opposite roles and we can even learn them. Thus the gender/chromosome differences can begin to unite and the culture becomes more congruent.