The Culture Gap

In an article for the Wall Street Journal last July, Brink Lindsey evaluates the perceived significance of culture to how societies and individuals react and interact. Lindsey opens his article by advocating that the significance of culture in social, political and economic issues should not be limited to statistical information. Similar to previous class discussions, he views culture as a dynamic force that permeated all perceptions, decisions and compromises made by society and individuals however, at the same time, culture is created by people.
His main concern is that despite the effort to limit the impact of culture as a divided or factor in social exclusion, there is still evidence of it as a factor in inequality statistics. This conditions has not been limited as a social concern but as having economic and political impacts. Analysis There is significant suggestion of a dichotomy which creates a duality that makes culture both a driver and product of the social experience. These views of culture is supported and validated by research. There is a current focus on developing literature and research that recognizes culture.
Though the trend maybe motivated by a realization of the need to develop better cultural understanding and interaction, a greater motivation may simply the need to develop better competencies because of internationalization. This is not to say that Lindsey’s assertions are moot: his article provides simple and direct examples of the cultural changes and their development in the last two decades. More importantly, Lindsey is able to cite the prevalence of cultural challenges without being an alarmist.

In conclusion, the significance of culture in research and practice needs to be supported by dialogue and the development of effective and sustainable efforts to mitigate any negative impacts. This is because culture is an intrinsic element of any society and will continue to influence not only current social conditions but developing ones as well.
Reference
Lindsey, Brink (2007)The Culture Gap. Cato Institute, July 9. p. A15. Retrieved on October 11, 2007 from http://www. cato. org/pub_display. php? pub_id=8489