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Mundane Objects

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Simple, mundane objects can hold an abundance of meaning to those who own them. For example, a collection of stamps may hold no meaning to some people, but to others, that collection might be their most prized possession that they have worked for years to complete. Collecting mundane objects is extremely common in the United States. In fact, Arnold, Graesch, Regazzini, and Ochs writes that “most U.S. households have a collector, even if it is a child collecting shells or stamps” (4). In other countries, though, collecting material items would be seen as a waste of money and space. There is an abundance of differences in material cultures around the world, and because of this, it is important to study what possessions people in different cultures value and what they do not. The image I have chosen to analyze comes from a home within the United States, although I am unsure of the exact region it is located. The image is of a refrigerator that appears to be extremely cluttered and unkempt. There appears to be …show more content…

From a simple image of a refrigerator, I was able to deduce many different values, race, class, gender, age, and approximate location of residence of the individual or individuals who own this refrigerator. All of these pieces of information add up to equal the owners’ culture. It is important to understand different cultures because as George Gmelch writes, “as the world’s economies intertwine and its societies move closer to becoming a ‘global village,’ it is more imperative than ever that we seek to understand other peoples and cultures. Without understanding there can be neither respect, mutual prosperity, nor lasting peace” (56). Being able to identify and understand different cultures is an important skill to have, even it is simply the ability to make assumptions about a person’s culture by examining a photo of a

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