RST 242Discussion Group SummaryDecember 10, 2017The lesson this week emphasized the importance of various cultural values when it comes to the environment. Every single person disagreed with the statement that taking a dominant perspective is the most efficient way to manage America’s natural resources. America is a very diverse country, and it would be detrimental to ignore the values of other subcultures that deserve to have opinions. Many people brought up a quote from the article Race, Ethnicity and Use of National Park System stating, “NPS will have an opportunity to develop an appreciation for the variety of recreation preferences and styles associated with different racial and ethnic groups, build new alliances with communities of color, and incorporate themes that reflect the diversity of cultures represented in the population” (Floyd, 1999). This was a very strong quote because it demonstrates how having many perspectives and being open to multiple ideas can have a positive impact in the world. Another important argument I saw that was brought up many times was that white Americans need to be more aware of their race and culture and the large influence they have in our society (Hitchcock, 2002). We have learned in previous lessons that Americans started to become materialistic and selfish, and these started to become the dominant views in America, but minorities had a different perspective. Some members brought up how Native Americans had different values that were based on history and their spirituality, as well as their families and homes. They also greatly valued the efficient use of our resources and protection of the nature because it had a great deal to do with their history and spirituality. This idea goes along with another point brought up my many students, claiming nature offers a way for many cultures to remember various memories from the past, especially many culturally related memories. “Memories of the past are often rendered invisible in the present, both in institutions and on the landscape” (Finney, 2014). This quote demonstrates how the Native Americans have many memories and traditions then have passed down, but because of the dominant American culture taking over, many of these memories are essentially erased from nature. This also applies to many other minority cultures because statistically we see that “nearly 1 in 4 U.S. citizens identified themselves as Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, or American Indian in the 1990 census” (Floyd, 1999), which shows that a large amount of the US population is a minority group that deserves to have their voices heard. This statistical evidence also shows that having a dominant opinion would not be efficient, especially because the population of minorities in the U.S is increasing. Overall, there are many reasons that a dominant position is not the answer to managing America’s natural resources because minority cultures deserve to have their opinions heard as well.References: Finney, C. (2014). Black faces, white spaces: Reimagining the relationship of African Americans to the great outdoors. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.Floyd, M. (1999). Race, ethnicity and use of the National Park Service. Social Science Research Review, 1(2).Hitchcock, J. (2002). Moving toward a multiracial future. In Lifting the White Vail: An Explorationof White American Culture in a Multiracial Context. Roselle, New Jersey: Crandall, Dostie, and Douglass Books,
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