1. Cultural Symbols and Meanings

But also it varies from culture to culture this symbol, what is the meaning of this one for example, maybe in India, this is chota or thoda, it is very small amount, okay but look into other what other people in other countries they think. In Italy, it means that what exactly, do you mean. Or in Greece that is just perfect; that is just perfect, the same meaning, a same object but different meaning.

Symbols can have different meanings in various cultures. For example, a symbol indicating 'small' in India can mean different things in Italy and Greece. In Italy, it could imply confusion or inquiry about the meaning, while in Greece, it might indicate perfection. This highlights the importance of understanding cultural context.

Think of symbols as languages; just as the word 'hello' means different things in different languages, symbols also carry distinct meanings depending on the culture. For instance, a gesture like a nod can mean 'yes' in some places, while in others, it could mean 'no'.

Some meanings, some gestures are very universal like smile, if I smile you understand I am happy, okay and it is almost universal but for example, the thumbs up, okay in United States, it is a kind of positive reinforcement, in Russia and Australia it could be an offensive curse for this one.

Certain gestures, such as smiling, tend to be universally understood as expressions of happiness. However, other gestures like the thumbs up can vary significantly in meaning. In the United States, it is viewed as positive, yet in places like Russia and Australia, it has offensive connotations.

Imagine going to a foreign country and giving a thumbs up to a local; they might react negatively, not understanding your friendly intention. It's like using a phrase in other languages that has a completely opposite meaning.

so, also like this colour; red colour, the colour is red but it has different meaning in different cultural or different context. In the left-hand side, it means there is a police, there we understand that okay this is the police, something is an emergency, in the right-hand side, it is the red light that means you have to stop and in the middle, it means actually a brothel; the prostitutions.

Colors can carry diverse meanings based on context. For instance, the color red can symbolize urgency (like a police siren), a warning (like a stoplight), or even something negative (like a brothel). This emphasizes how context shapes interpretation.

Think of how colors are used in traffic signals: the color red universally means 'stop,' whereas its association with love or danger can change depending on the situation. It’s all about the surrounding context.

Similarly, we have language symbol used for written communications okay like nowadays, we are talking about emails, internets, downloading, texting which was not there just maybe 20 years before okay or maybe 30 years before so, which is very new to us.

Language symbols evolve over time, especially with technological advancements. Modern symbols for communication, such as emojis or text abbreviations, are relatively recent innovations. This shift illustrates how technology influences the way we communicate.

Consider how texting has changed our conversation style. Just 20 years ago, we didn't abbreviate words like 'LOL' or use emojis. Now, these symbols enrich our text communication but may confuse those unfamiliar with them.

Now, another important component of culture is the values and beliefs okay. What is that? Values are culture standard for what to do, what is good, what is not good to decide okay, so when somebody is gambling or somebody is very flamboyant or somebody is taking alcohol, we have some kind of values.

Culture heavily influences our values and beliefs. Values dictate what is considered good or bad in society. For instance, behaviors like gambling or drinking are seen through a cultural lens that determines their acceptability.

Imagine attending a different cultural event where drinking is celebrated, while in your own culture it may be frowned upon. Values differ widely and shape our understanding of behavior in various situations.

Then so, how to maintain that social interactions, we put social control that we called social norms okay. And these social norms are sometimes formal, sometimes very informal like you can put cover your hands when you were sneezing.

Social norms are the unwritten rules that govern behavior in society. They can be formal, like laws, or informal, such as covering your mouth when sneezing. These norms help maintain harmony in social interactions.

Think of how we instinctively say 'excuse me' when we interrupt someone. It’s an informal norm that facilitates polite social interaction, demonstrating mutual respect among individuals.

So that’s how culture works and gives us so, cultural context of risk is saying that culture matters, how people define, what is right or wrong, what is risky or not risky and in so, there are many examples.

Culture shapes our perceptions of risk and safety. What one culture views as risky might be considered safe in another. This illustrates how strongly our cultural background influences our views on risk.

Consider the difference in eating insects; in some cultures, it’s a delicacy, while in others it’s seen as unthinkable. Each view demonstrates how cultural context can redefine risk and safety.

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