Welcome back!

Sometimes culture has far more factors affecting it than ethnicity. I came across a series of videos on Youtube which chronical the evolution of dance in America. It’s entertaining, comedic and nostolgic.

It also got me to thinking our so many characteristics that make us unique are all variable when it comes to culture. There are so many aspects that change with characteristic that makes up our lives. From where we live, how we live, who we love, where we work and what we do to make a living. Even how we dress,what we eat and how we seek leisure places is largely affected by our culture.

I’m sure I’ll come up with additional insights on the role culture plays on dance.

But for now…enjoy the videos.

When I began marketing my book and this blog, I started joining all the virtual social networks I could find. I definitely joined more than I could ever keep up with, but it has been beneficial. Everyday I receive alerts notifying me of industry folks who are following Sable Lit Reviews on Twitter. I’ve reconnected with old school chums via FaceBook and had recruiters contact me on LinkedIn.

I’ve also created a bunch of pages on the several Ning groups of which I am a part. The best thing is that I don’t have to update them regularly to be effective. I have plugged a blog feed into those sites and they update everytime I update this blog.

I became a believer when a recruiter from a major for-profit unversity contacted me about my writing. The marketing company associated with the school was looking for a copywriter. While nothing materialized from it, I would have never had the opportunity to investigate it without my involvement in social media since I was not familiar with the marketing group.

If for no other reason, join the social media tidalwave for the connections and opportunities it can bring regardless of your business, product or professional skill, not to mention the endless supply of culture you’ll encounter. It will grow to be one of the biggest activities online.

Often when it comes to trying new things we may not be as willing to give a new experience the chance it deserves. Part of being enamored of multiculturalism is being willing to explore different cultures that may not suit the norm. It goes beyond trying a diferent dish at your favorite restaurant or reading a book from a genre that differs from your favorite one.

I have the perfect example that happened to me a couple of days ago. On Friday morning I received a text message from a friend regarding an extra ticket she had to a Mary Mary concert happening the next night. Frankly, because I have been listening to the same ten CDs in my car and only listening to my favorite artists on Slacker Radio online, I just assumed Mary Mary was a new nickname for Mary J. Blige instead of the name of a new music duo. (They are actually not that new, just new to me). Of course in my confusion, I texted her right back and expressed delight at the opportunity to go.
Something told me to investigate this a little further. After all, if it was Mary J. Blige, wouldn’t my friend have just referenced her in that way?

Good ol’ Google, I punched in Mary Mary to find that they are a Christian singing duo with an R&B sound. Since I hadn’t of them, my immediate response was to contact my friend back and decline the offer because 1) I hadn’t heard of them 2) I thought it was Mary J Blige and 3) I felt it might be better if someone who had actually heard of the group would get the chance to see them for free. Then I started thinking about my blog and my emphasis on being open to multiculturalism. Just like ethnicity, food and gender, music and religion are also a culture. So I when to another great site, YouTube, to find video of their music. Among the songs listed, I found one that I had actually heard before.

Now I was convinced. I would go to the show and give these singing sisters with the beautiful voices a chance. I arrived too early and just waited in the parking lot. I love to people-watch so it was easy to spy on all the concert-goers as they arrived. Most of them were African American. Yes the singing duo was African American also. So that wasn’t a surprise. Even the varying age ranges came to know surprise to me. There were singles, couples with and without children and people old enough to be grandparents. There were people dressed like it was a concert with their skimpy attire and those dressed in their Sunday best.

When we finally got in, I people watched some more until the warm-up acts were finished. The duo finally came on and I was very impressed. It was one part concert, one part church service and one part religious revival. I was interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. While I don’t attend every Sunday, I’m no stranger to church service and the natural order of how they function, however, I was slightly disoriented by the church like behavior in a concert like setting. By the varying degree of dress and undress, I wasn’t alone. I was greatful though, that I wore jeans and a sweater. Gotta love a state like Arizona where you can were nice jeans just about anywhere!

I’m glad I gave Mary Mary a chance. I foresee adding them to my Slacker Radio channel in the near future.

I  know lately I’ve talked a lot about this time of change we’re in. Not just the change in government or the personal change that I’ve been undertaking, but the global change that is happening as well. In some instances its not about the change for something new or different but a revisiting of something old or seemingly lost.

Three years ago, I wanted to broaden my professional experience so I took a job in a telephone sales environment. I never thought I could sell anything by phone. I’ve paid  my dues in retail both in commission and non-commission positions but never saw myself as a telephone sales personality.

I attempted the task, because I knew as a writer I was going to need to understand how to sell in any environment. It’s not about hocking your wares to the buyer because you need the sale or the revenue. I was taught it was about finding what need your product or service could fulfill for the buyer. Essentially the proverbial “What’s In It For Me” idea.

In the last five to ten years we’ve had a lot of little catch phrases like that…Consider these:

- What’s in it for me

- What you see is what you get

- What would so&so do? (Fill in ‘so &so’ with the name of your mentor or guide etc)

What I have found has been lost and is now coming back is the idea of looking out for your fellow man. As the economy continues its roller coaster ride I am finding that people are becoming more kind to strangers.

I was sitting in a restaurant and a lady I had not noticed when I entered, came up to  my table and handed me a coupon for a free meal. She wasn’t an employee of the restaurant, just another diner who saw an opportunity to share the savings.

She handed me the coupon for the restaurant we were both dining in, and said “This is good for a free meal, it ends today.”

I was so surprised; one because I never saw the lady until she was standing by my side and two because I have been experiencing an increase of similar gestures for the last 6-12 months or so. I thanked her repeatedly, but it also made me realize that this was happening far less when we as a nation felt far more prosperous. It’s that sense that we are all in this together and if we can help a stranger, why not?

There’s some irony in the fact that many of us tend to give more when we have less than when we are in abundance. It also made me consider who is watching out for you when you aren’t looking.

Sometimes what is the most difficult or uncomfortable is what brings out the best in us.