Ashley Case

Culture can be defined as the "relatively specialized elements of the lifestyle of a group of people that are passed on from one generation to the next through communication, not through genes" (DeVito 34). I share culture with the state of Colorado. Colorado had a variety of different cultures including, mountain culture, city culture and everything in between. I specifically belong to the mountain culture in Summit County. Many people share this culture with me. Colorado is an "outdoor playground" where people come to enjoy many mountainous activities. I belong to this group because I love the mountains and the "laid-back" environment.

Colorado has many specialized elements that affect the communication in this culture. The major element is this type of culture is winter activities, including skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. Winter activities are one of the biggest reasons why people are a part of the mountain culture of Colorado. Another element is the laid-back environment. Most people in this culture are very nice, they don't judge people (besides Texans who ski in jeans), they don't worry often and they enjoy the little things in life. This makes communication easy and understanding. Summer activities are another element of lifestyle that separates the Colorado culture compared to Las Vegas, or Boston.

I think that Colorado has both individualist and collectivist tendencies. Although, I think the Summit County culture of Colorado might have a little but more collectivist tendencies because a place like Summit seems to focus more on the importance of group values. In a collectivist culture, we take pride in everyone in our group. We all love to be outdoors and being active, whether it's a competition or not, we enjoy doing what we love.

The people in Summit County belong to definitely seems to be a high-context culture, in my opinion. In a high-context culture, much of the information in communication is in the context or in the person. I think people in Summit County like to build personal relationships rather than building relationships based on business. Their relationships depend on trust, build up slowly, and are stable. Decisions and activities focus around personal face-to-face communication, often around a central, authoritative figure. High-context cultures like Summit prefer groups for learning and problem solving.

Summit County is both a masculine and feminine culture. The people in this culture think that men and women are equal. Both men and woman are hard-working, strong, competitive, and also have concern for relationships and quality of life. They go to work, provide for their families, and take care of everyday duties. They also are capable of participating in all the activities Colorado offers. They enjoy similar activities and lifestyle.

I think that Summit is a high-ambiguity tolerant