Creatures.

I can agree with Benedict’s assertion that our habits beliefs and impossibilities are shaped by our culture. I do not, however, believe that they are defined by it. I had the joy of growing up in a cultural melting pot. Early on it was difficult for me to understand the nuances of communicating with people due to accents, attitudes, and local slang. Like the Moroccan example from the text, eating dinner wasn’t just about dinner. Doing stuff didn’t always include doing anything. Because I interacted with people from different cultures, ethnicities, and countries on a regular basis, I was able to see how the regular interactions with other cultures could change the shaping that Benedict was speaking of.

It’s very dangerous to use something so broad scoped as culture as a basis for learned behavior. Someone who grew up here in America, but was raised by immigrants, would have their beliefs and habits shaped by family and society, which may not be the same. It would then fall to the individual to decide what things they would choose to absorb and imitate.