Reference article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/books/review/Hochschild-t.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=culture&st=Search
It can be said in many parts of our world today that people have been changed or shaped by change to desire for change. Due to the advancement in technology and the speed at which new inventions appear on the market, people have been conditioned to think that rapid change is normal and should be encouraged. Yes, in the above-mentioned situations, rapid upgrading of technological devices is welcome, for it brings convenience and entertainment to the masses. However, in the area of culture, rapid change may not be beneficial and may even bring some undesirable consequences.
According to Geert Hoftstede, culture is the “collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another…includes systems of values and values are among the building blocks of culture.”
Culture is dynamic. However, this dynamism of culture can go both ways – it can either benefit society, or tear down the foundations people have worked so hard to build. As mentioned by the article, the states of families, classes (blue collar vs white collar) and especially marriage culture in the American society have undergone significant changes. Why? Perhaps these changes are the indirect result of all the changes going on around the world; in this fast-paced global economy, stability is scarce and hence insecurity prevalent. Leadership changes hands quite frequently. Corruption in governments is strife. More and more diseases are being discovered and increasing numbers of people are dying from them each day. Natural disasters, global warming, rising sea levels… All these once-rare occurrences are becoming the norm. As such, people all over are trying means and ways to achieve constancy, by working hard, and doing what they perceive as best for them. Because of this, … It is the relative instability of events in our personal lives and around the world that shape an individual’s desire to “search for change to change for the better”; therefore, the culture of the society (which is made up of individuals) is subject to these ever-shifting mindsets and hence cultural changes ensue.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteCulture is created by human, thus it can be destroy/change by them. However, I feel that culture changes not because of only technology advancement and natural disasters, it is also due to the fact that people from different ethnic groups are moving into urban cities together. When people ccome together, they bring in different ways of doing things. Hence, culture changes accordingly to how people adopt their lives with different people.
In all, there's no definite culture. It'll always be dynamic :)
Unlike Chuyuan, I don't think culture can be destroy, but yes I agree it can be changed. (Unless of course in your sense you mean culture is destroyed when it changes) As globalization takes step forward and as our society continue to improve, our cultures will definitely change. Even with a new implementation of a certain law, our culture would change. Imagine one day Singapore allows for homosexual rights. There will be drastic change in our societal culture.
ReplyDeleteI learnt about Geert Hofestede when I was studying for the 1 year in UOL. hahah! And I recall my lecturer pronouncing the name in a super hilarious way. He calls it "Geert HOFSTEDAHHHH!" You can ask sabrina, she'll tell you how funny it was!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about culture.
I think that culture plays a very important role in communication. It can either make or break. Differences in culture may lead to miscommunications. Imgagine putting someone with an extremely high context culture and collectivistic in America, which has a low context culture. I think it would be rather disastrous.
=) Kai Ting
ulture is an apparatus that holds society together. Cultural change is a reality. When confronted with changing cultures, there are a few positions to take: resist cultural change, promote cultural change, neutrality towards cultural change.
ReplyDeleteIt is, however, foolhardy, even dangerous, to place a value judgement on culture.
The reasons are numerous. To protect your culture, you must first envision it as the “ideal” culture. Under this “ideal” culture, one may either deem it superior or on equal standing, but unique from other cultures.
Those who deem their culture as superior or “unique but equal” may take the route of retreatism, but it is almost impossible to isolate oneself in this globalised world. Retreatism is a denial of reality - the consequence when this illusion is shattered remains to be seen. At best, the culture in retreat will remain blind. At its worst, anomie will drive such societies to abandonment of their culture or to take an active stance elaborated below.
Cultural superiorists may choose to propogate their culture, with variable means and controversial results. When Hitler ordered the Holocaust, it was to preserve the sanctity of the fictional “Aryan” culture. When American attempts to export its democracy, it is rooted in the conviction of the “American Way”.
The “rightness” of propogating or preserving culture cannot be judged - by whose culture can you set a benchmark? If culture A is the superior culture over cultures B to Z, who arbitrates it? Questioning it will place us in an eternal loop.
And people seldom have the patience to answer it.
Hi Liyin!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that cultural changes can go both ways, as we value things we have been taught from young, for example, in Singapore, the culture of shopping at wet markets, is diminishing as people today have shown a preference of shopping at supermarkets instead. Although I personally prefer supermarkets over to wet markets, I feel that it is a pity that such a culture is dying off, to suit the needs of the newer generation.
The benefits of this change would perhaps be for those who prefers imported food products, nicely sealed in packages, and shopping in a clean air conditioned environment, at any time we want. See increasing number of supermarkets offering 24 hours service, as compared to wet markets who opens for service, only in the morning.
Yet we are missing the positive benefits of a wet market, for example, store owners who know you by your name, who are often willing to help you cut the meat should you request and definitely the freshest supply of products.
Hey!
ReplyDeleteI guessed everything comes with both the good and bad outcomes. Change in culture may not be necessarily good as it changes people's lives and causes them to lead lives different from before. They may have to unlearn what they knew and input new thinking that will define their future.
I disagree with the point that people are trying to achieve constancy. Constant is the situation where we leave it as what they are and not trying to change it. People make effort to try reaching the levels they want to attain as they are not satisfied with the "constant" situation they are experiencing.
=)
culture is a very powerful agent. it can change a person's behavior as well as force a person to conform, or be labelled as a misfit.
ReplyDeleteciting Singaporeans as an example. where ever we head to, people can identify which country we hail from because of our kiasu actions and singlish.
take a closer look at the men who have just finished their national service term. one will find them communicating in occasional hokkien and peppering their conversations with army terms. a change in culture is always difficult and takes plenty of time to get readjusted. resocialization is another issue which affects humans deeply.
Heys Liyin
ReplyDeleteI agree that technological advancements can indeed influence culture. There can be a fusion of culture of like you said, erosion of it. By observing and interacting with others and being exposed to mass communication, we develop our own set of cultural norms that we all follow. Children aren't born knowing they should respect elders or think of themselves as individuals or know that some actions are rude to certain cultures. We learn cultural values and norms in the process of communicating with others.
This is sufficient to prove how culture is somewhat like clay, being able to be shaped and moulded according to internal and external influences. Both conscious and unconscious learning are continuous processes through which we learn language and internalise culture so that it is seemlessly part of who we are and how we see the world. As change becomes the only constant, how we view ourselves and others simultaneously changes to suit the variations.
yeah i agree that culture is dynamic and always evolving. in fact, culture has been changing at a faster rate today due to globalization and the blurring of lines between sets of different cultures. What is most important is that we learn to appreciate the differences between each other's culture and share the similarities.
ReplyDelete