Does Culture Matter?
WHAT IS CULTURE?
To put it very simply, ‘culture’ is our way of life. We display our culture through our values, beliefs, customs, religious practices, languages, food, clothes, and how we interact and behave with each other. Indeed, our historical monuments, places of worship, and even buildings and homes are also real and tangible examples of our culture.
Every social group, whether large or small, has its culture and how the group behaves helps us to identify and differentiate it from others. For instance, we may identify a group as ‘Japanese’ because we observe its members bowing respectfully to each other in greeting, and we know that bowing is part of Japanese culture.
Like bowing, cultural behaviour is often established at the formation of a social group, which in this case is Japan. Because Japan has a long history, this means that its culture has also been around for centuries! Countries with long histories may have patterns of behavior so ingrained within their social group that when there are new members, these patterns are taught to them and accepted.
Some social scientists believe that culture can be so ingrained in people that it can be passed down through genetics. For instance, if a parent is a talented painter, then his or her child will also be a talented painter. However, other social scientists argue that cultural behaviours are learned from and shared with others within their family, community or social group. If you grow up in a household where your mother is an artist who is constantly painting, you will be more likely to learn to paint at an early age, thus providing you with more exposure and sensitivity to art than most children. As a result, you would be more likely to be a painter yourself. Negative cultural behaviours such as drug addiction or violence and physical abuse are also passed on to children in a similar way.
NEGATIVE CULTURE
Unfortunately, not all cultural practices or patterns of behaviour are legal or civil. In some cultures, arranged marriages of infant children still take place because the girl’s parents may view an unwed adult daughter as a disgrace and a burden to their family. Societies with a legal age for marriage, however, will certainly deem such infant marriages illegal.
Another example of negative culture is racism. Sadly, racism is part of life for many social groups around the world. Whether these groups are racist or are victims of racism, the reality is discrimination and prejudice can shape views about religion, politics, gender, race and language. In extreme cases, racism can become the standard behaviour of some groups, bringing them into conflict with other social groups.
As you can see, a cultural practice that is accepted by one social group can be illegal or unacceptable in another. Cultural patterns are, therefore, not the same for all social groups.
CULTURE CHANGE
For centuries, women in both Eastern and Western cultures did not have the same rights, education or even status as men. Women were regarded as physically and mentally inferior. By the start of the 20th Century, women began to speak out against the cultural patterns that had been long-held against them. One such group is the National Women’s Party (NWP), an American women’s organisation formed in 1916. The NWP protested outside the White House in America and took on politics. They eventually had the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution ratified in 1920, thereby granting women the right to vote.
Another change occurred during World War II when women flooded into factories to work, producing weapons and other war equipment. They took the place of the men who had gone off to war. Prior to this, few women worked outside of the home.
Despite how cultural patterns of behavior may be deeply ingrained into social groups, cultural behaviours can change and evolve over time, for the better or worse. Some societies may strive to improve their behaviours or to keep up with technology. Other societies find it hard to acknowledge that their practices are unacceptable or have become obsolete. Sometimes, a smaller faction within the social group begins to evolve, creating a new sub-culture.
Nonetheless, we cannot deny that social behaviours and practices allow social groups to develop their identity. While a social group can create a culture, culture is also influential in shaping the individuals within the group. Therefore, culture matters a great deal.