The Destructive Attitude Towards Constructive Cultures English Language Essay

Cultural diverseness has long been labeled a positive facet to what it does to one ‘s individuality, given that many take for granted that holding several civilizations which co-exist together merely does admirations for the general worldly atmosphere. However, cultural diverseness can trip bad events as good. Often two different societies are in struggle with each other because of the cultural differences which separate them. In that mode the being of diverse civilizations within the same kingdom can be constructive or destructive, at times even both. This is the world of the affair. Nevertheless what concerns us is non the yesteryear of cultural diverseness, but its hereafter. To gestate a better hereafter, the lone feasible manner to look at cultural diverseness is that it is constructive, as it builds cultural consciousness and enriches people ‘s lives, rendering life a complex mosaic of alone individualities.

Culture is of the extreme importance, being a critical constituent in developing single ‘s lives, communities and the full humanity. It is a living receptacle of individualities, an indispensable component of societal coherence and an interface between past, present, and future coevalss. Culture is besides an of import tool for societal justness, every bit good as the sweetening of the psychological and mental wellness of persons every bit good as the function of adult females in society. Therefore civilization can non but be constructive. As a affair of fact the controversial issue whether or non civilization is constructive is non really about civilization itself but instead people ‘s attitude towards it and its diverseness.

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The manner of idea of people towards civilization and individuality is best described by Amin Maalouf, in his essay “ Deadly Identities ” . Maalouf states: “ These wonts of thought are profoundly rooted in all of us, because of this narrow, sole, bigoted, simplified construct that reduces the whole individuality to a individual belonging ” ( Maalouf 3 ) which shows how people perceive that civilization is non merely profoundly embedded in an person ‘s individuality but that individuality itself besides must hold one and merely one belonging, instead than a alone mixture of civilizations or experiences the person was exposed to. Maalouf continues by stating that “ Whoever claims a more complex individuality becomes marginalized ” ( Maalouf 2 ) which in bend creates bases for walls to be built between civilizations and people of different properties.

Furthermore, people tend to compartmentalise individuality, “ Half French and half Lebanese, so? “ ( Maalouf 2 ) , which in bend shows how sculpt a measure for the separation of civilizations adult male has taken in his manner of thought. “ The individuality can non be compartmentalized ; it can non be split in halves or tierces, nor have any clearly defined set of boundaries ” ( Maalouf 2 ) . What Maalouf meant to state was that individuality is a individual entity edge to be subjected to different experiences which in bend define an person ‘s individuality as being alone and particular.

Judith Cofer, in her authorship “ The Myth of a Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria ” explains how people ‘s attitude towards different civilizations and different people can bring down hurting and isolate on a more personal degree. “ These things can do you an island-not a tropical Eden but an Alcatraz, a topographic point no 1 wants to see ” ( Cofer 107 ) , and by “ These things ” Cofer meant the stereotyped behaviours people indulge in.

Stereotypes are created based on some thought of abstractfamiliarity, and they are by definition a normally held public and general belief about specific societal groups, or types of persons. “ ‘I idea you Latin misss were supposed to maturate early, ‘ as if I were expected to mature like a fruit or veggie, non merely turn into muliebrity like other misss ” ( Cofer 109 ) or “ the Hispanic adult female as the “ hot Tamale ” or sexual firebrand ” ( Cofer 108 ) . Gender stereotypes besides had an of import function in specifying a civilization, since every civilization had its manner of looking at adult females in their society. In the in-between E for illustration “ immature, really immature misss coming from ‘respectable households ‘ whose lucks had known better times and who for deficiency of a dowery were un-marriageable. A convent was the most suited option for these manque old maids ” ( Ghoussoub 146 ) .

Turning from a more personal caputs on mentality, to a broader more planetary position on cultural diverseness and its effects shows us that if adult male continues his manner of thought and his intolerance of difference, the universe would head into a far more unsafe clang than it already is in. Today our modern universe is in a changeless cultural clang which is the inevitable truth. Man is forced to conform to suit in a society where he chose to populate in order to experience accepted. Dima Hilal in her verse form “ ghaflah – the wickedness of forgetfulness ” explains how she found herself helpless in the United Stated to assist her fellow brothers in the Middle East, “ we know we can non assist anyhow ” ( Hilal 132 ) . Hilal besides exposes how unconsciously peoples ‘ heads are shaped to conform to the western civilization and how they are subtly forced to believing that the western civilization is more beautiful and more sophisticated. “ We wish our hair blonde our eyes and skin visible radiation ; we know Barbie looks better than Scheherazade ; we think Gallic makes us more sophisticated so we great each other with bonjour alternatively of salaam ” ( Hilal 132 ) . Furthermore a greater consequence of cultural stereotypes can be studied on a planetary graduated table, war. “ Our brothers and sisters spit up blood and dentition and CBS declares them ‘terrorists ‘ ” ( Hilal 132 ) . Terrorism is an illustration of a really general accusal bestowed upon Arabs and particularly Muslims, and ironically in the name of peace wars on “ terrorist act ” were waged.

On the other manus, the blending of civilizations is the simple arithmetic of creativeness and success in life. Cultural diverseness gives mankind the opportunity to travel on a ceaseless journey of ego find, and enrichment of the psyche. It besides spawns beauty and copiousness, giving a new definition of the universe we live in. Making the universe a more colourful topographic point to populate in.

Yet from stereotypes to planetary calamities, and from the compartmentalisation of individuality to people ‘s manner of thought, a reformation scheme must be built for guaranting a brighter and less unsafe culturally diverse hereafter of the universe. First of wholly, there it is an utmost importance to prosecuting in a duologue of international dimensions among civilisations which should be carried out with due regard for the values of moderateness, tolerance, common apprehension, democracy, societal justness, common regard and equality between states and peoples, in a manner that helps foreground the importance of cultural diverseness and its function in keeping societal coherence and set uping universe peace and security. Then we need to get down, on an international degree, stressingthe importance of cultural diverseness, since no constructive cooperation and echt intercultural duologue is possible in our ever-changing universe without the rule of cultural diverseness being confirmed as a requirement for guaranting coexistence and edifice a hereafter where peace and solidarity prevail. We besides need to lend distributing the values of international and intercultural duologue, peace and regard for cultural diverseness, while on the other manus rejecting all signifiers of intolerance, extremism, and stereotyped behaviour.

Therefore as a decision, in the current epoch of fast alteration and changeless developments, the function of cultural diverseness is of important importance to both individuality and the universe. Cultural diverseness seems to be constructive and destructive at the same clip conveying both joy and hurting to the universe. Yet for a brighter hereafter we must construct the bases of a different manner of thought and a different attack towards digesting what is different. This in bend will assist in the preservation of civilizations and cultural diverseness rendering our universe a fantastic and alone mix of colourss. In the terminal if one locks the doors, one merely lock himself in.

Mentions:

  • Maalouf, A. “ Deadly Identities ” . Les identite meurtrie. Grassat. Translated by Brigitte Caland for Al Jadid. ( 4, 25 )
  • Cofer, J. “ The Myth of a Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria ”
  • Hilal, D. “ ghaflah – the wickedness of forgetfulness ”
  • Ghoussoub, M. “ Red Lips ”

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