the effect of westernization on our cultures
Westernization has been a pervasive and accelerating influence across the world in the last few centuries, with some thinkers assuming westernization to be the equivalent of modernization. It has been a serious threat and is establishing a strong base in many people slowly wiping out their culture. Westernization has greatly affected our traditions, customs, family, and our love and respect for others. According to today people find it " cool " to follow the western culture. People find eating with their hands now wrong just because of their friends that have come from a completely different background. No! this should not be the way. We should be proud of who we are and preserve our cultures. If you don't follow your culture then who will? If you can't take care of this rich, unique identity that you have... your status will drop and you will have nothing to guide in your life. How boring is it, for everyone in this world to have the same lifestyle, food, clothing etc. We have cultures that make us our life and we must make use of it in the right way. People are blindly following the western culture without knowing its consequences.
In many cases today, children try to avoid their parents for foolish reasons that we shouldn't care about such as their accent or the way they dress. We must learn to be ourselves. It is good to come modernized but it also has a limit. There's no harm in taking goods from the west, but this does not mean that we should completely adopt it and pretend to be western and misrepresent our identity. The western culture is trying to snatch the rich cultural heritage that we have within us. It is very unfortunate today, that the new generation does not have any knowledge about their culture which is not their fault, but the fault of the parents who did not teach them and enlighten them about the importance and true colour of their culture. It is not only important for us to follow our cultures but to also understand it and make use of it wisely. Today cultures have been subjugated and dominated by the west. Our cultural practices have paved way for foreign way of doing things. Can you believe that in most schools today, speaking another language apart from language leads to a punishment!
In addition, language plays the most important role in providing each community with an identity. There is a general agreement that if language is lost, it harms the cultural diversity of the wider society. Although there are also positives too of the influence of westernization on culture however, we are only looking at the negatives as that is what people should be concerned about.
Some of the real life situations, i have observed:
-Our community the Bohras used to eat together with our family using a thaal (large stainless steel plate) and eat using our hands. However, today the western world has made us shy to eat with our hands and using a thaal. Therefore today we use fork and knives to eat and use plates and bowls on a table.
-Before we used to wear traditional clothes like Sherwani for the men and saris for the women during weddings and other functions but today as people are getting more modern and as they have got ashamed of their clothes and find it downgraded, we ignore our cultures and wear suits and dresses for the women.
- People used to speak their languages freely and openly but today the western culture has taken so much priority that people feel shy to speak their mother tongue and always speak English.
Some of the outcomes of following the western culture (negative effects)
1. Children don't respect their elders,parents.
2. Family has become nuclear and one has lost in touch with
their relatives .
3. Becoming artificial person by following artificial lifestyle.
4. Becoming less interested to know about one's traditions
and customs.
5. Parents are considered burden on children. Parents fulfill their
responsibility and children when they grow up, consider them a
burden.
6. Discos have become lifestyle.
7. Drinking and pub culture has become lifestyle.
8. Pre martial sex .
9. Late night parties .
10. No concerned feelings towards close relatives etc
11. Loss of morality
12. Loss of affection and attachment to the family.
13. People become to proud
To conclude with, Westernization has mostly affected our lifestyles and characteristics and soon everything including our values and beliefs if we don't take action. We are not trying to say, that the western culture is bad, but we are saying that we must stick with our cultures, no matter what happens as it is said that "Culture is the process by which a person becomes all that they were created capable of being." so if you don't want to ruin yourself, preserve and stay with your culture!
For more information visit the following sites:
- Click here to view Westernization's impact on Indian culture
- Click here to view westernization's effect on Africans
- Click here to view the negative effects of westernization
- Click here to view the impact of western culture
In many cases today, children try to avoid their parents for foolish reasons that we shouldn't care about such as their accent or the way they dress. We must learn to be ourselves. It is good to come modernized but it also has a limit. There's no harm in taking goods from the west, but this does not mean that we should completely adopt it and pretend to be western and misrepresent our identity. The western culture is trying to snatch the rich cultural heritage that we have within us. It is very unfortunate today, that the new generation does not have any knowledge about their culture which is not their fault, but the fault of the parents who did not teach them and enlighten them about the importance and true colour of their culture. It is not only important for us to follow our cultures but to also understand it and make use of it wisely. Today cultures have been subjugated and dominated by the west. Our cultural practices have paved way for foreign way of doing things. Can you believe that in most schools today, speaking another language apart from language leads to a punishment!
In addition, language plays the most important role in providing each community with an identity. There is a general agreement that if language is lost, it harms the cultural diversity of the wider society. Although there are also positives too of the influence of westernization on culture however, we are only looking at the negatives as that is what people should be concerned about.
Some of the real life situations, i have observed:
-Our community the Bohras used to eat together with our family using a thaal (large stainless steel plate) and eat using our hands. However, today the western world has made us shy to eat with our hands and using a thaal. Therefore today we use fork and knives to eat and use plates and bowls on a table.
-Before we used to wear traditional clothes like Sherwani for the men and saris for the women during weddings and other functions but today as people are getting more modern and as they have got ashamed of their clothes and find it downgraded, we ignore our cultures and wear suits and dresses for the women.
- People used to speak their languages freely and openly but today the western culture has taken so much priority that people feel shy to speak their mother tongue and always speak English.
Some of the outcomes of following the western culture (negative effects)
1. Children don't respect their elders,parents.
2. Family has become nuclear and one has lost in touch with
their relatives .
3. Becoming artificial person by following artificial lifestyle.
4. Becoming less interested to know about one's traditions
and customs.
5. Parents are considered burden on children. Parents fulfill their
responsibility and children when they grow up, consider them a
burden.
6. Discos have become lifestyle.
7. Drinking and pub culture has become lifestyle.
8. Pre martial sex .
9. Late night parties .
10. No concerned feelings towards close relatives etc
11. Loss of morality
12. Loss of affection and attachment to the family.
13. People become to proud
To conclude with, Westernization has mostly affected our lifestyles and characteristics and soon everything including our values and beliefs if we don't take action. We are not trying to say, that the western culture is bad, but we are saying that we must stick with our cultures, no matter what happens as it is said that "Culture is the process by which a person becomes all that they were created capable of being." so if you don't want to ruin yourself, preserve and stay with your culture!
For more information visit the following sites:
- Click here to view Westernization's impact on Indian culture
- Click here to view westernization's effect on Africans
- Click here to view the negative effects of westernization
- Click here to view the impact of western culture