Culture and Tradition Flashcards
Provide details on the ‘Woke Movement’.
This movement has been gaining traction among youths evident in their social media comments -> The term ‘woke’ has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (2017) as
“Originally: well-informed, up to date. Now chiefly, alert to racial and social discrimination and injustice.”
Why do some think the ‘Woke Movement’ is harmful/redundant?
Being socially conscious of injustice is good, however, there is no benefit to hyper-vigilantly policing people’s words and thoughts, waiting to pounce on their mistakes.
In summary, it is just a short slippery slope from taking a firm stance against injustice to self-righteous bullying and ostracism behind the veil of Internet anonymity.
Provide details of ‘Cancel Culture’.
It refers to voiding public support for wrongdoers.
Cancel culture came into collective consciousness in 2017.
Cancel culture is attributed to the fear-mongering spectre of wokeness, or self-righteous vigilantism.
Give examples of cancel culture today.
Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly were majorly stripped of power after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Singaporean blogger Xiaxue was dropped by sponsors after alleged racist remarks tweeted in 2010.
Why do some think cancel culture is unfavourable today?
However, the consequences of cancel culture have been deemed as too harsh in minor circumstances,
and this silences discussions in many sensitive matters today,
leading to a lack of objectivity.
Give an example of Ethnocentrism today.
1) Since 2011, Myanmar has been troubles by an upsurge in extreme Buddhist nationalism, anti-Muslim hate speech and deadly connumual violence.
Myanmar has taken a genocidal stance against the country’s Rohingya Muslim community and
this anti-Rohingya sentiment massacred more than 25000 by 2018.
In 2017, it unleashed deadly onslaught on the Rohingya community which sent thousands fleeing into Bangladesh.
2) Australian Brenton Tarrant slaughtered 51 worshippers at a New Zealand mosque in 2019.
Tarrant was a white supremacist who professed his hate against Muslims, and was influenced by online discourse which painted Muslims as threats to Western society.
Give one example of a law that disregards cultural relativism today.
The 2010 French burqa ban prohibits accessories that cover one’s face to be worn in public. Despite accusations of this law to be Islamophobic, this law still stands today, punishable with a fine and citizenship course.
What is Ethnocentrism?
Ethnocentrism is the tendency to look at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture.
Part of ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own race, ethnic or cultural group is the most important or that some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups. (ie. White supremacy, Anti Semitism)
Give an example where cultural relativism should not be accepted.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a common practice across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, which has victimised 200 million females alive today, according to 2020 WHO reports.
FGM is performed due to prevailing cultural beliefs of maintaining a woman’s modesty, premarital virginity and marital fidelity.
What is Cultural Relativism?
It is the perspective that a culture should be sociologically evaluated based on its own standards, and not those of other cultures.
In Singapore, how has pragmatism hindered the maintenance of culture?
Cost-benefit evaluation of practical outcomes surrounding cultural conservation is heavily prioritised in Singapore, usually due to land constraints.
Partial or full demolitions of the old National Library building and the Bukit Brown Cemetery were considered for more favourable outcomes and to alleviate congestion in heavily-traversed roads in Singapore.
The needs of the densely-populated nation disregards the need for cultural and heritage preservation.
