Learning Objectives
These cow and pig examples remind us that material and nonmaterial cultures often make sense only in the context of a given society. If that is true, then it is important for outsiders to become familiar with other societies and to appreciate their cultural differences. These differences are often referred to as cultural diversity. Cultural diversity also occurs within a single society, where subcultures and countercultures can both exist.
Saving Dogs and Cats in South Korea
Sometimes citizens can make a difference. Dog ownership has recently been increasing in South Korea, a nation in which dogs have traditionally been preferred more as a source of food than as pets. Two individuals who can claim credit for the more humane treatment of dogs there are Kyenan Kum and Haesun Park, two women who founded the Korea Animal Protection and Education Society (KAPES; http://www.koreananimals.org/index.htm) in 2007.
The mission of KAPES is to educate South Koreans about the humane treatment of dogs and cats and to promote compassionate treatment of these pets. Kyenan Kum had previously founded the International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA) organization in 1997, to achieve the same goals. During the next 10 years, IAKA advocated for the more humane treatment of pets and publicized their plight to other nations to help bring international pressure to bear on South Korea. In 2007, IAKAs efforts proved successful when the Korean government strengthened its Animal Protection Law. With stronger legal protections for pets in place, Kum and Park decided it was now time to focus on convincing the public that pets should be treated humanely, and they founded KAPES to achieve this goal. In December 2008, Park received an award from the Ministry of Agriculture for her efforts, which have included the holding of animal protection festivals and advocating for government funding for animal shelters.
It is not easy to confront a deeply embedded cultural practice as Kyenan Kum and Haesun Park have done. Their example offers inspiration to Americans and other citizens who also dedicate their lives to various kinds of social reforms.
The Amish in the United States are a subculture that shuns electricity and many other modern conveniences.
Shinya Suzuki Amish CC BY-ND 2.0.
A subculture refers to a group that shares the central values and beliefs of the larger culture but still retains certain values, beliefs, and norms that make it distinct from the larger culture. A good example of a U.S. subculture is the Amish, who live primarily in central Pennsylvania and parts of Ohio and shun electricity and other modern conveniences, including cars, tractors, and telephones. Their way of life is increasingly threatened by the expansion of non-Amish businesses and residences into Amish territory (Rifkin, 2009). Since the 1970s, development has cost Lancaster County, Pennsylvaniawhere many Amish livethousands of acres of farming land. Some Amish families have moved to other states or left farming to start small businesses, where some do use cell phones and computers. Despite these concessions to modern development, for the most part the Amish live the way they always have. Most still do not drive cars or even ride bikes. The case of the Amish dramatically illustrates the persistence of an old-fashioned subculture and its uneasy fit with the larger, dominant culture.
A counterculture is a group whose values and beliefs directly oppose those of the larger culture and even reject it. Perhaps the most discussed example of a counterculture is the so-called youth counterculture of the 1960s, often referred to as the hippies but also comprising many other young people who did not fit the tuned-out image of the hippies and instead were politically engaged against U.S. government policy in Vietnam and elsewhere (Roszak, 1969). A contemporary example of a U.S. counterculture is the survivalists, whose extreme antigovernment views and hoarding of weapons fit them into the counterculture category (Mitchell, 2002).
The fact of cultural diversity raises some important but difficult questions of cultural relativism and ethnocentrism. Cultural relativism refers to the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture. In this view, all cultures have their benefits and disadvantages, and we should not automatically assume that our own culture is better and their culture is worse. Ethnocentrism, the opposite view, refers to the tendency to judge another culture by the standards of our own and to the belief that our own culture is indeed superior to another culture. When we think of cow worship in India, it is easy to be amused by it and even to make fun of it. That is why anthropologist Marvin Harriss analysis was so important, because it suggests that cow worship is in fact very important for the Indian way of life.
Some scholars think cultural relativism is an absolute, that we should never judge another cultures beliefs and practices as inferior to our own. Other scholars think cultural relativism makes sense up to a point, but that there are some practices that should be condemned, even if they are an important part of another culture, because they violate the most basic standards of humanity. For example, a common practice in areas of India and Pakistan is dowry deaths, where a husband and his relatives murder the husbands wife because her family has not provided the dowry they promised when the couple got married (Kethineni & Srinivasan, 2009). Often they burn the wife in her kitchen with cooking oil or gasoline and make it look like an accident. The number of such dowry deaths is estimated to be at least several hundred every year and perhaps as many as several thousand. Should we practice cultural relativism and not disapprove of dowry deaths? Or is it fair to condemn this practice, even if it is one that many people in those nations accept?
Dowry deaths are relatively common in certain parts of India and Pakistan. Should we practice cultural relativism and not disapprove of dowry deaths? Or is it fair to condemn this practice, even if it is one that many people in these nations accept?
Because dowry death is so horrible, you might be sure we should not practice cultural relativism for this example. However, other cultural practices such as cow worship might sound odd to you but are not harmful, and you would probably agree we should accept these practices on their own terms. Other practices lie between these two extremes. Consider the eating of dog meat, which was mentioned in the Learning From Other Societies box. In China, South Korea, and other parts of Asia, dog meat is considered a delicacy, and people sometimes kill dogs to eat them (Dunlop, 2008). As one observer provocatively asked about eating dog meat, For a Westerner, eating it can feel a little strange, but is it morally different from eating, say, pork? The dogs brought to table in China are not peoples pets, but are raised as food, like pigs. And pigs, of course, are also intelligent and friendly (Dunlop, 2008). Should we accept the practice of eating dog meat on its own terms? Is it any worse than eating pork or slaughtering cattle in order to eat beef? If an Asian immigrant killed and ate a dog in the United States, should that person be arrested for engaging in a practice the person grew up with? Cultural relativism and ethnocentrism certainly raise difficult issues in todays increasingly globalized world.
Dunlop, F. (2008, August 4). Its too hot for dog on the menu. The New York Times, p. A19.
Kethineni, S., & Srinivasan, M. (2009). Police handling of domestic violence cases in Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 25, 202213.
Mitchell, R. G., Jr. (2002). Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and chaos in modern times. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Rifkin, G. (2009, January 8). The Amish flock from farms to small businesses. The New York Times, p. B3.
Roszak, T. (1969). The making of a counterculture. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Excerpt from:
3.3 Cultural Diversity Sociology - University of Minnesota
- Metal Gear Solid - Master Collection Vol 1 is out, bringing MGS3 to ... - Rock Paper Shotgun - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Decadence, Sickness, and Death: Mourning and the Israel-Hamas ... - Religion Dispatches - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Gcaleka voted in as new public protector - Mail and Guardian - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Turning the Gaza Hospital Blast into Propaganda Instead of News - The Messenger - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- The Great North: 11 Times Moon Tobin Was the Funniest Tobin - MovieWeb - June 10th, 2023 [June 10th, 2023]
- Milano Design Week, 5 things not to be missed today - Domus IT - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- How The Survivalism Movement Started - Survivopedia - January 25th, 2023 [January 25th, 2023]
- You need to watch the bloodiest Viking thriller on Amazon Prime ASAP - Inverse - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Roald Dahls Matilda the Musical Review: Kids Win the Day in This Perky Adaptation, but Emma Thompsons Trunchbull Is the Real Triumph - Variety - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- The Brooks Brothers Insurrection - Puck - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- 'The Last Of Us' - Potentially the Best Live-Action Game Adaptation - The Cosmic Circus - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- So Were Doing Survivalism in Cooking Shows Now - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Alone: Frozen Episode 6 Recap and Review - Post Apocalyptic Media - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Rainn Wilson Would Never Say 1 'The Office' Dwight Quote Because He's a Vegan - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - July 25th, 2022 [July 25th, 2022]
- 5 Book Reviews You Need to Read This Week - Literary Hub - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Will Wilson's Portraits of Survivance - Hyperallergic - June 29th, 2022 [June 29th, 2022]
- Tradecraft /// Covert Operative Lifestyle + CIA Training Guide - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Britney Spears: The Once and Future Versace Muse - The New York Times - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- World Environment Day: David Bowie and the birth of environmentalism - The Star Online - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Debut novelist to give reading and take part in Q&A at Lancashire university - Lancashire Telegraph - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- 10 Things You Didn't Know about Donny Dust - TVOvermind - April 9th, 2022 [April 9th, 2022]
- The 40 Best Creative Hobbies You Can Try - Next Luxury - April 6th, 2022 [April 6th, 2022]
- How Prepper Moms Tackled The Pandemic | KCM - Katie Couric Media - April 2nd, 2022 [April 2nd, 2022]
- How the Eusocial Nature of Ants Influences Their Response to Climate Change - AZoCleantech - March 18th, 2022 [March 18th, 2022]
- Freedom Convoy Suspects Charged With Plan to Kill Cops Linked to Anti-Government Group - VICE - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Alleged member of neo-Nazi terror cell says he entered right-wing politics as a Donald Trump supporter - The Independent - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- If doomsday prepping has taught me anything, it's that we can't survive alone - Waging Nonviolence - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- Joe Rogan: How the cage fighting commentator and dirty stand-up comedian became the king of podcasting - The Independent - January 17th, 2022 [January 17th, 2022]
- Neve Campbell Is Still the Reigning Queen of 'Scream' - ELLE.com - January 13th, 2022 [January 13th, 2022]
- 100 Best Prepper and Survivalist Youtube Channels - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- As Sometimes a Great Notion Turns 50, It's Worth Looking Back at the Stampers and Oregon's Role in the Film - Willamette Week - December 13th, 2021 [December 13th, 2021]
- How we made this game, our game | TheSpec.com - TheSpec.com - December 13th, 2021 [December 13th, 2021]
- Robert Bly obituary - The Guardian - November 23rd, 2021 [November 23rd, 2021]
- Readers reply: where should I move to in order to best survive the climate crisis? - The Guardian - November 21st, 2021 [November 21st, 2021]
- 'Yellowjackets' Exemplifies the Regret that Can Come With Age - Your Money Geek - November 21st, 2021 [November 21st, 2021]
- Mythic Fantasy Roleplaying Game - November 17th, 2021 [November 17th, 2021]
- Where is Clay Hayes now? Alone season 8 winner update! - Reality Titbit - Celebrity TV News - August 26th, 2021 [August 26th, 2021]
- Clay Hayes' Wife: Is Clay Hayes Married? Does He Have Kids? - The Cinemaholic - August 26th, 2021 [August 26th, 2021]
- Theresa Kamper Now: Where is Alone Season 8 2nd Runner-up Today? Update - The Cinemaholic - August 26th, 2021 [August 26th, 2021]
- What It Really Means To Win A Season Of Alone - Looper - August 26th, 2021 [August 26th, 2021]
- Seventy-four - The Express Tribune - August 14th, 2021 [August 14th, 2021]
- Altercation: The Ghost That Stalks the American Jewish Establishment - The American Prospect - August 14th, 2021 [August 14th, 2021]
- Squirrels quite nice ... fox tastes awful Learning to survive in the wild - The Irish Times - July 25th, 2021 [July 25th, 2021]
- Ex-police community support officer jailed after IED found at her home - Yahoo News UK - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Alligator Loki is the MCU's newest, most amazing obsession - For The Win - July 10th, 2021 [July 10th, 2021]
- Survivalism 101: A Survivalist Preparation Guide | Gaia - June 23rd, 2021 [June 23rd, 2021]
- Download Pilot as it happens: Music, moshing and a whole lotta rain - Louder - June 23rd, 2021 [June 23rd, 2021]
- Returnal Is the First Showcase for the PS5, and Its Stunning - The Ringer - May 7th, 2021 [May 7th, 2021]
- Why American individualism is perfectly suited to the doomsday prepper movement - KCRW - May 4th, 2021 [May 4th, 2021]
- In the Earth review: Cosmic horror in the void between technology and magic - Polygon - April 17th, 2021 [April 17th, 2021]
- Vaccines, affinity fraud, survivalism among policy updates ... - April 11th, 2021 [April 11th, 2021]
- What is 'survivalism' and why is it getting so popular in Spain? - Euronews - April 11th, 2021 [April 11th, 2021]
- From One Nation to neo-Nazism: Australians being drawn into extremism - Sydney Morning Herald - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- Archie Roach, we are unworthy of your benevolence and nobility - Beat Magazine - February 25th, 2021 [February 25th, 2021]
- Little Nightmares 2: The Story Explained | TheGamer - TheGamer - February 25th, 2021 [February 25th, 2021]
- Canada Designates Proud Boys, Atomwaffen, and The Base as Terror Organizations - VICE - February 6th, 2021 [February 6th, 2021]
- What To Make Of The Mysterious Melania Trump - Worldcrunch - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- 'The Office:' How the Jim-and-Dwight Rivalry Impacted the Actors' Offscreen Relationship - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- What Does Al-Qaeda Tell Us About The Base? - The Defense Post - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- The 12 Best Zombie Movies of All Time - Men's Health - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- Inside the luxury nuclear bunker protecting the mega-rich from the apocalypse - CNET - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- Leader of ultra-right militia The Three Percenters General BloodAgent predicts end of America by 2021 and warns of new civil war - RT - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- Coronavirus and the Culture Wars - PopMatters - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- The Rose | by Ben Lerner - The New York Review of Books - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- VICE - Armed Man Who Allegedly Stormed Justin Trudeau's Residence Appears to Have Posted QAnon Content - VICE - July 8th, 2020 [July 8th, 2020]
- Military Veterans and the Boogaloo Bois Explained - Connecting Vets - June 20th, 2020 [June 20th, 2020]
- Return to your roots: Gardening a great solution to cope with stress of pandemic - The Independent - May 24th, 2020 [May 24th, 2020]
- Else Blangsted, Who Fled the Nazis and Found a Hollywood Ending, Dies at 99 - The New York Times - May 24th, 2020 [May 24th, 2020]
- Inside ultra-luxurious disaster survival kits where super-rich can pay 4k for night vision goggles and posh - The Sun - May 24th, 2020 [May 24th, 2020]
- Far More Valuable Than a Stockpile of Food and Money - Investment U - May 19th, 2020 [May 19th, 2020]
- Eat this Now (Because You Have to): Terrible Homemade Bread - Kansas City Pitch - May 15th, 2020 [May 15th, 2020]
- Survivor Is the Quintessential TV Show - The Ringer - May 15th, 2020 [May 15th, 2020]
- Documentary shows life in the 'Biosphere' wasn't out of this world - Arlington Catholic Herald - May 15th, 2020 [May 15th, 2020]
- I didn't think a pandemic would bring out the domestic goddess in me - Metro.co.uk - May 11th, 2020 [May 11th, 2020]
- How to avoid the end times - The Japan Times - March 24th, 2020 [March 24th, 2020]
- Is It as Impossible to Build Jerusalem as It is to Escape Babylon? (Part Two) - CounterPunch - February 27th, 2020 [February 27th, 2020]
- Veteran Analyst Warns of XRP Crash to $0.20 as Price Stumbles - Ethereum World News - February 27th, 2020 [February 27th, 2020]
- XRP Could Be on Verge of Explosive Breakout Higher, Taking It 100% Higher - Ethereum World News - February 27th, 2020 [February 27th, 2020]
- XRP Just Flipped a Key Resistance Into Support: Why This is Bullish - Ethereum World News - February 27th, 2020 [February 27th, 2020]
- Ripple Is On The Verge Of A New Rally According To Analysts - Somag News - February 27th, 2020 [February 27th, 2020]