1) Can you think of any cultural items which have persisted and which probably no longer gratify any human desire? 2) Do you think becoming more culturally relativistic can be conducive to understanding? Explain why? Why not?
A cultural item which has persisted to this day but no longer really gratifies any human desire is “titles”. Titles conferred a status symbol. The acquisition of such an item must be terribly expensive or very difficult to come by otherwise it holds no meaning. Pride in ancestry is something which is no longer widely accepted as grounds for self-esteem. These days, people’s worth is judged on the basis of personal merits.
Another sample of a cultural item which no longer fulfills any human desire is the horse and carriage. In the 18th, 19th and early 20th century, this was a very popular form of transportation. People used this method of conveyance to travel short distances and to carry cargo to and fro. During the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930’s, the horse and buggy was the choice transportation. “Today, the term “horse and buggy” is often used in reference to the era before the advent of the automobile and other socially revolutionizing major inventions. By extension, it has come to mean clinging to outworn attitudes or ideas, and hopelessly outmoded, old-fashioned, non-modern, or obsolete. (Horse and buggy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_and_buggy, retrieved 9 April, 2011.) The automobile has surpassed the horse and carriage.
Yet another example of a cultural item which no longer gratifies human desire is the use of Gris-gris. “Gris-gris originally were dolls or images of gods, but are now in the form of a small cloth bag containing herbs, oils, stones, small bones, hair and nails, pieces of cloth soaked in perspiration and/or other personal items gathered under the directions of a god for good luck or to protect the owner. (Gris-gris. http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/g/gris-gris.html, retrieved 9 April 2011.)” People nowadays do not place their beliefs in such practices. “The gris-gris originated in Dagombha in Ghana and was associated with Islamic traditions.[3] Originally the gris-gris was adorned with Islamic scripture and was used to ward off evil spirits (djinn) or bad luck.[3] Historians of the time noted that they were frequently worn by non-believers and believers alike, and were also found attached to buildings.The practice of using gris-gris, though originating in Africa, came to the USA with African slaves and was quickly adopted by practitioners of voodoo. However, the practice soon changed, and the gris-gris were thought to bring black magic upon their ‘victim’. Slaves would often use the gris-gris against their masters and gris-gris can still be seen adorning the tombs of some slave owners. During this period, there were also reports of slaves cutting, drowning or otherwise manipulating the gris-gris of others in order to cause harm. Although in Haiti gris-gris are thought to be a good amulet and are used as part of a widely practiced religion, in the Cajun communities of Louisiana, gris-gris are thought to be a symbol of black magic and ill-fortune. (Gris-gris (talisman). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gris-gris_(talisman), retrieved 9 April, 2011.)”
“Cultural relativism is the view that no culture is superior to any other culture when comparing systems of morality, law, politics, etc. It’s the philosophical notion that all cultural beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the cultural environment. Those who hold to cultural relativism hold that all religious, ethical, aesthetic, and political beliefs are completely relative to the individual within a cultural identity. Relativism often includes moral relativism (ethics depend on a social construct), situational relativism (right or wrong is based on the particular situation), and cognitive relativism (truth itself has no objective standard).” (Cultural relativism. http://www.cultural-relativism.com/, retrieved 9 April, 2011.) Cultural relativism is conducive to understanding many things in our rapidly changing world society. Various cultures are in closer interaction with each other. This interaction can have either positive or negative effects depending on the level of sensitivity and respect people have for other cultural groups. “If people are going to be successful in today’s multicultural, information age, world society, they will need to develop a culturally sensitive frame of reference and mode of operation. Cultural relativism is an approach to the question of the nature and role of values in culture. If values are shared ideals which give rise to beliefs and norms of behavior around which a people or a group organizes its collective life and goals, cultural relativism declares that these values are relative to the cultural ambiance out of which they arise. (Cultural Relativism. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rosado.net%2Fpdf%2FCultural_Relativism.pdf, retrieved 9 April, 2011.
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