Is Culture More Important Than the Individual free essay sample

Discuss the proposition that culture is more important than the individual. Many cultures have different ways on how they view the group versus the individual. This depends on whether it is an individualist culture or a collectivist culture. An individualist culture is one I which people tend to view themselves as individuals and to emphasize the needs of individuals. Western culture tends to be individualist. A collectivist culture is one in which people tend to view themselves as members of groups (families, tribes, nations), and usually consider the needs of the group to be more important than the needs of individuals. Most Asian cultures, including Japan’s, tend to be collectivist. Japan’s culture easily comes to mind when thinking of the concept of whether culture is more important than the individual. Japan which is a largely atheistic society, believes the group is more important than the individual. In Japanese culture, society exists to serve the individual and the individual is taught to serve society. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Culture More Important Than the Individual? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This came about because Japan was a rural culture centered about small villages, where privacy was not possible. This commitment to service has survived Japans conversion to an urban culture because of the social aspects the Japanese use to control their society that include intense private criticism, and a restrained public humiliation. While the family is considered important â€Å"making decisions for the collective group, or the entire family, is more important than making individual decisions. Important decisions are made to include all the family members, nuclear, immediate and extended†. (DiStefano) Public status is valued by the Japanese and is measured by the stature of their school, profession, or business. Their place in society is determined by the groups or institutions to which they belong. While individual achievement is important it does not play a large role in determining status in society. In Japan, it is the group that makes decisions. So that when a decision has been made in any private company, university, or branch of governmentit is difficult for any individual, even a CEO or president, to reverse it. In western culture it is individuals who make decisions, whereas, in Japan, decisions are assigned to the whole group in the first place. What is the purpose of modern globalization to western culture? Who benefits and how? According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Globalization in its literal sense is the process of globalizing, transformation of some things or phenomena into global ones. It can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society and functioning together. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces. † This means that globalization has the impact of spreading western influence in regard to culture, language, communication, business, and technology, among many other aspects. This can also be seen as people worldwide are now sharing many of the same things such as wearing jeans, eating at McDonalds, using the internet, and the international use of English as a business language. This allows financing and communication on an international level. Globalization both destroys culture and helps to create a new culture by the effects of mass media and consumer marketing. Western influence is spreading throughout the world because of media and technology and has made western culture the dominant culture because of its large resources. This influence affects the lives of people everywhere from the large cities of the United States to small villages in Brazil. Then there is economic globalization also called â€Å"Corporate Globalization† from the tendency of larger corporations to globalize their interests. There are positive and negative effects of this such as taking more resources from a community than the corporation provides. Many times poorer nations receive loans and other subsidies that come with a price tag sometimes in the way of giving up a certain amount of independence. Globalization has been in the making for several centuries but has probably reached its highest point in this century. There is no doubt that improved education systems, technology, and mass media have helped to shape the world we know today. Many would agree that globalization in regard to western culture is more concerned with investors, financial institutions, and other sectors of power than the individual. Discuss the role that culture plays in producing individuals who conform to the beliefs, values, and norms of society.