Culture and Society in International Perspective History Essay

Culture and Society in International Perspective
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Culture and Society in International Perspective
Culture refers to a way of life of a certain group of people with the same characteristics regarding their behavioral patterns. Such characteristics would be along tribal, racial and gender lines, whereby the society expects that specific behavior must be observed. Therefore, most people have been forced to act according to stereotypes mandated by society and hence denied a chance to express themselves fully. However, these cultural expectations are not only restricted to specific countries, but also internationally whereby when people go to other countries, they are still expected to behave in a certain way, and this is likely to cause conflict. The paper aims at discussing racism and how it has affected many people seeking to better their lives away from their native countries and their identity.
Identities are factors that stand out in people, thus categorizing them into specific social groups. The idea of people alienating themselves into specific groups sometimes makes them develop contempt for those different from them and create strong partnerships among themselves. Such actions create superiority and inferiority complexes whereby the group that stands out better financially or socially looks down upon the inferior group (Forbes, 1973). Therefore, people considered inferior are denied freedom to interact with others or carry out activities permitted only to the superior group. Denial of important opportunities by social identities deprives people of their social freedom and rights.
Racism involves beliefs that particular races are superior to others, whereby races are an aspect of people’s skin color and ethnicity. However, as Forbes notes most occasions people find themselves belonging to certain races due to their biographical location on earth (Forbes, 1973). For instance, people of African origin generally have a dark skin tone. Therefore, even in instances where intermarriages occur between people from a different race, the children born out of such arrangements are still considered African. In terms of behavioral patterns, Africans are considered to lack diversity since most African countries are in the Third World, hence underdeveloped. Therefore, such people tend to be looked down upon by those who consider themselves superior as they come from developed countries.
Also, people from inferior races have a hard time interacting freely with those from other races. Warren and Sue say that countries have their native citizens being the superior race, and then immigrants are considered inferior (Warren & Sue, 2011). When people consider themselves better than others, they tend to selfishly segregate themselves from others who potentially need guidance on how to better their lives. For instance, it is common to find countries with specific suburbs where natives live as well as other places where those of the inferior race live. Indeed, racial barriers are responsible for causing divisions in many countries today.
Racial discrimination limits people from fully participating in political discussions because one a race is considered unimportant, ev...