Causes of Cultural Discontent
Before examining causes of cultural discontent, we should revisit the word cultureculture is not genetically inherited, it is shared, learned, and dynamic- never static, and its context. We defined the word culture according to anthropological standards in previous posts and lessons. We know culture is written, spoken, and acted out.
A common languagea system of symbols that allow people to communicate with each other, also the MOST symbolic way that culture is passed down within a cultural context allows each culture to maintain both identitythe name of a person, along with the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or a group different from others and ideology. We know culture is learned from birth; which helps us to understand ourselves, socially, politically, and spiritually. We inherit traditions, literature, oral history, past perspectives, and past interpretations, almost in a genetic way. Such inheritances contribute to each person’s overall cultural knowledge. We might describe them as “historical memorythe power or process of remembering what has been learned; something remembered, kept in the mind for later recall; something remembered from the past; a recollection.”
A World Without Culture?
When we study the global villageson this site Global Villages are representatives of the 11 dominant culture regions, as designated by cultural geography maps map, as described on this website, we realize how important elements of culture are to every human being’s growth and development. Without culture we could not thrive or survive. What would a world look like without culture?
So we see how “boring” the world would be without culture; but what does the world look like without control over these elements of culturegenerally speaking, there are seven main elements of culture: social organization, customs and traditions, religion, language, arts and literature, forms of government and economic systems. Added to those elements may be family or clan structures, marital and sexual arrangements.? Many populations of the world are experiencing exactly what happens when culture is out of control. Way back in the dark ages of 2006, Brian McNair described it as The Culture of Chaos. It still rings true in 2024.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/may/01/mondaymediasection
When out of control chaos becomes destabilizing, we may refer to such chaos as the culture of discontent. Before we examine possible reasons for the destabilizing pressures, it should be noted here that the discontent we are talking about is not the Freudian discontent of 1929. Freud’s, weird psychology of “. . . anxiety . . . mixed with guilt, pertaining to an aggressiveness . . .,” is not today’s discontent. We can examine only a few causes of cultural discontent, as it applies to our day, but there is much lack of cultural restraints.
Adding Digital to Cultural Aspects
It is possible to enumerate some, but not all of the reasons for destabilization of cultures. First, on the list of impacts, in our own time, is the many digital devices and their communication technologies. Digital communications were new to most cultures only a few decades ago.
All of the global villages, no matter how complex their cultures on the one hand, or how simple on the other hand, are feeling the pressures of online media. The quantity of news and information is overwhelming all populations everywhere. The fact that social mediawebsites and applications that enable users, on various devices, to create and share content or to participate in social networking adds to the quantity of news makes more and more information exponentially available at all times and in almost all places. This onslaught of information is both external and internal; and adds confusion and stress to everyday life (even if we don’t admit it). No culture is free from these destabilizing processes. Even remote populations are able to include cell phones into their daily lives, as the Maya mothers below. Years ago, while visiting a village in the Maya highlands of Guatemala, where there was no running water or toilet facilities or heating in homes, the midwives had cell phones!
Added to the barrage of information overload are other social problems brought to light, which might otherwise have been unknown or not previously thought of. Over exposure to media may contribute to the processes of social and cultural fragmentation and unrest. The destabilizing factors listed below are not new; but adding 24/7 news content from around the world, and the social media attached to it, stokes the fire of the culture of discontentWhen the level of aspirations exceeds the bounds of an individual's (or populations') local opportunities. Discontent also includes the gap between expectations and the ability to meet those expectations..
Causes of Cultural Discontent
Genocidal conflicts, epidemics, violence, crime, wars, political forces, racism, religious conflicts, terrorism, gendergender is culturally constructed; the word may have various meanings in various cultures; generally it is the state of being male or female (biologically), but is more often used with reference to social and cultural differences, which may or may not be biological gender is used in various languages such as Spanish, where nouns are preceded with an article such as la (feminine) or lo (masculine) - many languages have "gendered" speech, including Latin, Greek, Russian, and German, but grammatical gender is very loosely associated with natural distinctions of sex inequalities, hunger insecurity, overpopulation, environmental concerns, homelessness, contradictions of our place in the world, displacement of peoples and infiltration of refugees, are all easily recognizable reasons for cultures to become discontent.
Even stable cultures can become discontent for various reasons other than the pinnings of a digital culture. Examples are easy to pinpoint; but they are not so easy to rectify.
Past Discontent Caused By World Leaders-Examples
President Trump’s trade ideology was welcomed by some and disdained by others. Trade policies affect businesses, investors, consumers, as well as the stock markets around the world.
Germany’s Prime Minister, Angela Merkel, has had a difficult time with her refugee policies. This caused a great deal of discontent in her country, because the influx of more diversitythe state of being diverse or different, variety and/or diversity is more than exhibiting "different" outward appearances; diversity is often much more about cultural differences upsets the cultural “apple cart.”
Theresa May, previous Prime Minister of the UK, tried to manage exiting the European Union to comply with the Brexit vote. Not all were happy about leaving the EU. Many protested, even as plans were being made to complete the exit.
Conflicts Contribute to Discontent
Conflicts, and wars around the globe cause discontentment in more places than just the war-torn country itself. Here are some countries dealing with discontent, some because of warWar: A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state., past wars, or politics in general.
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Israel, Yemen, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico (drug wars and drug cartels), Central African Republic, countries in West Africa, and in East Africa . . . and the list goes on. What can be done about the many causes of cultural discontent? Discontentment is complex; but simplicity may be the way to start.
Conversations
Might we start with conversations? How about the kind of conversations that involve listening? What about the kind of conversations that pass wisdom from one generation to the next? We ought to have conversations that give us hope.
Conversations [ethnography] in the Classroom
As a professor, at the beginning of each new semester I have my students interviewa formal meeting by one person to question another person; with regard to family history and genealogy, an interview can capture memories from relatives, before they are lost - an interview can verify, and/or preserve names, dates, places, and even people in photos. Interview information is usually recorded on family group sheets or pedigree charts, or in a personal history story of an important event each other. They are not allowed to interview their friends. The students randomly choose whom they will interview. They are given a list of questions to ask; but as their interview progresses they are to make up more questions on their own. They are given class time for face to face interviewing; but they also may communicate with their partner by emails or social media. In many instances they meet outside of class and become best friends. I even had a couple who interviewed each other and eventually married!
The purpose of the interview is two-fold for the students. 1) They get an opportunity to understand the process of ethnographic methods in anthropologythe holistic study of humanity in its broadest context in all times and places, ancient and contemporary. 2) They must write about their interview experience for a grade. What does this accomplish? They begin to respect each other’s humanity. They learn about the difficulties of trying to get an education when there are both language and cultural barriers. In my classrooms in Southern California there is much diversity. I have students, literally, from all over the world, and from many different cultures. This is a huge learning curve for many of my students.
For me, as their professor, the papers I grade from their ethnographic experience helps me to know my students in a personal way. It is a learning experience for me, too, reading about each students’ background, and ethnic identity. I discover things about my students I would never learn without the interviews. This knowledge helps me to help them learn in a more positive way. The best thing that happens in my classroom is that there are fewer conflicts among my students. Their conversational experience lessens, in many ways, discontentment in the classroom. Why wouldn’t this work on a larger scale? Actually, it does!
StoryCorps, Inc.
There is another place to learn more about the artthe expressive or application of human creative skill and imagination in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, or in music, literature, or dance; art is created primarily for beauty and emotional power; and "holds art is anything the viewer or listener finds aesthetically pleasing." of conversation and interviewing. On their website, StoryCorps tells us that, “. . . every story matters and every voice counts,” when having conversations. They record interviews [conversations] about people’s lives, which leaves, “. . . a legacy for the future.” Their mission statement says this, “These powerful stories illustrate our shared humanity and show how much more we share in common than divides us.” StoryCorps has given millions of people the chance to record interviews about their lives.
https://storycorps.org/discover/
Once we are able to realize all people everywhere have struggles, heartbreaks, grief, financial woes, health problems, death and despair, our own culture of discontent is less pressing. StoryCorps makes it possible for our great-great grandchildren to hear our voice in conversations they can have with us posthumously. They will learn that discontentment can be managed, as it has been in generationsthose people that are born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively; usually a generation within families is considered about 20 years past.
Visitors may contribute conversations, and stories, on this website. I look forward to those stories and conversations with great anticipation.
