This week, we spent our lesson going deeper into the prospect of cultures. While we may fit into our cultures as naturally as breathing, that may not be the case if we try to integrate into other cultures. What we see, hear, taste at first is only the tip of the cultural iceberg (refer to Culture: The Forces That Shape It), and it takes us time to learn about other norms. Before we fully understand cultural differences, cultural sensitivity is a must. Knowing what to say and how to act in a foreign country is necessary, in case we offend someone. There is a saying: When in Rome, do as Romans do. But what do we do, if we do not even know what Romans do?
We then went through some simple cultural practices of different ethnic groups. For example, in Thailand, the head is sacred and must be respected. Therefore, one must not touch the head. In Japan, slurping soup loudly is a sign that one enjoys the prepared food, as opposed to eating as quietly as possible in some other countries. In China, sticking chopsticks upright in a rice bowl must be avoided as it resembles putting incense for the person across the table, symbolising cursing that person to die.
When faced with cultural practices different from our own, instead of judging harshly from the start, we should slow down to ask more questions and try to reserve our judgement. Seeking clarifications can help us better embrace cultural differences. So not only do we need to identify the different cultural practices, we also need to aim to recognise and understand the perspective of others through cultural sense.
While many Singaporeans are Chinese (76.2% actually!), that does not mean our culture is exactly like that of China's. Indeed, the Singapore culture has been heavily influenced by the other races. For example, Chinese in mainland China emphasise heavily on 4 main principals: Relationships, Ranks, Reciprocity, as well as Face.
While those 4 principals are still practised in Singapore, it is not held to that high a regard as compared to China. Relationships are not simply that. The phrase "it's not what you know, it's who you know", is especially significant in China, as having the right contacts can get you many places. Many mainland Chinese rely heavily on relationships (or guanxi) when doing business or any other thing. Therefore, ranks are important. The higher the rank, the more authority you would have. Reciprocity is key too; A favour for a favour, a deed for a deed, and nothing short of returning the goodwill. Publicly shaming someone is not advised either as everything they do rely on their reputation. Avoiding public shaming would save someone their face and avoids ruining the reputation, relationships, ranks that were built so painstakingly.
In Singapore, relationships simply cannot get you very far. Sure, knowing the right people is an advantage, but with the strict upholding of law and fairness, many Singaporeans fear law and order too much to really use their relationships to get out of trouble. Also, with only limited manpower to rely on, people rather things get done faster and better. Getting the right people for the job is a safer choice.
However, there are a lot of similarities between Singapore and China's cultures. For example, basic Confucianism is still upheld. Some Chinese superstitious acts (like not placing chopsticks upright in rice bowls) are still avoided. Chinese acts of respect (calling someone by their surname, not using the index finger to point at items etc.) are still practised.
Even though many of us in Singapore may be Singapore-Chinese and not China-Chinese, that does not mean we have lost all traditions our ancestors' homeland had. At the same time, that does not mean we are identical either. Rather, our culture is influenced by the locals, yet still retaining some of the traditional cultures of China.
In the end, despite our cultural differences, how different can we get?
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