Modes of Culture Transmission and their Impact on Society

Introduction Culture plays a big role in society. It acts as a common denominator for people with different personalities and ideologies on the workings of life. It gives people, who are seemingly too different, something to share in common coupled with creating bonds. These bonds serve to create a peaceful existence and a sense of security for every one in the community. With culture comes a set code of conduct. These are rules that define the culture and give the characteristic uniqueness of a given community.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modes of Culture Transmission and their Impact on Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These rules are set with the basis being the norms that a majority of the people in the community generally value. Over the years, different scholars have come up with theories as to the origin of these norms. These norms are what most people call moral values. These values undergo tr ansmission within the community, amongst individuals and through the generations, via various means. In most cultures, the older members of the community undertake the role of teaching the younger members as highlighted with the Amish community as depicted in the documentary Devil’s Playground, directed by Lucy Walker. However, with the developments in technology over the years, the media has taken over the role of transmitting these values through television shows, movies, music and the Internet, which is the basis for the documentary Bro Code, by Dr. Tom Kieth. This paper explores the roles of the two methods of transmission of morals depicted as in the two documentaries and the role they play in dictating the ideal moral values that society should adopt. Society’s ideas on ideal morals As mentioned earlier, there have been various debates among scholars as to the origin of the rules that govern behavior within a society, viz. moral values. Some philosophers argue th at these values are set upon society by the governing bodies. For instance, Thomas Hobbes, an English Philosopher, is of the view that in the state of nature, man is not a social animal and that forming a society is not instinctive. He describes life in the state of nature as solitary, poor, nasty, and brutish. In the state of nature, individuals live in a state of fear and danger of violent death.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Hobbes, man has no perception of good and evil or right and wrong and can only live in peaceful coexistence by subjection to the absolute power of a common master (Macpherson, 1962). Therefore, individuals form a social contract in which they live by the rules set by the master in exchange for protection and peace. In a contrasting opinion, John Locke is of the opinion that man is by nature a social creature and would rather live in a socie ty than in complete isolation (Macpherson, 1962). In his opinion, in the state of nature, man knows right from wrong and knows what is his and what is not. However, man in the state of nature does not always act in accordance with this knowledge, thus necessitating the need for the formation of a system of governance, mainly to safeguard the property of its subjects and ensure that justice prevails. Others still argue that morality is not inherent and neither is it enforced by society as suggested by proponents of moral absolutism and universalism and those of nihilism respectively. Such philosophers argue that moral reasoning is an ability that develops in stages throughout a human being’s life. However, such arguments exhibit different viewpoints regarding the stages involved and the basis of moral reasoning, with some basing it on cognitive ability while others on chose care. Lawrence Kohlberg, for instance, is of the view that moral reasoning is subject to a personâ€℠¢s cognitive ability, which changes as the person transitions from childhood to adult hold, thus altering or modifying the person’s view when put in situations of moral dilemma. The Devil’s Playground is a documentary that revolves around teenagers from a community in Indiana that practices the Amish religion. Just like Islam, Amish is both a religion and a way of life. Most people know little about this culture as it mainly operates in isolation from other cultures. The transmission of culture occurs through education by parents and other members of the community. Therefore, values that the teenagers adopt are those held dear by the older members of the community as opposed to letting the younger members adopt values of choice from various options. This aspect is similar to Lawrence Kohlberg’s conventional level of moral development that bases the adoption of morals on cognitive development. In the second level of development, Kohlberg infers that young adults adopt the morals of the members of society that they hold in high respect (Kohlberg, 1973). The culture is strict in nature and people in the community are mainly self-sufficient, interacting with other cultures mostly in the labor market.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Modes of Culture Transmission and their Impact on Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Children in this community drop out of school and forsake formal education in the 8th grade to work in farms. For this reason, the majority of the Amish population only qualifies for manual labor in the labor market. The Amish society sets strict roles that men and women play. For instance, men are the providers in the community while the women take care of the households. As strict as this culture seems, much criticism surrounds it for a practice they call â€Å"bed courtship†. In this norm, it is allowable for an Amish girl to take an Amish boy to bed during their dating period. Many people argue that this move is contrary to moral views to which most cultures subscribe. Some people also look at it as a means of keeping the teenagers in the community by using the girls as bait to lure the boys in with the allure of sex. The documentary is set around a custom the Amish community refers to as â€Å"Rumspringa†, which is a right of passage amongst Amish teenagers. At the age of sixteen, the young adults go out and interact with the rest of the society without any of the cultural restrictions that their customs place upon them. This stage is a crucial phase as it provides the teenagers with a chance to choose whether to subscribe to the religion or renounce it. As much as this culture is plausible for giving teenagers freedom of choice, a lot of criticism surrounds it. First, the moral justification for letting teenagers out into the real world at a time when they are more likely to make irrational mistakes that are guide d by impulsive curiosity is lacking. Secondly, the parents do little to prepare their children for this period. For instance, the teenagers have no experience in driving cars and their parents do not assist them when they finally get the chance to do it. In addition, these teenagers explore the world of drugs and alcohol for the first time in their lives. These two facts create a recipe for disasters such as car accidents. The Bro Code documentary by Dr. Tom Keith is a form of ethnography that documents some of the cultural values that the media transmits and how these transmissions shape the roles played by male and female members of the society.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The film displays how the media depicts the role of women in society as objects of sexual enjoyment for the men. It also highlights the submissive character that the media suggests as the appropriate character for women. For instance, most music videos objectify women as sex objects for enjoyment by men. The media sells sex unreservedly with the female form as the main selling point. The aim of this move is usually to reach as many people as possible and expand their coverage in order to earn more money. The media has gone as far as creating cartoons with sexual content without giving a thought to the impact that the cartoons have in society. Traditionally, the development of cartoons had the aim of creating entertainment suitable to children and young ones in society. It was also the aim of the creation of cartoons to provide an avenue for learning that is fun as well as informative. The content in cartoons thus is likely to appeal to the young members of society. Therefore, the in clusion of curse words, sexual content, and scenes depicting women as inferior members of society is a suggestive tool on the culture that media companies consider as ideal. The impact that this aspect has on children is barely reversible as it is natured by similar scenes in music videos, movies, magazines, and the Internet content. Girls grow into women that think being sexual objects is an acceptable norm. On the other hand, Dr. Keith also highlights the image that the media creates of ideal men and what their character should include. According to the documentary, men have to prove their manhood through various actions. These include objectifying women and having many sexual partners, having a lot of money, bullying, and engaging in acts of violence, physical, as well as sexual. A man who refuses to fight lacks manly qualities in the eyes of the media. These acts go against the universally accepted norms that count as good morals. For instance, in many cultures and religions, se xual violence is a morally unacceptable norm that is intolerable and heavily punishable. However, what the media does is to take away the gravity of the act by twisting the truth so that it does not seem as bad. One of the methods they use is humor by applying it to situations that arouse anger or disgust. The documentary gives a scene out of the cartoon series Family Guy, whereby one of the characters sits watching television when a news reporter states that some girls are dead after being raped. The character responds by saying that he feels as though he is the only one not getting sex. The media also distorts normal human reactions in the description of an ideal man. The media gives the illustration of crying as an example of unmanly behavior. Labels such as â€Å"faggot† and â€Å"sissy† are a form of identity for men who cry in public. The main similarities in the two documentaries are that the modes of culture transmission are just as important as the culture its elf. They have an impact in the receptiveness, or otherwise of the culture. For instance, The Devil’s playground highlights personal interaction as the main mode of culture transmission, but the fact that the way the recipient understands it and the lack of other options dictates the outcome, and thus proves to be a major shortcoming. In comparison, The Bro Code depicts the media as the main mode of culture transmission, with shortcomings being that this form does not provide a translation to the information relayed and its vagueness leaves room for translations that lead to undesirable consequences. The two films illustrate female members of the society as sexual objects, used in Lucy’s film as bait to attract men into adopting the culture after Rumspringa, and as tools for sexual satisfaction and a sign of manliness in Keith’s film. On the other hand, both films show how society treats men with reverent regard, which leads to egotistic behaviors to the detrime nt of the female population. The two films lack an important aspect, viz. the directors in both films focus extensively on the problems in the society and give very little insight on how society can alleviate these problems and remedy the situation. In addition, the illustrations that form the subject of their films appear biased. They lack an objective view by giving one-sided story. The directors ought to look into the reasons that lead to the acts that they illustrate so passionately. This aspect gives the audience an informed perspective on the issues with a holistic point of view. Reference List Kohlberg, L. (1973). The Claim to Moral Adequacy of a Highest Stage of Moral Judgment. Journal of Philosophy, 70(18), 630–646. Macpherson, C. (1962). The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism: Hobbes to  Locke. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. This essay on Modes of Culture Transmission and their Impact on Society was written and submitted by user Zachery Sherman to help you with your own studies. 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