Some people ignorantly distort their own culture and mindlessly absorb foreign ways of life without recognizing the disadvantages of Western culture.
Though Western culture has brought us many positive changes, there are also disadvantages that are impacting many areas, such as economics, industry, law, politics, lifestyle, etc. Too much Westernization affects the following:
- Substance dependency
- Divorce
- Colonial Mentality
- Custodianship
- Brain drain
Please keep reading to learn more about its profound meaning, given that we only emphasize the drawbacks because they are the aspects that should alarm individuals.
DISADVANTAGES OF WESTERN CULTURE: DEFINING THE “WEST” FIRST
Despite these regional variances, Western cultures have a significant amount in common due to their shared heritage with the Ancient Greek and Roman Empires and the influence of Judeo-Christian ideologies. In the last few centuries, western influence has had a tremendous and escalating impact on the society around the globe. Some theorists correlate Westernization with industrialization. It has posed a significant threat and is emerging strongly among many people, slowly eroding their identity.
The term “The West” is obscure but on purpose. It is inconceivable for a single phrase or term to serve as a comprehensive representation of topics disparate as civilization, structure, fundamental concepts, narration techniques, statutes and regulations, and on and on. Because it is ambiguous, “the West” has the potential to refer to everything while also making it simple to distinguish it from “the East,” the other major system of thinking in the world.
As a result, the concept of “western culture” appears to be adopted relatively selectively in education to refer to European and related countries’ ideological, cultural, and racial homogeneity. Western culture heavily influences our conventions, rituals, social and moral behavior, as well as our love and respect for others. People today like to live independently –totally ignoring traditions and rituals. As nuclear families continue to grow, joint families are dissolving daily. Few people want to change things and share their possessions with other family members; instead, they value their privacy and cherish their relationships with loved ones.
Respect for others, particularly for elders, is deteriorating daily. People are too busy in this digital age to take care of others. The roots of selfishness have been planted in people’s thoughts thanks to Western society.
The American dream?
These underlying principles subsequently had a consequence on numerous societal influences. In contrast, it would seem that the tendency toward individualism in “the West” gave rise to the American dream. The same consciousness that characterized Western thought gave rise to arrogance, stardom, and social networking cultures. Western culture denotes dispositions that encourage the predicament of the individual rather than the collective, rather than any specific group or denomination, trends within cultural ideas and activities. Since it is an intellectual dichotomy, more detail than is essential shouldn’t be discussed. It alludes to widening gaps in the establishment of world culture.
Features of Western Culture
The isolation of people from one another and the general public results from Western culture’s selected dominating values, the speed and variety of change, and the absence of a shared societal vision and its future. One of the disadvantages of Western culture is that children developing their identities and ideals are left without a social or spiritual context to help them understand their place in the universe due to these defects. Western society fails to provide people with a sense of purpose and self-identity, confidence in what the future holds, and a framework of moral standards to direct their behavior, which are all fundamental components of culture.
While most kids and teenagers look content and eager to enjoy life, as a generation, they exhibit cynicism, impatience, and social apathy that reflect their anxiety and worries. The author connects the repercussions of the essential cultural framework of Western civilization to risk factors such as multiple drug use, truancy, adolescent pregnancy, and juvenile criminality. Not simply in terms of economic, social, or environmental goals but also in terms of goals that define the entirety of how people live, society will need to set broad, long-term aims for itself.
While Western society has accelerated our lives, it has also improved technology, which has made them more pleasant and convenient. We must value our culture’s lessons about how to coexist peacefully with others by developing our patience and tolerance. Many people from other nations are embracing our culture’s virtues and appreciating the value of our heritage. The acquisition of wisdom improves the quality of life for people of all races.
WESTERN CULTURE: THE NEGATIVES
The intangible string that unifies individuals is culture, which is crucial to any community. A community’s culture manifests its art, literature, language, and religion. But as time went on, the western culture not only had a substantial influence on our politics, economy, and community interactions but also on the country’s people and culture as a whole, impacting even successive generations. Because of the media, Westernization has expanded throughout our nation.
Our Christian principles are lost as the West advances. The media regularly airs programs that negatively influence children about drugs, noncompliance, and unwarranted autonomy. The media actively contributes to the destruction of culture and moral principles and encourages young people to imitate western culture under the name of modernization.
Here are some of the disadvantages of Western Culture that you must be aware of.
1. Substance Dependency
Alcohol and other substances, mostly illegal ones, are referred to as “substance abuse,” but what is considered “illegal” can vary between social groups and is frequently dictated by culture.
The scale of drug-dependent youth from western countries was discovered to be leading by a significant margin, according to the 2015 World Drug Report 2015. Currently, this is the most obvious concern. Nonetheless, adolescents are strongly drawn to drugs to represent themselves in the current world. That concludes a few ideas about the drawbacks and advantages of modern civilization.
2. Divorce
In Western civilizations, romance literature and movies have misled us into believing in romantic love and marriage that is not practical. Disappointment is inevitable when people marry with that idealized concept in mind and are confronted with the reality of sharing everything with an unexpectedly flawed stranger.
According to a report, the average divorce rate in the West is 40% higher. It may illustrate the reality of one’s independence or understanding of one’s unique rights. However, from a religious perspective, marriage is a person’s most sacred relationship.
In western nations, the issue is not whether a marriage can last. However, if you assume that either being married or not will make you feel much better. Because one or both of them feel that the marriage is holding them back or not giving them everything they want in a partner, it is common for married people in the West to divorce even though none of them is abusive, none of them has swindled, and sometimes even though their friendship is still intact.
3. Fashion Sense
If we don’t disseminate the information about our values, no one else will, and they’ll undoubtedly go. When traveling overseas, people often overlook their national identity and traditions and adopt the local western tendencies.
The current mindset is “the more exposed you are, the more modern you are.” However, being sophisticated only sometimes entails dispensing with your ethical principles. We all instinctively have a natural attachment to people of the opposing sex, and this can occasionally adversely influence our senses. We are dwelling at a time when there has been a massive shift in fashion, particularly in some eastern nations where individuals frequently dress in western attire. This tendency has a few causes and will have a wide range of effects on society.
Additionally, this fashion trend negatively impacts young people’s social consciousness. The younger generation would lack any attitudes of preservation or a sense of reverence for the spiritual principles that the older population had endowed for them. This predisposition, nevertheless, might have harmful effects on society. Due to their exterior aspects, the distinctions in garments may indicate who you are or your nationality. But wearing indistinguishable clothing across numerous areas and countries significantly undermines cultural variety. While some traditional clothes suffered a worse outcome and are now completely disappearing, many are urgently being preserved as tangible cultural treasures in an effort by the local government to preserve one of the peculiarities of their country.
4. Colonial Mentality
A colonized people’s deeply ingrained sense of inferiority is known as the “colonial mindset.” This is one of the disadvantages of Western culture that is very alarming.
In Asian countries, many whitening products are accesible since people want to stand out and be considered appealing. You have some competitive advantage if you’re white. Over the years, a belief had grown that white skin is better than brown skin. Notably, white skin implies a higher level of education and social position, and that white skin is superior to dark skin.
Also, English was promoted as the required language even when just speaking with peers in many Asian schools. It was expected that you speak English. The preference for English over Asian languages is a sign of colonial power. It was once thought to be the language of the learned.
5. Custodianship
In Western culture, there must be supervision. Western parents may believe that their children are sufficiently grown up to make their judgments. Or, they may not realize how much influence their parents have on them. However, having greater advice is crucial for someone’s better future. Youngsters can occasionally become imprisoned in a depressive state and despair due to a lack of parental supervision. People who are excessively noisy, arrogant, and ignorant and who falsely believe they are smarter than others. However, they often have adolescent-like mentalities and juvenile development.
6. Brain drain
The phrase “brain drain” refers to the departure of professionals in quest of higher income, a better quality of life, access to cutting-edge innovation, and more predictable government conditions in different regions of the world. The influence on health systems in developing nations of this movement of health professionals in search of better prospects, both domestically and internationally, is a rising cause of concern. This turns into a loss of significant resources when these persons relocate, with the recipient states directly benefiting since they have yet to pay for their education. Because of the time and money invested in their education and the opportunities they missed, intellectuals are among the most expensive resources in any nation.
7. Devoted to political correctness
One of the main reasons why the West is deteriorating is that you have nothing to say when you walk on eggshells. The Wild West is present, but in a very nice way; it is not the West. The next time you want to say something, be careful to avoid offending your dog by criticizing the animal kingdom.’
8. Inadequate understanding of handling money
This region has experienced poverty, war, and other natural disasters. Thank goodness they weren’t continuous, long-range, or too frequent. Westerners have yet to learn of saving and difficult times because of these short-term downs and more ups. Spend, and God will send, is the mentality.
9. Obsession with our physical appearance
Many fitness programs are available, and the number of gyms is at an all-time high. Fitness and bodybuilding have grown to be very large industries. People snap images of themselves with beach bodies and publish them on social media. Plastic surgery and Botox are very prevalent. Massive insecurities can be partially attributed to social media, especially as people frequently compare themselves to others online. However, the main culprit is a toxic culture of bro-manliness and phony female beauty.
10. Obesity rates are rising
The influence of western culture is felt widely throughout the world. Multinational firms have used fast food to further the impact of western culture on religion, culture, tradition, economy, and government.
How different nations have adopted Western cultural attire affects how people prefer to conduct their lives. Due to the impact of global media and multinational fashion businesses, the amount of western apparel in India and Nepal has increased. Other civilizations have been impacted significantly by Western cuisine. The phenomenon of “McDonaldization” has led to a growth in Western fast food restaurants across Asia and China.
Western Culture: How to Balance Adaptation
Culture is a comprehensive pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends on the ability to think symbolically and learn from others. Our vulnerability to other cultures, particularly Western cultures, is very great. Most individuals believe that they should imitate Western culture since it is seen as having the highest values. Western culture can be beneficial or detrimental, according to what values we wish to hold.
While change is a natural law, culture is not. Following Western or one’s own culture will not produce a person. But, combining the best aspects of both will enable us to achieve greatness. The flaws of our society, such as the practice of dowries, and child marriage, should be filled by western culture. However, we must also remember the revered culture and high moral standards our elders have taught us.
The phrase modernism does indicate making a change in dress, lifestyle, etc. However, it necessitates a shift in perspective and an increase in tolerance. The old should be more tolerant of allowing the young freedom and opening their minds to do good things. Meanwhile the young should be focused on carrying their enhanced tradition. This will provide for a fantastic future. We need to practice being authentic. Modernization is beneficial, but it has its limits. Taking products from the West is fine. However, it does not imply we should entirely imitate it, act like we are from the West, or otherwise distort our identity.
Disadvantages of Western Culture: Final Thoughts
The magnificent cultural heritage we possess is being plundered by modern civilization. Today, the West dominates and victimizes other traditions. Our cultural norms have made it possible for foreign practices to proliferate. Westernization has significantly impacted our traditions, rituals, families, and love and respect for one another. The inferior quality of life results from Western culture’s tendency to make individuals greedier. Individualism, which is strongly promoted in western countries, is the idea that one should put oneself first and ignore all other elements of life.
We ought to cherish our cultures and be proud of who we are. Who will follow your culture if not you? If you can’t take care of your rich, individual individuality. Your position will decline, and you won’t have anyone or anything to lead you. Isn’t it boring that everyone in the world lives the same way, wears the same clothes, and eats the same food? We have cultures that shape who we are, and must use them appropriately.
It’s time that we acknowledge the disadvantages of Western culture. We must adopt the positive, and abandon the cultural habits that are lowering the quality of human life.