The Impact of Cultural Values - Essay Example

Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL AND CROSS CUTURAL STUDIES TUI INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL STUDIES Indonesian Province Embraces Islamic Law, and Canings, an article in The New York Times by Jan Perlez was published in August of 2006, shortly after the tsunami in Indonesia. Aceh is a province that has participated in the Islamic religion form many years but put Shariah law including courts in place recently. The level of change in punishment is enormous and affects many of the cultural groups. This paper will discuss initial feelings about the article, troubling areas, the impact of cultural values and the impact of ethnocentricity Initially I felt very bad and extremely upset that these people would have to go through such things but at the same time I though why would you allow someone to do that to you. It seemed to me that there were no reasons to allow that to happen and yet it seemed that not only was it being allowed by the one being beaten but by those that were watching the beating. I just didn't understand and to be honest it was beyond anything I could imagine. The real sadness it seemed to me came from the fact that tsunami had so devastated this country and now it seemed the new government would devastate what was left. Stopping violence towards women and children is a worldwide concentration right now. The WHO has put major emphasis on it. This new policy seems to make that violence worse and in a part of the world where the respect for women is already very minor. There is also the fact that this police force appears to have a poor view of women as well as the poor. Not only do they have a poor view of women but of the people in general. To parade women in front of men in that culture is degrading and allows men to take advantage of them as well. Being raised in the United States makes one see many things differently. Americans have no real experience with this kind of problem. We cannot imagine allowing someone to beat us, no less in public. Freedom of religion is one of our basic rights and we take full advantage of that. To have any kind of punishment inflicted in the name of a God would be more than we would ever understand. There is a lot of controversy right now about the possibility that there are some cases when culture is incompatible and this may be one of them. How a culture feels about its religion and whether there is a recognition as to the fact that not everyone believes the same thing can affect all other things in life.. That is not the case in Indonesia and it appears the little bit of freedom they might have had for awhile is now gone. Along with freedom of religion, of course, comes freedom of speech. It appears from the example of the women talking among themselves that this is surely not allowed. There also seems to be very little respect for women at all which though it is still being improved, is somewhat better in many countries. Are there any courts This is a question that has to be ask. Punishing someone instantly which appears to the case regularly allows that a court is not necessary. So, another thing that many of us are used to is "innocent until proved guilty." In the United States, we believe that "all men are created equal." We have not shown that through our history but we are getting there. We also believe that we have a government by the people and for the people so it is difficult to imagine that any government has the right to come along and change the religious rules for the country and begin to punish those that do not follow the rules. We can only guess what they are going through. As health professionals, we have caring beliefs. It causes us great discomfort to see the wounded person both physically or mentally. To see a case of purposeful wounding is really quite difficult. Many American surgeons and nurses went to Indonesia after the tsunami and performed great helping services. This is an issue that needs worldwide help. However, we must also remember that the healthcare professional wants to make it all better and sometimes our own beliefs get in the way. It must be remembered that our beliefs are not their beliefs and it is important to work with theirs. We as healthcare practitioners must also realize that there are cultures we will not understand and we may very well take care of people from some of those cultures. We must find a middle point in which we can work with patients that have beliefs that are far opposite of ours and still manage to take care of them like we should. An example comes to mind with and Indian patient. She had the belief that there are no reasons to give up on life. She was very ill and had been for some time but did not want to be a DNR because it was not part of her belief. This was difficult to grasp because this is not our way but this is what ethnocintrism is all about. In conclusion, it is easy to sit in front of the computer and read an article and allow ourselves to be outraged. It is more difficult to figure out what we really think and why we think that way. What are they thinking However, everyone has beliefs that guide their lives. Many of those are political, religious, and personal. If we believe that everyone has the right to have their own opinion or their own freedom of religion, how is it that is so easy to say they are wrong. Indonesia needs help in solving their problems but they also need unbiased help Only when we determine what makes us think the way we do can we then figure out what makes them think the way they do and because of the severe difference in some cultures, that may never come. Then the best we can do is compromise. . Resources Perlez, J. (2006). Indonesian province embraces Islamic law, and canings. The New York Times, A. 3. Retrieved April 16, 2010. from http://proquest.umi.com/pqdwebindex=16&did=1086625181&SrchMode=1&sid=5&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PZD&TS=1172675575&clientid=29440&cfc=1. Read More