An Analysis Of The Theme Of Culture

By Author: Sherry Roberts
Total Articles: 150
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Introduction
Culture is the identity that defines an individual within a community. Societies adopt different cultures that become part of their identity. Habitual practices can become the cultural practice that defined the community. The paper below analyzes the people of Bali and their cultural practice of cockfighting. Additionally, the paper analyzes the 21st century culture that emphasize on over reliance on technology. The two essays highlight the effects of culture among people in societies. Whereas the Bali people were adamant on maintaining their cultural practices, the 21st population willingly abandoned their culture and embraced technology. Culture provides a community with a form of identity. The people identity themselves a unity based on their practice of similar practices. The Bali people strive to maintain their culture despite the government efforts to eradicate the behavior. In contrast, the 21st century population readily abandoned their cultures and embraced technology because of the convenience its offers.
Summary
Clifford Geertz writes the essay Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese cockfight, in which he illustrates the popularity of cockfights among the Bali people. Cockfights are popular among the Balinese people, and the community has managed to pass the practice across generation. Geertz highlights his visitation to Bali and the struggle that the Bali people had in the face of law enforcers and their cockfights. The police perceived cockfights as illegal and thus strived to break cockfight groups when they emerged. According to Geertz (2005) the elite perceived cockfighting as “primitive, backward, unprogressive ad unbecoming an ambitious nation” (57). The Bali people went to hiding when the police arrived, but continued with the cockfight immediately the police left. Gradually, cockfights became the cultural symbol of the people of Bali. The cock fighting events brought people together and enhanced unity. Additionally, people enjoyed themselves as they participated in activities such as smoking marijuana. The activities may have been illegal, but they provided the Bali people with a culture; a way of life that identified them as a unique group.
Joshua Foer in the essay the end of remembering highlights the importance of utilizing memory. Foer (2011) compares the past and the modern life. In the past, a person’s memory was a critical element in their daily life. A person had to recall number and other relevant information. The act of memorization was a normal part of the everyday life. The act of memorization was the culture of the society. Foer; however, notes a significant decline in the need for memorization. The emergence of a culture that over-relies on technology has resulted to a diminishing use of the brain. According to Foer (2011), “a third of Britons cannot recall their landline numbers without consulting their electronic gadgets. Similarly, 30% of adults cannot remember birthdays for their immediate family members (160).” Foer (2011) highlights the emergence of a culture of over-dependence on technology. The society depends on technologies such as day planner, camera, and digital voice recorders to perform all memorization tasks.

Culture and Society
Culture refers to the beliefs, behaviors and common practices of members of a specific society. Societies carry different cultures that become their form of identity. Culture and society related in the sense that the culture is part of society while society consists of individual’s practicing a common culture. Traditionally, the society differentiated itself from other society based on their culture (Constatino, 22). However, increased globalization has affected cultural practice today as people move away from their localities and mingle with people from different cultures. Culture defines an individual, and it is the fact that Geertz and Foer desire to put across. According to Sondergaard (2009), culture defines how people within a group relate to each other.

Work Cited
Constatino, C. (2012). Culture and its impact on social; and community life. Center for international conflict resolution
Foer, J. (2011). The end of remembering
Geertz, C. (2005). Deep play: notes on the Balinese cockfight. Daedalus. Vol. 134(4)
Sondergaard, K. (2009). To what extent does culture affect individual advancement in US society today? American Studies

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in online nursing papers. If you need a similar paper you can place your order for a custom research paper from legitimate research paper writing service services.