DARK SIDES OF GLOBALIZATION: A TOOL TO DESTROY TRADITIONS AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

Globalization is a concatenation of powerful processes that provide both opportunities and menaces. Apparently, globalization seems to not only intensify the process of relatedness and amalgamation among people but also has some shattering consequences. Our deep rooted lore and customs have loosened up their holds with the publicizing of globalization.

Globalization, self-evidently, indicates the worldwide presence of anything related to the acceleration of trade, culture, education, art and politics. However, the term is preponderantly used to indicate how the free flow of goods and services have made the inter-national borders non-pertinent and created kindred between world economies. In simple terms, it is used to describe the ways countries are becoming interconnected, both capitalistically and culturally. Societies have become sizable as they have embraced people of other diasporas and created a whole new culture of their own.

With countless positive influences, globalization, nevertheless, has some bleak outcomes as well. The swap of world views and postulations has ensued in a major transformation of living standards of people globally. Globalization impacted participants, local communities and created a sense of loss, both for those who were left behind and those who are swept up by it. Globalization really affects people with respect to their way of life, culture, taste, fashion, preferences and so on. It is both beneficial and detrimental to the lives of people.

Attackers of globalization wrangle that it destroys the diversity of cultures. As a dominating country’s culture is inaugurated into a receiving country through globalization, it can become a threat to the medley of circumscribed culture. Some argue that globalization may ultimately lead to Westernization or Americanization of culture, where the dominating cultural concepts of economically and politically powerful Western countries spread and cause malign influence on native cultures.

We dwell in a determinedly united world in which all the earth’s peoples with their vast dissimilarities of culture and historical experiences are compressed together in direct communication. Indian culture is prominent throughout the globe for its varied heritage and prestige. But with the advent of globalization and intermingling of people from different sectors, culture and dialects, the ways in which our esteemed culture is muddling up with western culture has become quite dishonourable on our part.

In the wake of so-called modernization and virtual socialization, people, especially the youth would rather prioritize having virtual friends rather than spending time with their families and relatives. The trend of nuclear families which has also emerged from Western societies is largely prevalent in India now. Earlier people used to commemorate every small festival with great zest and togetherness, but nowadays people do not even prefer get-togethers as they are preoccupied with their virtually personal lives. Sadly, the truth is that we have actually lost our traditional values and cheerful blessing of togetherness. The present generation is far happier celebrating valentine’s day rather than customary festivals.

Although, the friendly slant and the socializing feature is worth appreciable, but as far as the culture of Indian society is concerned, both the genders were kept at a distance for ages with many restrictions and curbs. With the emergence of globalization and western culture, youth has started mixing up well with each other. In very advanced Indian society, live-in relationships have sprung up rapidly. But the total breakout of curtailments and exploited freedom has also adulterated the traditional Indian values of relationships, love and their meanings. Physical attractions or lust became the anchor of a relationship which has eventually led to the increased cases of sexual abuse as well as traumas among youth. Such imported influences, very much alien to our mother culture have revealed the dark side of globalization at large.

The best approach to be minutely acquainted with a culture is to know its language. But wistfully, the Indians are not very much in favour of promoting their mother tongue or our national language. Alternatively, the youth today consider it to be a shame to speak in their natal tongue. The way the foreign languages are getting prevalent in India such as the French, German and Spanish, right from the school level, it itself portrays how much we provide importance to Indian languages in contrast to the foreign ones.

With some clarity of having a comprehensive knowledge of the cultures throughout the world and the happenings and incidents globally, still the major unfortunate consequences are quite alarming for our country. Hence, we need to move very cautiously with the globalization process. At length, we can learn to move and approach socially without hurting and affecting each other’s privacy, preserving our nation’s pride and maintaining our cultural prestige.

Mudabbira Rehman is a student pursuing English Literature from Jamia Millia Islamia.

Edited by: Samra Ejaz

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of The Jamia Review or its members.