Do You Think Malaysian Teenagers Have Deviated from the Cultural
Malaysia is well known to be rich with diverse cultures when compared with other Asian countries. However, in this modern era, our teenagers are said to have deviated from the cultural values of their fore fathers. Deviation here means the act of moving away from what is normal in a society. Meanwhile, cultural values refer to the commonly held standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable in a particular community or society (Oxford 7th edition). This issue can be rephrased as; our teenagers are now practicing modified versions of cultural values which are far different from the original. Yes, in my point of view, deviation is obvious when we compare the modern culture of teenagers with the previous culture of our fore fathers in terms of family institutions, civilization, social issues and norms of the society.
Altered family systems are good examples of culture deviation. Globalization has contributed to the predominance of nuclear families and the breaking down of extended family systems (Anthony Giddens 1997). Extended families have lost its influence on our society nowadays. This also tells us that family unity is given less emphasis now when compared to the time of our fore fathers. The truth is living in large families can help youngsters understand various behavior patterns of other people like the adults. Plus it also instills moral values like tolerance and respect which teenagers are seem to be lacking. As said by Cheu;
However, following the erosion of traditional values, feelings of filial piety, respect and sentimental attachment to parents and grandparents have undergone significant change. Currently, (in Malaysia) it is estimated that one in every one hundred families sends their aged to old folk's homes. (CHEU Hock-Tong 2001)
Those days, marriages were often handled in a traditional manner where arranged marriages were evident and parents played equally important roles. Nowadays marriage is based on the idea of love where couples develop
Altered family systems are good examples of culture deviation. Globalization has contributed to the predominance of nuclear families and the breaking down of extended family systems (Anthony Giddens 1997). Extended families have lost its influence on our society nowadays. This also tells us that family unity is given less emphasis now when compared to the time of our fore fathers. The truth is living in large families can help youngsters understand various behavior patterns of other people like the adults. Plus it also instills moral values like tolerance and respect which teenagers are seem to be lacking. As said by Cheu;
However, following the erosion of traditional values, feelings of filial piety, respect and sentimental attachment to parents and grandparents have undergone significant change. Currently, (in Malaysia) it is estimated that one in every one hundred families sends their aged to old folk's homes. (CHEU Hock-Tong 2001)
Those days, marriages were often handled in a traditional manner where arranged marriages were evident and parents played equally important roles. Nowadays marriage is based on the idea of love where couples develop