Culture clash

I've finally got a few people to type some blogs this week and the next, inshallah starting tomorrow. Therefore today should hopefully be my last blog for awhile, although no doubt there'll be some late pull-outs and I'll have to fill in, got to make sure the readers have something to read about each day!

I can officially state that the 'flu season has started. Yesterday I saw 15 patients, 14 had a cold or cough! All were pretty similar in presentations but with different expectations. Some wanted advice, others wanted medications. I kept repeating the same spiel over and over again and by the end of the day I was handing out medicine at random! Some got simple painkillers whilst others got antibiotics depending on my mood! Not one of them was seriously ill, no one had a temperature or bad chest, indicating a bacterial infection, and yet some still received antibiotics simply to make them feel as if they're being treated. Even when I explain the cons of taking antibiotics for viral illness, they still want them. There's only so much I can explain, eventually they get what they want!

Over the weekend I saw Dhoom 2, the sequel to the successful original two years ago. It was the first ever Bollywood sequel I have seen and a concept that has only recently begun in Bollywood. I'm surprised it has taken so long, the industry produces over 500 films a year and only now are they turning their hand to sequels. Yet again much of its success will be down to the actresses exposing themselves far and beyond any reasonable need, a cheap attempt to appeal to the youth market.

There's a scene in the film when the main protagonists, Aishwariya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, engage in a kiss. Now to any non-Indian it would barely register as anything significant, but what was interesting was that the moment it happened, gasps could be heard throughout the cinema. People were surprised, if not shocked, by the simple kiss. Incidentally, the director then betrayed himself by quickly cutting away to the next scene, indicating a level of discomfort for him as well. Had the same audience been watching a Hollywood film and a similar scene had taken place, I doubt it would invoke a similar reaction. There's something about watching Indians engage in obvious romance that just sits uncomfortably with the community.

On a personal level I also felt uncomfortable watching such a scene take place, especially with my parents sitting next to me. However, I also felt uncomfortable with scenes of the actresses clad in bikinis and mini-skirts, but that seemed to receive only glances of approval from the audience. So showing skin is not a problem but kissing is, why such a difference?

It comes down to a culture clash. Slowly but surely Western culture has gnawed away at Asian values and is subtly replacing them over time. Scantly clad actresses used to be heavily condemned only 4-5yrs ago and it was often done by bad actresses looking to make a quick buck, but has now become a trend with leading actresses such as Aishwariya Rai and Kareena Kapoor joining in. Bollywood for a long time has copied storylines from many Hollywood films (in fact I and a friend have the plan of remaking Notting Hill one day in Bollywood, - finances permitting - and no doubt it would be a huge hit!) and I guess it was only a matter of time before it copied scenes and actions from Hollywood, only now it has gone beyond what Hollywood would do in so-called quality films.

It's not just the film industry which has witnessed this culture clash. For years Asian girls have been condemned for wearing revealing clothes or tight outfits and yet there is no problem with them wearing a sari, a revealing outfit in its own right. Asians are criticised for listening to English music and rap and yet actively participate in music parties singing Bollywood love songs.

Those who do engage in activities more suited to a Western person despite condemnation from their family, often, in my experience, feel the need to do so to fit in and often nothing changes. They are more often then not treated as the outsider regardless of what they do in an attempt to integrate. What is even more galling is the attempt to integrate by going even further, beyond what even many Westerners would do. That only serves to isolate them more; they are no longer accepted by their own family and were never going to be fully accepted by the very people they are trying to impress.

People go on about how multiculturalism is a big advantage and plus point about living in Britain and it is. Where it becomes dangerous is when people forget their own culture for the sake of another and lose their identity in the process. It is important to integrate and essential to communicate with each other across the cultural divide but not at such a personal cost.
There will always be certain activities, items, behaviours which will never be accepted by either culture and the ensuing clash is inevitable for those who try to cross that line. It is important to maintain that sense of personal identity within a multicultural society.

Having romantic scenes beyond the expectation or tolerance levels of Asian cultures crosses that very line I've been trying to type about. We shouldn't be so accepting of such changes and put our money were our values are by not watching such films. If the films weren't box office successes, then they wouldn't get made. It won't completely disappear but it can surely cut down. Dhoom 2 had scene after scene of scantily clad women and was totally unnecessary for the story and plot of the film. It was extremly disappointing to see Aishwariya Rai appear in such a film and expose herself and as for Bipasha Basu, once a tart, always a tart!

Upholding our values and culture is crucial to our day to day activities. They provide our identity, how we are recognised by other people. It's how we portray ourselves outside the confines of our homes which define how people interact with us. Maintaining our culture and interacting with Westerners is possible and enjoyable, but also preserves a sense of respect between cultures. By behaving appropriately and within ourselves, others feed off that and respond fittingly. We don't have to change in order to fit in; the cultures can co-exist and learn from each other. I don't remember many Westerners trying to integrate with Asians by adapting Asian culture, not here nor in India, so why does it happen the other way around?

At the other end of the scale is when culture begins to interfere with religion and seems to become more important. Unfortunately I'm running out of time today and I feel that particular issue deserves a blog of its own, so I will conclude by stating the obvious; please preserve your culture, there's no harm in it!

Take care all,
Thoughts just flow, when do they have to make sense?