It’s 2 A.M in the morning, and I, along with 50+ people, are waiting in the pouring rain outside of Arden Mall in Sacramento. You examine the demographic of the people and they are young, 17-24 year old males. As the minutes go by slower and slower, I often ask myself “Am I really doing this right now?”. I doubt myself, ready to leave this place of purgatory and go back to my warm bed, until I fall asleep against the wall, cold and hungry.
“It’s all relative”. I’m sure most if not all have said this phrase or had this phrase said to them at one point in their life, but what does it mean? Cultural relativism is an idea that a person’s way of life (thoughts, beliefs, values, etc.) is relative to his or her own culture.
What makes America so great is that it is a melting pot of different cultures and values which makes it conducive to tolerance of different ideas and beliefs. However, I think many people do not understand the concept of cultural relativism, including myself, which in turn breeds ignorance in certain situations.
I remember a specific example of cultural relativism, and that was when I went to the Philippines. I was a naïve 17 year old kid visiting the country for the first time in over 10 years. Everything was a shock to me. The weather was different, the food was different even though I have eaten Filipino food before, and their way of life was different. Basically, their whole culture was different from my American culture. I complained about everything that was different to me. Here I am, in a third world country, complaining about anything and everything, until I realized that I am the ignorant one in this situation. I should know that there is no absolute, fixed way to live life for all places and cultures and that in the grand scheme of things, everything is relative to how each person has their own system and way of life.
Another example that represents cultural relativism happened during class on Wednesday. I remember there was an exchange between Truman and Chris about Chris having a MacBook and Truman responding “I don’t like Apple” or something of that nature. It was then I knew I wanted to write about cultural relativism because this is a form of consumer culture. Two different cultures, PC and Mac users, that often clash heads leading to elitism on both groups. However, in the end, isn’t it all relative and that both machines are both computers?
So after class, I, along with the other students, marched hastily with concern hoping the book was in stock and at a relatively moderate price. Usually when I walk around campus I am always in a hurry with my head in a swivel to avoid all of the obstructions that are student bikers. However, this day was different. I did not have to worry about crossing intersections, dodging people like a running back eluding the defense, and I could walk wherever I pleased. Walking past the MU, I was able to take in how scenic the quad is. The trees, squirrels, and luscious grass really make the quad. I never really noticed this because there was always something happening in the quad that took my mind off the scenery. There was no people to meet, events, blood drives, rush info, etc. to distract me. So, as I was enjoying the stroll through the MU, my mood changed abruptly as I arrived at the bookstore. To me, I hated going to the bookstore because it throws a huge blow to my wallet. However, my experience today was pleasant. I was one of the first ones there, and the book only took me 1 minute to find. I paid and was happy to find the price of $26. I could've used that money for gas as I commute, but I'll take it in stride and consider this a win for me. Needless to say, I am looking forward to this class. A change from the social norms of essay writing in college classes is something I look forward to in experiencing and excelling at.
