http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDS-L05KRK8&feature=fvwrel
As the world becomes smaller, we meet the variety of cultures every day in our life and it becomes important that we understand cultural differences between one and another. To understand the differences, we should have an ability to interpret the cultural behaviors and people’s beliefs in terms of their own culture. However, it gets difficult to stand on relative position when you see a brutal culture that is against one of basic human rights and conflict with your own cultural values.
The video that is linked describes cultural practices of the Karen Long Neck Hill tribe. They’re well known as Pa Dong women. Women of the Karen Long Neck tribe wear heavy necklaces in order to extend their neck, because long neck is considered as beauty. These heavy necklaces not only extend their neck, but also fix their neck in one way, so that women cannot turn or look the other way. Looking straight is a way of maintaining chastity for them. They believe a woman should only look at one direction as a woman is supposed to serve one man only. Therefore, long neck fixed with heavy jewelry is not peculiar but righteous thing for them. However, this practice brings many issues and problems. When a woman takes off her jewelry, she will die right away because of collapsed airway due to absence of support from the jewelry. Do these women deserve to die as they take off their jewelry? What happens to their human rights then?
At this point, how should we look at this culture? Should this culture be respected just like other cultures or should this banned because it demolishes the basic human rights?
It is essential to have a perspective view of cultural relativism before interpreting or criticizing other cultures. One with ethnocentrism needs to be really cautious in order to examine the other cultures. How can one take an objective view when one believes he or she is better than the others? Nevertheless, there are also limits to cultural relativism. Human right, freedom, and justice are few examples of those limits. People are taught to respect other cultures and traditions, but they also need to be ready to criticize when the cultural practices or traditions infringe upon human rights or justice.
Interesting points! As you mention, those women wear it as they believe it is beautiful. The difference that related to the human rights is if those women have right to remove it or not. I googled and found that those women bring the tourism opportunity to the country and boom their tribes because visitors are curious of their appearance of neck rings.
In this article (http://travelinasia.hubpages.com/hub/human-zoos) brings an Economic point besides of human rights, “In 2006, many of the young women in Mae Hong Son started to remove their rings either to give them the opportunity to continue their education, or in protest against the exploitation of their culture. In 2008, most of the young women who entered these refugee camps removed their rings. One older woman who wore the rings for over 40 years also removed her rings.” Although I don’t understand how pretty they look like, just like how cool or beautiful of some American youths are wearing ring on their tongues or lips. I saw them on the Subway. At first time, I felt horrible and sorry for them. It looks so painful, especially for the tongue ring. I try to understand their purposes behind the subculture as what you clarify in the beginning but I can’t get answer. I also wonder if they can be still sensitive taste different flavor of foods once they wear tongue rings. Won’t it hurt their tongue nerves? Some kids even wear it on the tip of tongue. Don’t you think is it kind of cruel of themselves? Or just because they have their decision so it doesn’t matter how huge painful it will but still be understandable? If yes, I am afraid that “Freedom” works very well in some ways.
I totally agree with you that we need try our best to understand culture difference but not cruel ones. However, do we also need to update our knowledge of that negative information because culture may be changed overtime due to other reason as such economic, financial development? I believe everything is not permanent but changing.