National Cultural Differences and Their Consequences - Assignment Example

National Cultural Differences and Their Consequences Societal oppression can best be defined as forced submission to control by others or the act of subjugating by cruelty. It can also mean the state of being kept down by unjust use of authority or force. The oppression can manifest itself in various forms of life including cultural traditions, sexual orientations, race, religion and many more. In an effort to explore this topic societal oppression I decided to conduct a study. This involved interviewing and questioning professional staff in the department of criminal justice. The one person that I found appropriate for this interview was the prosecutor who in most cases tend to represent the oppressed and seeks justice for them. I found him to be appropriate because most times he is the one to represent the oppressed in the society who have no means to represent themselves in the courts. This is contrary to those who are economically stable and can afford defense lawyers. This is the group that tend to manipulate the justice system and prevent justice being done to the oppressed. The main reason was to find out any forms of societal oppression observed by the prosecutor and the impacts they had on racial discrimination. And also to point out the less talked about social ills that are witnessed in our daily lives and rarely fail to reach the courts for justice to be done. From interviewing the prosecutor alot came to the fore. Being in the justice system the prosecutor highlighted how racial discrimination manifested itself in the system. Criminal justice consist of the police who are charged with investigations, the judges who deliberate on cases in the presence of defense lawyers and prosecution. Then finally the prison department where offenders are taken for correction. The prosecutor demonstrated how the police with their duty of investigations discriminated the offenders based on their races. In some instances the police had already formed opinions and never conducted their investigation with impartiality. There were crimes associated or linked to the blacks. This frustrates any efforts to deliver justice on cases related to racial discrimination. On the other hand when it came to the judges, they also took sides and developed partiality depending on the races of the prosecution or defense lawyers. Therefore they deliberated on cases in a partial manner. The prison department is not left out either. Racial discrimination is evident in many spheres of this department. The welfare of the detainees lies on the wardens who treat the prisoners according to their races. Another aspect that came to light is class and socioeconomic status (McSweeney, 2002). In most cases the high and mighty in the society rarely faces the wrath of the law. They break the law and manipulate the system hence influencing the outcome of cases and preventing justice being done. People have also been discriminated based on their religious orientation. For example the Muslim faith tend to be associated with terror attacks, therefore in the event of an attack the Muslims will be the main suspects and this prevents justice being achieved. The many races presents diverse cultures. In most cases the minorities who are mostly represented by the indigenous and the immigrants tend to be discriminated by the majority. This is because they are believed not to have a place in the systems. Therefore their representation is always curtailed. From the discussions I learnt that racial discrimination is becoming popular but it is so hidden. Among the things that help propagate racial discrimination is religion, culture, class and socioeconomic status of individuals in the society. For example the Muslims tend to be linked to terror activities. This in essence discriminate and oppress the Muslims in the event attacks occur and not a Muslim is responsible. Class and socioeconomic status are at the forefront in manipulating the justice system and denying the oppressed justice. There were cases where the rich oppressed the poor but in their quest for justice, the system is manipulated by corrupting police officers, prosecution and the defense teams. This aspects helped in highlighting the forms of oppression that racial discrimination or oppression took. This aspects enabled the interviewee to contribute effectively on the subject of societal oppression under racial discrimination or oppression. By highlighting all these aspects, the interviewee came out as a skilled critical thinker from the way he had observed this social ills being perpetrated. Judging from the knowledge generated by the interviews it was clear that interviewing, open discourse and questioning were valuable skills when in researching any areas of study. This is because the information is first hand and the interviewee has some personal touch with it. For example the prosecutor while representing the oppressed has come across cases being deliberated with partiality. It also allows the interviewee to express his thoughts. In this case the prosecutor expresses his dissatisfaction on the way the police and the prison departments treat people with contempt and discriminate some. The interviewer on the other hand has opportunity to gather alot of information. The information generated from the interviews especially the open ones give the interviewee the opportunity to generate alot of information that is reliable. The interviewee through interviews will develop critical thinking and this will be demonstrated at hoe he articulates issue. It may also help the interviewer to learn more personal characteristics of the interviewee. This include how the interviewee handles his or her emotions. By interviews you create a rapport with the interviewee and this help in understanding each other hence generating alot of information on the topic of study. By interviews you get to know if the prosecutor is a good decision maker in solving issues now that the oppressed tend to rely on him for representation. Interviews and questioning will also permit me to assess the prosecutors ability to prosecute perpetrators of social oppression or racial discriminators. Measures need to be put in place to be able to address societal oppression and mostly racial discrimination. One of the solutions is to promote culture education. This will help in appreciation and understanding of other people. Culture education in schools help enable students to appreciate the cultures of other people. This include incorporating it into the curriculum. When this is done at the university level, for example in the law school it will help produce graduate lawyers and judges who respect the rule of law and appreciate the diverse cultures presented by the many race. The government also need to develop policies that promote the rule of law. This should be well articulated in the constitution that govern the way of life of a people. It should be able to protect the minority group. This include the indigenous and the immigrants who in most cases are not represent fully in the society. Another solution is to put the existing laws into full use to help check those who are high and mighty in the society. Full implementation of the law amounts pressure on the influential class hence taking their motives of always wanting to manipulate the system and deny the oppressed justice. Nobody is never above the law, therefore the rules and regulations governing the people should be implemented and those going against it be prosecuted. In the justice system vetting of the staffs ought to be done occasionally to pluck out partial judges. The integrity of the judges is a core factor in the justice system. The judiciary is the arm of government charged with imposing rules and regulations. Therefore when there are incompetent or partial judges then the system is bound to fail. Public education on the benefits of appreciating people from other races and their cultures will help sensitize the people on the need to live in harmony with other people. The police also need to take refresher courses that help the in dealing or handling people fro different backgrounds. Another solution is to incorporate or recruit police officers, and court officials from minority groups. Their interactions with other staff members will help generate knowledge of other cultures. This will help them handle and investigate cases with impartiality. Conclusion Conclusively, based on my opinion and from the interview with the prosecutor, respect for one another will help people to coexist harmoniously in their social environment. We should learn to appreciate other cultures and humble ourselves irrespective of the social class if we want to keep social oppression at bay. Appendix Interview Questions. 1. As a court official have you ever witnessed any form of social oppression? 2. Which type of oppression is common? 3. Which officials in the justice system are notorious for these ills? 4. Are there any measures in place to help deal with rogue officials? 5. Are there any officials who have had to face the law for their crimes in the department? 6. Are there any measures in place to help sensitize the public about these forms of oppression? 7. What do you recommend in the future? Interview Notes - Forms of oppression evident in the justice system include racial, class, socioeconomic and religious discrimination. - The most common of them all is racial discrimination, which is evident and has led into shoddy investigations by the police, poor representation of the oppressed, and unjust rulings by the judges. - Almost all the officials in the criminal justice system are perpetrators of these ills. The police, prosecution and defense lawyers, judges and the prison wardens have all been implicated. - There are measures in place to help watch these vices. The most fundamental one is the oath of office where the officials vow to offer services with diligence. This entail the code of conduct. Occasional vetting has also been conducted to help keep this vices at bay. Some officials in the department have had to lose their jobs for perpetrating these ills. - Public education has been initiated to sensitize the public on these ills and also to help them raise alarm in case they come across them. - Personal responsibility, refresher courses for the police, occasional vetting of the judges and lawyers, appreciation of other cultures and diversity training are the way to go to watch the forms of oppression witnessed in the society and in the justice system. Reference McSweeney, B. (2002). Hofstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences: A triumph of faith-a failure of analysis. Human relations, 55(1), 89-118. Read More