The Traditional Beliefs That Are Still Prevalent in Greek Society Today - Essay Example

Mishaal Inter-racial Relationships 29 August 2009 (Greek Beliefs) This paper looks at thetraditional beliefs that are still prevalent in Greek society today and how these sometimes come into conflict with modern cultural practices. Traditional and cultural practices are the bedrock of any society and these often cause some disagreements between an older generation which wants to cling to them and the younger generations which might find some of these practices to be anachronistic in a modern world. Anachronism itself as a word is of Greek origin and is apropos to describe a custom that is viewed as out of place, a practice that belongs to another era, of a past long gone, like an error in chronology. In short, it is generally unavoidable that old and modern views of a society will collide between the old guard and the new generations who are eager to embrace new practices. For older people and self-declared guardians of a societys cultural values and mores, there is a reason why these practices should be continued as they are perceived as a direct connection to the glorious past and a guide to the future. The familiar also provides comfort, primarily as a safety precaution against foreign cultural influences and subsequent loss of cultural identity. The paper will look at some age-old Greek traditional beliefs embedded in todays cultural practices and re-examines them with a modern lens in order to reconcile some of the beliefs in a rapidly changing society and with prevailing popular culture. It looks at how the older generations see things differently from younger generations overall perspectives. It will look at Greek societys cultural practices in general and how it deals with the questions of race and age in particular, and when it comes to marrying off their daughters. As culture is about language and beliefs, there is now cultural relativism (Parks, Malveaux & Morial 224). Examples of Greek Beliefs Culture is passed from one generation to another and more importantly, practices and beliefs together with their moral value judgments change over time. An example here would be that of a woman who works for an employment income, clearly at variance with the Greek tradition that the man is the sole breadwinner of the family. A wife who works brings a total embarrassment to the entire family group and a great deal of stress would result (Valfre 31). An extreme example would be the Greek practice of pederasty which is an erotic relationship between an adult male and a young adolescent boy in ancient times, especially in Athens. It is considered a sexual-abuse crime today but its treatment over history had varied considerably and is no longer practiced. Although it was also practiced in other times in other countries like Japan, imperial China and also in particular Florence, Italy during the Renaissance, this form of ephebophilia is no longer considered a social institution in contemporary Western culture. Even the Roman writers had noted this practice as something foreign to them and viewed the ancient Greeks as excessively self-indulgent and fond of a luxurious life (Williams 68). Another cultural practice, this time focused on sex and race entirely, is endogamy. This practice is not entirely Greek alone as it is widespread in most national cultures of the world. The whole point of endogamy is to marry within a particular ethnic or social group only to the exclusion of others. Endogamy comes about not just by the exclusion based on culture alone but also on other factors such as the same religion, economic class (like Indias caste system), nationality or even of convenience, marrying persons who share the same views and lifestyles. The opposite of exogamy, this cultural practice of endogamy has persisted until modern times and is the subject of intense studies by social scientists in both sociology and anthropology, to the extent that earlier prohibitions of marriages between blacks and whites constituted a form of racial endogamy (Lowie 233). The Greek patriarch in the movie also practiced endogamy. Some cultural practices had used endogamy to extreme forms such as a still prevalent modern practice of child marriages. It is fairly common in Muslim countries where bigamy is legal and young child brides are married off by their families so they will not become either a financial or moral burden to their parents. The common thread of child marriages is usually poverty and these child brides were married off to usually older but richer men, often with several wives already. Cultural values are called into question in these modern times as to why such an abominable practice still persists but it must be admitted that values change over time and over different societies. Some societies that practice child marriages are doing it for purposes of betrothal to preserve power and privilege within a certain group, such as what was practiced by ancient Egyptians which was a form of lineage endogamy covering a big extended royal family. Most of the child marriages today do not expect husbands to demand sex until a child reaches maturity. It is viewed as a form of child victimization by activists, because parents often expect a fortune in exchange for giving away their child but the unlucky child loses a precious phase of her childhood development. Some brides were as young as eight years old and brutalized by being forced into adult responsibilities, bound by customs and traditions enforced over the centuries through primitive laws, societal conformity and religious pressure. When people cling to their cultural practices, it is a form of reassurance that they are doing the right thing. This renewed focus on cultural issues in Western society today is the direct result of affluence brought by advanced capitalism which removed more basic “bread and butter” issues to move the intellectual discussion to womens rights, marriage rights, reproductive rights and privacy rights and other issues like the clash between the old and the new. Although endogamy is not bad in itself, it raises questions about individual rights. Parents want endogamy to preserve the gene pool but also to avoid possible cultural, religious and age-difference problems. Traditional Greek Beliefs Like the previously stated Greek belief that a wife must not work outside the home, a common Greek belief is the practice of endogamy. This is especially true when there is strong cultural identification by the individual concerned which in this case was personified by Gus in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” which some also view as an attempt to assert his parental authority over her daughter Toulas choice of a future husband. In her fathers view, there is less adjustment to be made when she marries a nice Greek boy as that guy would be familiar with Greek cultural practices such as having a big extended family. Traditional Greek culture emphasizes societal order and personal discipline which Gus had expected Toula to observe by following his wishes of her getting married to a Greek boy. Greeks prefer order in their lives and they describe anything that is excessive or deviant as bordering on hubris. But this attempt by the father flies in the face of an idiographic perspective, that an individual is unique (Pope-Davis & Coleman 193). Insisting on a cultural norm ignores the pluralistic and diversified effects of cross-cultural influences on an individuals upbringing and development. Another prominent Greek cultural belief emphasized in the movie is the concern of the parent when a daughter reaches a certain age and still remained unmarried. This is the case in Toula Portokalos situation as she is already thirty years ago and is still single, way past the age when most Greek parents think their daughter should have gotten married and produced grandchildren for them. This Tom Hanks-produced movie became the highest-grossing independent movie of all time because of its universal appeal. Parents worrying about their children, and their daughters in particular, are not uniquely Greek only but extends to all the cultures of the world. It used to be that a female not married by 21 is already considered as an “old maid” but today, things have changed (Delaney 98). Parents who are eager to become grandparents are looking for emotional fulfillment of becoming a parent again to grandkids. Trendy and Popular Cultural Beliefs Todays modern generation have their own ideas regarding what they want and what is expected of them. Especially for the modern woman, she refuses to be buttonholed into some stereotype. Then there is also the question of getting an education, having an own career that is separate and distinct from her husbands and many other expectations not possible before. Incidentally, it was the wife of Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson (born Margarita Ibrahimoff who also is of Greek ancestry) who saw the potentials of the movie because she is culturally attuned to what the movies message is all about. Perhaps in the movies main character of Toula that Ms. Rita Wilson saw an embodiment of her ideals and aspirations. She herself admitted despite being married to Hollywoods King, she will not succumb to the temptation of being a mere red-carpet consort role and chart her own course as far as career is concerned, becoming a well respected stage actress herself. Todays feminist movement has freed a lot of women from the strictures of tradition and convention. This new attitude extends to cultural beliefs about the barriers of age and marriage as far as tradition is concerned and endogamy is not seen as the only viable course. Todays popular belief is that a woman should marry a person she truly loves and follow her heart, parent opposition notwithstanding. The movie is in fact a microcosm in todays modern society where multi-ethnic and interfaith weddings are common due to the increased incomes of women (no longer financially dependent on the men). It can be seen in todays social networking sites where people get the chance to meet other persons coming from another cultural group initially on-line and makes life exciting. It can be argued that modernity with regards to womens rights such as pertaining to education and employment opportunities have given women more mobility and independence. Toula in the movie is perfectly comfortable with her decision to marry Ian Miller and can live with it. In my personal view, people should respect an individuals inherent right to choose happiness. Works Cited Delaney, Carol Lowery. Investigating Culture: An Experiential Introduction to Anthropology (illustrated edition). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley-Blackwell, 2004. Lowie, Robert H. An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Warwichshire, UK: READ Books, 2007. Parks, Gregory, Malveaux, Julianne & Morial, Marc. Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century: Our Fight has Just Begun. (illustrated edition). Ed. Gregory Parks. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2008. Pope-Davis, Donald B. & Coleman, Hardin, L. K. The Intersection of Race, Class and Gender in Multi-Cultural Counseling (illustrated edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001. Valfre, Michelle Morrison. Foundations of Mental Health Care (illustrated, 3rd edition). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier-Mosby, 2004. Williams, Craig Arthur. Roman Homosexuality: Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity. Ideologies of Desire (illustrated edition). New York, NY: Oxford University Press US, 1999. Read More