IS YOUR COUNTRY LOSING ITS IDENTITY BECAUSE OF GLOBALIZATION?

EDWARD YO XI OLIMPIADE IPH EAST

Globalization has infused itself into the global community in the modern
world. It has affected us greatly, both at local and international levels, with
its own benefits and disadvantages. Although globalization has pushed
humans to challenge their own boundaries to develop, it certainly has
significant disadvantages which we cannot neglect. One of the major
disadvantages it evokes is a countrys cultural loss. The culture of a country
determines its identity. If a country suffers from cultural loss, then it will
also lose its idiosyncrasy and identity.
To start with, I will use Indonesia as an archetype for this case. Consisting
of thousands of different islands with idiosyncratic features, Indonesia is
arguably the country with the most diverse cultures and people. Each of its
islands Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and the others follows differing
tradition ranging from wearing Kebayak traditional clothing to eating
traditional foods like Singkong. However, as the rate of globalization
increases rapidly in Indonesia, the people within are starting to adhere to
international trends rather than the traditional norms. For example, the
majority of Javanese teenagers will choose to wear crop tees to the mall
rather than the traditional Batik clothing. They will go for Japanese food like
sushi and teriyaki salmon rather than local food, such as Rujak Cingur and
Gado-gado. The reason they choose to follow the global trend is simple:
anything related to tradition and culture has now become outdated.
Teenagers admit that one of the most essential things is to gain acceptance
from the modern society, regardless of how appropriate their clothing or
manners is. However, in most cases, globalization either partially or fully
contradicts the value of a culture. Wearing exposed clothes clearly defy the
traditional norm in lots of parts in Indonesia, and eventually, there will be
acrimony between modern and traditional communities. Inevitably, people
will become judgmental of one another.
Modern community and traditional community usually do not get along. The
modern community has a mindset that they have to devote themselves to
the mercurial trend in order to look simply cool. On the other hand,
traditional community still has a strong relationship with the cultural values
inherited from their predecessors. Members of the traditional community
are often the elders, while the young ones are usually involved in the

modern society. Unfortunately, both communities will often argue about

things related to cultural values. Since young people are becoming
increasingly aware of the presence of globalization, they often neglect what
their elders say about preserving cultural values. As a result, cultural loss
will take place when the elders are finally gone. The culture of a country
tells a lot about that country, but if it is taken away, then there is nothing
unique anymore about that countrys identity. Culture is what makes a
country different from the others, but sadly most of the young people
nowadays are not aware of this.
In conclusion, my country Indonesia serves as a great example of how it is
starting to lose its identity because of globalization. Hence, I agree that
globalization may lead to cultural loss that eventually takes away a
countrys identity.