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Georgi Genchev
SES 360B
February 25, 2015
Assignment 7

Often we are confronted by new customs that we are not familiar with however, sometimes
they confront out puritanical customs. How should you best understand this situation? Adopt
or adapt?

The BBCs documentary Japan Feasts represents part of the typical

Japanese celebrations. For

some, they might seem shocking

and

unacceptable while for others they are widely recognized. This is matter of
what principles, customs and behavior different communities have
adopted through the years. Of course, the sole fact that in a certain
country something is acceptable does not mean that others should
embrace it and perceive it as morally right.
For the purpose of explaining my view on this subject I would like to
introduce the term Cultural Relativism. It dates back from the early 20th century and it
generally states that right and wrong are culture-specific; what is considered moral in
one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of
morality exists, no one has the right to judge another societys customs. Diversity of cultures,
even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong
or good and bad. Cultural relativism sees nothing inherently wrong (and nothing inherently
good) with any cultural expression.

I would like to argue that Cultural Relativism should not be embraced, meaning that
customs such as the one shown in the BBC documentary should be considered by each
individual, who can himself decide whether they are morally right or not.
First, what is wrong with Cultural Relativism? Let us consider the Hindu custom
Sati in India. Basically the custom of Sati was believed to be a voluntary Hindu act in
which the woman voluntary decides to end her life with her husband after his death. But there
were many incidences in which the women were forced to commit Sati, sometimes even
dragged against her wish to the lighted pyre. If we believe that every community has the right
to honor its customs, without questioning the nature of these customs, then, we believe that
Sati is not a wrong thing to do.
Back to the specific example, the customs we saw in the documentary are not violent
but rather puritanical. I personally do not see anything wrong in Japanese traditions, on the
contrary, I admire their nation and the strength it has. However, whether to adopt or adapt the
customs shown in this video or the countless more of the same kind worldwide depends only
on the personal judgment of each individual.
The conclusion is that communities around the world view it differently. There are
certain customs that cannot be accepted by the rest of the world because of their morally
wrong nature. Apart from these, there is a variety of interesting traditions that can only enrich
one person and whether or not to adopt them is matter of personal choice