Cultures
Cultures evolve like everything else, even the most conservative traditions adapt to the modern world, those that don’t are eventually superseded, or simply get forgotten. We have been told by the ‘politically correct’ lobby that we must respect other people’s cultures, and that’s all very well, but how far must we take that? If the Conquistadors had respected the culture of the Aztecs, would the world still be tolerating their mass human sacrifices? I think not. Do we respect the ‘culture’ of the Taliban?
‘Culture’ has been turned into a holy cow in recent years, partly to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, and that’s fine to an extent - but it just the same false argument as respecting all religions, and it doesn’t work. Why should I be forced to respect something that I find offensive? Maybe the law can force me to tolerate some things, but it can never force us to respect - which has to be earned. Most cultural traditions are of no harm to anyone, and are in fact embellishments of life - forms of artistic expression, but some are positively harmful to human interaction and understanding. We live in a small, crowded world, and we can no longer afford to give room to traditions which interfere with social cooperation and day-to-day existence.
The niqab, burka, chador and similar enveloping garments are a case in point. They are offensive to most other cultures, where covering the face is always regarded as sinister. Do their wearers respect the other cultures in which they find themselves? Perhaps more importantly, as has been proved many times now, they interfere with security and police, providing a potential cover for criminal activity.
Tiptoeing around every aspect of a backward culture (I used the word advisedly and deliberately), will pull us all backward, and eventually stop human progress. It’s time to be bold and make a stand for progress.
