The Latin etymology of “culture”, cultura, means “cultivation” or grown under human hands. Culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns such as the norms, values, knowledge, language, and symbols that are communicated among people who shared a way of life. It is a living entity, which produces patterns to distinguish one society or group from another.
Compared to the “melting pot”, the United States of America, where different cultures are assimilated into a larger community, Singapore prefers to be a multicultural society, whereby people should preserve their own cultures with the different cultures interacting peacefully. In Singapore, the best way to observe an intercultural scenario would be to visit the ethnic quarters, such as Little India, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, etc.
Compared to the “melting pot”, the United States of America, where different cultures are assimilated into a larger community, Singapore prefers to be a multicultural society, whereby people should preserve their own cultures with the different cultures interacting peacefully. In Singapore, the best way to observe an intercultural scenario would be to visit the ethnic quarters, such as Little India, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, etc.
Little India is the focal point of the Indian community in Singapore along Serangoon Road (or the Little India MRT station along the Northeast Line). I went there once recently and the moment I stepped out of the MRT station, I was greeted (or assaulted) by the scent of the spices. It took me a while to get used to the “aroma”; thereafter the smell boosted my appetite actually. The smell of the spices might be unpleasant, or even overwhelming, for people who go there for the first time. However, spices are essential in Indian cuisines partly due to the hot and humid tropical weather in India. The spices accentuate flavors in the food and have medicinal values that boost our appetite. Many Chinese who adopted the use of spices in their food, as well as parents who want to grind rice to make congee for their babies, patronize the shops that provide grinding machines primarily meant for spices.
I have come across people who commented that Indians have a smell on them. Some feel that “you are what you eat”, so the smell comes from the heavy use of spices in their food. However, I have also learnt that the smell might be that of coconut oil, since Indian ladies use coconut oil as a natural conditioner for their long hair as a traditional hair beauty treatment (I am not sure if Indian men condition their hair or not). After knowing this, I began to accept the smell since I understand the importance of beauty to females. If I knew any effective traditional beauty treatment from my culture, I might use it even if it smells as long as it is proven effective.
On Sundays, numerous migrant workers will gather in Little India to “hang out” and spend time with their friends, since the only people they have here are people from their hometown. Sunday evenings are especially crowded, often making it inconvenient for residents staying there. I have been warned to avoid the place during Sundays if I did not want to dampen my spirits for the trip. I went to Little India on a weekday, although not as crowded as on weekends, the sight was interesting enough. Many workers gathered in an area nicknamed “Little Bangladesh” where they leisurely sat down on the grass patches to chitchat and drink. I even saw one who just lied on an abandoned table and slept there. The scenario was an eye-opener for me because I have never seen Singaporeans “picnicking” just anywhere. The foreign workers seemed so comfortable while I felt like an “alien” there.
Occasionally, cases of drunken fights among the workers are reported in that area, thus security cameras were installed in certain alleys that were more secluded. It serves as deterrence and has been proven useful in crime prevention according to the residents. Furthermore, Little India is filled with men. I have not seen many females walking around in that area, other than my friends and myself. Females who pass by that area might feel threatened, as if they were going to be engulfed by such an astounding population of men (try walking there on Sunday evenings). The installation of security cameras and heavier patrolling by the police thus reassures the safety. However, I feel that installing security cameras would be invading the workers’ privacy and telling them that we do not trust them. We should understand that Indians belong to an ethnic group that loves to celebrate occasions and thus are used to having parties.
Often, we tend to judge other cultures according to standards of our own culture. This behavior is called ethnocentrism. An ethnocentric person assumes that his or her own culture is of a higher status or value and is intrinsically better than other cultures. It thus results in the difficulty of acceptance of and interaction with other cultures. In Singapore’s multicultural society, this is especially important. In dealing with intercultural scenarios, we need to practise sensitivity, self-consciousness, empathy and knowledge about the taboos of other cultures. We need to learn to practise cultural relativism, whereby one’s beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of his or her own culture. We would then be able to accept cultures different from our own better and the different cultures can live in harmony.
I have come across people who commented that Indians have a smell on them. Some feel that “you are what you eat”, so the smell comes from the heavy use of spices in their food. However, I have also learnt that the smell might be that of coconut oil, since Indian ladies use coconut oil as a natural conditioner for their long hair as a traditional hair beauty treatment (I am not sure if Indian men condition their hair or not). After knowing this, I began to accept the smell since I understand the importance of beauty to females. If I knew any effective traditional beauty treatment from my culture, I might use it even if it smells as long as it is proven effective.
On Sundays, numerous migrant workers will gather in Little India to “hang out” and spend time with their friends, since the only people they have here are people from their hometown. Sunday evenings are especially crowded, often making it inconvenient for residents staying there. I have been warned to avoid the place during Sundays if I did not want to dampen my spirits for the trip. I went to Little India on a weekday, although not as crowded as on weekends, the sight was interesting enough. Many workers gathered in an area nicknamed “Little Bangladesh” where they leisurely sat down on the grass patches to chitchat and drink. I even saw one who just lied on an abandoned table and slept there. The scenario was an eye-opener for me because I have never seen Singaporeans “picnicking” just anywhere. The foreign workers seemed so comfortable while I felt like an “alien” there.
Occasionally, cases of drunken fights among the workers are reported in that area, thus security cameras were installed in certain alleys that were more secluded. It serves as deterrence and has been proven useful in crime prevention according to the residents. Furthermore, Little India is filled with men. I have not seen many females walking around in that area, other than my friends and myself. Females who pass by that area might feel threatened, as if they were going to be engulfed by such an astounding population of men (try walking there on Sunday evenings). The installation of security cameras and heavier patrolling by the police thus reassures the safety. However, I feel that installing security cameras would be invading the workers’ privacy and telling them that we do not trust them. We should understand that Indians belong to an ethnic group that loves to celebrate occasions and thus are used to having parties.
Often, we tend to judge other cultures according to standards of our own culture. This behavior is called ethnocentrism. An ethnocentric person assumes that his or her own culture is of a higher status or value and is intrinsically better than other cultures. It thus results in the difficulty of acceptance of and interaction with other cultures. In Singapore’s multicultural society, this is especially important. In dealing with intercultural scenarios, we need to practise sensitivity, self-consciousness, empathy and knowledge about the taboos of other cultures. We need to learn to practise cultural relativism, whereby one’s beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of his or her own culture. We would then be able to accept cultures different from our own better and the different cultures can live in harmony.
The following table was taken from the website, http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cultural_intelligence.html, which discussed about cultural intelligence and I thought was interesting to share. Cultural intelligence (CQ) is a new domain of intelligence that relates to the workplace and it is one’s capability to grow personally through continuous learning and good understanding of diverse cultural heritage, wisdom and values, and to deal effectively with people from different cultural background and understanding. It is usually in the corporate world where we get to meet more people of different cultures. Take note! =)
