Sociology

The modern world today had managed to bring a situation in our society wherein things of the past had met what we have in the present. This is often seen in cultures and societies wherein there is a strong tradition of antiquity that experienced glory in the past. In this paper we are going to examine this kind of phenomenon using the two books that focused on two different cultures that have strong histories in the past. Nancy Joan Smith Hefner (1999) wrote about the Khmer-American in her book Khmer American Identity and moral education in a diasporic community. The book examined the Khmers that lived in the United States who mostly came as refugees during the era of conflict in Cambodia. The second book that we are going to examine is Shahram Khosravis book (2008) entitled Young and Defiant in Iran that focused on the youths of Tehran, Iran and their defiant attitude towards the tradition imposed by the Iranian government. In this book, the author travelled back in his homeland in Iran and studied the attitudes of the youth and adolescents in Iran towards their repressive government and how they adapt or defy to it.

In the two cultures of both Tehran youths and Khmer-American youths, we can see a common pattern wherein there is an existing clash between religion or classical traditions and the modern youth culture. These contrasts are very evident in the areas of their view and attitudes on sex, romance and family life. While the classic and the conservative culture of their religions (e.g. Islam and Buddhism) are holding them back to conform to their forefathers tradition, there is also a great pull to a more liberal approach of living that came from the Western culture and tradition wherein they were greatly exposed especially in this age of great innovations in information and communications technology.

Take for example the tradition of the wherein children are ought to take care their parents as soon as they are employed or when their parents are old. The modern arrangement and tradition in United States wherein as soon as a son or daughter turns 18, he or she will be on his or her own poses a great clash between modern and classic tradition (Smith-Hefner 96). This also the same to Iran governments control to the behavior of their youths especially in early romance. As they argue in accordance to religious traditions that they need to discourage early romance, the Tehran youths managed to find a way to express this desire and necessity to find a partner despite the overseeing of the government (Khosravi 112). In this essay, we are going to mention some of these oppositions and later reflect on it in relation to the modern arrangement of our society.

Khmer Americans Attitudes, Values and Culture
Khmers teach their sons and daughters the virtue of reciprocating the good will of their mother and father by helping their parents in the household when they are young and still no job or giving a part of full of their income when they are employed and working (95). Parents are regarded as their first gods to whom they owe unlimited things. The duty of a son or daughter is to reciprocate them as much as they can most especially in their old age and later life (96).

Socialization in relation to gender roles and sexual characteristics are also evident in Khmer Americans. Though there are no universal preference between a boy and a girl, each of the gender is expected, encouraged and trained in specific manners. Men for example are expected to be strong and rational while the females are expected to be passionate and emotional. Daughters for example are taught to mute their sexual desires for them not to put their familys reputation on shame. In social etiquettes, girls are taught to talk softly, be polite and sit correctly (99). These are some of the practices that are still followed even by the Khmer-Americans in United States. The differences in training and expectation to boy and girls in Khmer culture are reinforcing the common societal arrangement wherein boys are meant to be courageous, autonomous and independent while girls are meant to be dependent and emotionally restrained (98).

The individualistic tendency of the Khmers in some aspects of their lives especially in their youngster years came from their Buddhist belief and culture that emphasizes reincarnation and karmic destiny. For the parents, birth is a delicate transition between the childs former life and its newly born life. Because of this, it has been observed that parents should intervene less to child socialization and shall impose less model for appropriate behavior for their young children (64). In the learning of toddlers for example, the Khmers provide a more liberal approach rather than their American counterparts. While Americans will prefer building gates and playpens, Khmer caregivers prefer distraction to limit the childs movement especially when it is near danger. Physical movements and curiosity are encouraged and viewed positively for Khmers (76). Young children are viewed as someone who is not really morally obligated. When Khmer young children commit mistakes, a mother will often excuse her child because of the belief that a child still has no sense of self. This is congruent to the Buddhist beliefs that children are not mold-less or shapeless clay that should be defined by their parents but rather as individuals with former existence with innate character and personality (77).

Living in one of the most liberal country in the world and coming from one of the most conservative culture in Asia, the Khmer Americans managed to raise a synthesize and new way of life out of this two orientations. The famous statement, East meets west had just manifested again in the United States as the Khmers settled on this country.

Tehran, Iranian Youths Attitudes, Values and Cultures
Jumping to the case of Iran, modern Iran particularly in Tehran, the modern cultural revolution brought by the new government had tried to suppress the individualistic tendencies of its citizen most especially the youth. In many aspects of peoples lives, many rights and freedom are stripped away to be able to make way to what they believe as the rightful culture for a Muslim.

The moral policing of the state tried to suppress different aspects of life of its citizens especially romance, entertainment, vices, trade, business and many more. In Iran particularly in Tehran, there is what they referred as moral police who oversee the people especially in the public places imposing different violations and punishments for those who violate the codes of the government. Punishments include public humiliation, whipping publicly or privately and many more.

The author of the book mentioned an experience wherein he was arrested and whipped due to a cultural crime i.e. availing alcoholic drink (Khosravi 15-17).The memory had been so intense and remarkable that made him choose to tackle in his study the sufferings and anguish of Tehran youths in Iran. Public flogging had been the response of the Iranian state to control their citizens especially their youth. In Iran, public flogging or beating someone hardly in public places for committing different violations is common. Young people are often the subject or victim of this, oftentimes they are charged of cultural crimes such as alcohol consumptions or premarital sex (16).

Though the state had been successful in limiting many cultural crimes of its citizens, it is also notable how the Iranian most especially the youths of Iran managed to express these repressed behaviors. The clich, if there is a will, there is a way prove again to be true. In certain areas such as youth romance and vices or entertainment in the form of alcohol consumption for example, the youth managed to find a way to overcome the barriers laid by the state.

The malls for example are often and commonly used to be able to meet the opposite sex. As stated in the article, ...the only space where they have an opportunity to present themselves (112). In a society wherein young romance is discouraged, the youth found a way to be able to meet and close deal with the opposite sex. According to Khorasvi, Tehrani boys are experts at whispering their phone numbers in a few seconds as they pass by the girls, who in turn are skilled in memorizing the numbers (112). Alcohol consumption which is banned by the state had managed to reach the hands of the youth through some underground deals. Homemade alcohols managed to satisfy the thirst of the youth in getting drunk which is a very delicate business in Iran (15).

Being the most aggressive stage of mans growth, the youth and adolescents in Iran despite living in one of the most repressive country in the world had still managed to act their natural desires and inclination. Whether this is good or bad, we cannot say. All we know is it is happening.

Reflections and Analysis
If there is one thing that is a classic and most universal of the modern living, that is individuality. From centuries of the I being repressed and withdrawn in the background due to political, religious and societal constraints, the I finally saw the light and a fertile ground wherein it can prosper and grow. In the history of civilization and mankind, there is no better era except for our own today wherein we can express and show ourselves. Unlike in the past centuries and generations wherein we were encouraged to conform to thousand year old traditions, we are now finally given the chance today to takeoff the cloak of the past and hug and show to the world what is our own.

Our economic, political and societal arrangements today had managed to be the fertile ground in this individual expression. In our times wherein skills and talents are the greatest asset to accumulate wealth and position rather than being tied to your family name or royal blood, we had witness many breakthroughs seeing people from rags to riches. In fact, this growth of wealth is what we want to argue as one of the most decisive factor that contributes in our individualism. The modern society managed to bring revolutions in gender roles, romance and sexuality due to its characteristic to create wealth. When people manage to take care of what they are going to eat, what they are going to wear or where they are going to live, different aspects of lives are starting to resurface and lobby for attention. Taking in mind, Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs, when someone can deal with the base of his primary needs, he needs to go to the next level. At the top of this pyramid, we can find these abstract concepts such as needs for belonging, love, care, individuality and self expression.
In the past wherein people are more concerned to what they will eat tomorrow or will they even eat tomorrow, this part of us withdraw to the bottom of the ocean. They will only resurface when are primary needs are settled and the modern life that we have now is the greatest time for these new issues. But in cases wherein even economically unstable people are bothered with this kind of issues such as romance, gender, sex etc. we can throw the mud to the innovations of information and communication technology. As people are exposed to the people who have this and that, they are pulled towards it and start dreaming the same things.

The world is going faster and faster every single day. In many cases, we cannot go against it. For the people that argue that we need to preserve the past and disregard what is in the now or what is in the future, it would be better if we think again. The innovations in the last century or two had made much more improvements and leaps compared to what the thousand years of repression had brought us. We fly people above oceans and we landed on the moon in a very little time frame. We can connect to anyone with a snap of a finger whenever we want to. The lights of the city lift our spirits. There is no way that these changes are bad.