Understanding, Culture, Society and Politics

Rojielynne T. Yusay 12 – Aquinas

What I Know
1. c
2. d
3. a
4. d
5. c
6. b
7. b
8. c
9. a
10. c

Lesson 1

What’s In

1. YEY!
2. NAY!
3. NAY!
4. YEY!
5. NAY!

Activity No. 1: “Think-Share-Pair”

Programs/Policies Social Gatherings

(LGU, BLGU, Private Traditions (Festivals, Fiestas,
Sectors) Religious, etc.)

1. Sanitation Program 1. Pag-mano 1. Christenings

2. Water Utilities 2. Sukob 2. Weddings

Private Sector
Participation Facility

3. Combats Its Waste 3. Bayanihan 3. Holy Week

Problem with Private
Sector and Barangay
LGU Support

4. Urban Drainage 4. Paninilbihan 4. Birthdays

Program

5. Institutional 5. Pagsisimba 5. Anniversaries

Capacity-Building
Program

Processing Questions:

1. Based on the actions that you have noted in the template, did
you find similarity or difference between the actions you had
observed in your own community and the actions you had seen in
other community?

Based on the template that I noted, I noticed that even though we

have different communities, we have almost similar policies, programs,
traditions, and social gatherings as we do as a nation, such as the policies
and programs that the LGU, BLGU, and private sectors implemented are
for the community's good, and the LGU, BLGU, and private sectors have
the same goal even though we're in different communities. We all have
the same traditions, even if we reside in different communities, since we
are all Filipinos, and traditions are the transmission of practices or beliefs
from generation to generation. In terms of social events, we all celebrate
them in the same way that I listed in my template, even though we live in
different communities. For some, the name of their celebration may be
different, but the intention remains the same.

2. Would you consider these actions in your community are far

better that those in other communities? Why? Take note of your
answers.

No, because we all have distinct perspectives on things, such as

how we adapt traditions. There are practices in every community that are
different from others, but that does not mean they are better. Every
community is distinct, and each community deals with the situation
differently.

Activity No. 2 “ON MEMORY LANE”

A festival is an event that is typically held by a community to

commemorate some aspect of that community's religion or cultures. It is
frequently observed as a local or national holiday. Harvest time is
associated with many festivals because food is such a valuable resource.
 We celebrate festivals/fiestas in every community in the Philippines,
however, we celebrate fiestas for different reasons, such as the Flomlok
festival here in Polomok. Flomlok, a Blaan term that means "hunting
grounds," is a celebration that coincides with Polomolok, South Cotabato's
founding anniversary.

For example, in Cebu City, there are celebrations such as the Sinulog
Festival, which is a Philippine celebration of faith and gratitude.
Thousands of believers of the miraculous image of the Child Jesus, Santo
Niño, have flocked from all over the world to Cebu City for the week-long
Sinulog festival to thank the Holy Child.

Festivals are an expressive way to celebrate glorious heritage,

culture and traditions. They are meant to rejoice special moments and
emotions in our lives with our loved ones. They play an important role to
add structure to our social lives, and connect us with our families and
backgrounds.

Different festivals, but the same goal of honoring, respecting, and

thanking the things for which the festival is held. We all celebrate festivals
to honor our heritage, culture, and traditions which define and shape who
we are. Festival isn't just about the name; it's about a lot more. It's a
term that conjures up images of magnificent colors, traditions, and, most
importantly, life.

Processing Questions:

1. How will you explain cultural relativism based on the common

traditions/cultural practices in your locality?

Cultural relativism is the ability to comprehend a culture on its own

terms rather than making judgments based on one's own cultural
standards. Using the perspective of cultural relativism leads to the
conclusion that no culture is superior to another in terms of morality, law,
politics, and so on. Just as our cultural practices concerning fiestas differ
on why we celebrate fiestas, we should recognize the differences and not
condemn them; instead, we must know and realize that we have different
points of view when it comes to our cultural practices and traditions.

2. Will you consider your community as unique compared to other

community?

No, why compare when each community is unique in its own right?
Every community is beautiful just the way it is.

3. What traditions do you want to practice in your own community

that is visible in other communities?
 I don't believe there are any other traditions that other communities
have that I would like to practice because we are all part of the same
nation and practically almost all of our traditions are the same. The
Philippine communities is a one-of-a-kind blend of diverse array and
homogeneity. We are all united by our traditions, regardless of whatever
perspective we are from.

Lesson 2

What’s More

Activity No. 3: “ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE”

Processing questions:

1. What are the things that you had learned?

The world is a melting pot of people from all cultures, each with
its own set of customs and beliefs. Certain practices that are tolerated, if
not encouraged, in one culture are frequently frowned upon in another. As
a result, cultures' ethical views of right and wrong often differ greatly. It
is hard to develop a universal moral code without undermining certain
cultures and opposing the principles implanted in their people. Cultural
relativism, the view that what is ethically right and wrong is determined
only by one's culture, aims to resolve the disparity in ethical standards
among cultures. This idea, however, is not without problems. In “The
Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” James Rachels investigates and
questions the prevalent theory of cultural relativism.

I learned that cultural relativism has severe flaws, despite the fact
that some of its principles are correct. To put it another way, it's "not [as]
plausible as it looks to be." One of the central premises of cultural
relativism is the idea that “different cultures have distinct moral codes.” It
proves this by citing various examples of cultural behaviors that differ
significantly from our own, such as marriage in Eskimo villages. Eskimos
believe that husbands can have several wives and that women can leave
a marriage at any time to pursue a new partner. However, the reality is
that all cultures share some core values that are required to preserve
civilization.

Another premise of cultural relativism, which follows from the first,

is that we cannot objectively judge anyone society’s moral code to be
superior to the moral code of another society. There is no such thing as
‘objective truth' in morality because people in different societies disagree
on what is moral. However, it is entirely possible that the individuals in
question are just mistaken. The problem with the Cultural Differences
Argument is that the conclusion does not follow from the assumption that
it is impossible to get a “substantive conclusion” about a topic (morality in
this case) simply because people disagree about it.

First and foremost, we could no longer claim that our traditions are
morally superior to those of other cultures. We would have to
acknowledge that other societies are "different," but that this does not
make them inferior. Another implication would be that we may use our
society's norms to evaluate if our behaviors are right or bad. This is
troublesome because we may believe that certain components of our
society's moral code are incorrect, but cultural relativism prohibits us
from criticizing them. The third and last ramification of embracing cultural
relativism is that “moral progress” is called into doubt. In other words,
the social transformation could only be implemented in a restricted
capacity. Rachels uses the example of women holding a constrained place
in Western society for most of history and just recently becoming
liberated from that position. However, cultural relativism would prevent
us from considering this "progress" because we are unable to determine if
any new way of doing things is superior to the old way of doing things.

2. How the article had helped you gain more insights about the
importance of cultural relativism?

The article had effectively helped me in gaining more insights in a

way that did not avoid making certain concessions. It admits that the
theory of cultural relativism provides us with two important insights. The
first is that cultural relativism makes us aware that our preferences are
not all “based on some objective rational standard.” It is easy to overlook
that many cultural behaviors are not universal, but rather are unique to a
particular society. This is significant because we tend to think of things
objectively in terms of right and wrong, whereas in actuality they are
"nothing more than social customs." The second lesson is to remember to
retain an open mind at all times. We learn to regard some actions as
acceptable or unacceptable as a result of how we are raised or the society
in which we grow up.

3. Are the things mentioned by James Rachels are applicable in

your life? Or in your community? Why or why not?

Yes, since it is inevitable that I will encounter people who question

my beliefs. It's difficult for me to reconcile their beliefs with mine and
accept that they have a valid point of view. Cultural relativism acts as a
constant reminder that my ethical beliefs are often influenced by my
culture.

Assessment
 1. FALSE
2. FALSE
3. FALSE
4. TRUE
5. TRUE
6. TRUE
7. TRUE
8. TRUE
9. FALSE
10. TRUE

Additional Activities

Activity No. 4 “CURRENT REALITY DIALOGUE”

CULTURAL RELATIVISM REMARKS

(PRACTICES)
1. The Philippines' lumads or 1. ALWAYS
mountain dwellers, one can
sometimes see bare-breasted
women going about their tasks
without embarrassment or sexual
connotation. The male population,
on the other hand, does not even
bother to look and appears
unconcerned. In a Christian
lowland community, the same
behavior may elicit a very different
reaction.

2. The Bontocs' tradition of 2. ALWAYS

sleeping in separate residences for
young men and women as a
natural part of their behavior?
Furthermore, in the Philippines,
disparities in values associated
with behavior have an impact on
marriage relationships and divorce
practices.

3. Polygamy and divorce are 3. ALWAYS

practiced by Filipino Muslims and
some animistic mountain groups,
which are considered immoral by
Filipino Christians. However, the
Muslim practice of polygamy is not
unethical, as it is sanctioned by the
Koran and Islamic religious
leaders.

4. Other ethnic groups in the 4. RARELY

locality disdain the consumption of
dog meat, but it is a beloved meal
among the Cordilleran’s
(incidentally, the slaughtering of
dogs for their meat has been
banned by the government in more
recent times).

5. The Filipinos consider it polite to 5. ALWAYS

extend one's hand to shake the
hand of another person as a
welcoming gesture, which is a
Western influence. This act,
however, may be regarded
as undesirable and unethical in
some Asian and African societies,
where greetings include bowing,
placing both hands on one's
breast, stroking the palm of one's
forehead, kissing both cheeks, or
slapping each other on the back.

Activity No.5 “CHECK METER”

PRACTICES High or Low?

1. Food from another country. LOW

2. Korean movies/K-pop Idols. HIGH

3.Use of bakya or salakot. LOW

4. Eating with bare hands. HIGH

5. Travelling to foreign countries. HIGH

6. Working in other companies. HIGH

7. Filial piety. LOW

8. Close family ties. HIGH

9. Bayanihan HIGH
 10. Celebrating Sunday mass with LOW
family members.