Introduction
We live in a multicultural world. There are a lot of people belonging to another culture live near us. Such multiculturalism may have positive as well as negative effects. Of course, people from various cultures know something new communicating with the representatives of another culture on the one hand and the stereotypes which are like labels attached to every culture hamper communication between people belonging to different cultural societies and may be the reason of cultural conflicts. Cross-culture has become the burning issue for many countries.
Multiculturalism of modern society
Lori Abela casts light upon difficulties of relationships between people belonging to different cultures in her article “Do You Want to Make Your Interracial Relationship Work?” She points out that relationship between people having different traditions and background has become a common thing as far as migrations are widespread in modern society. Such migrations have been the reason of interaction and even blending of many cultures. Lori Abela makes the emphasis that a current generation is more accustomed to such relations between various cultures than their parents who have stricter point of view concerning their ties and traditions. Modern generation is more tolerant to other people’s cultures and religions while their parents do not want him to cast their lot with people belonging to other races (Jayson 2008). Relationship between people belonging to different cultures was not accepted in previous generations and such point of view has influenced our parents and grandparents who may become an impediment to our relationship with people of other cultures.
The differences between generations
Lori Abela highlights that there is always a way out in such cases. There are certain factors which help our relationship to work. Old people consider the rise in diversity and mixture of cultures to be the main reason of the loss of their roots. Young people should be ready to hear out their parents’ blame and critique if they want to have relationship outside their race. They should understand their parents and grandparents who grew up at a time when interracial mixing was bad. There are some cultures nowadays where interracial mixing is condemned and prohibited today. More than that, there are young people who have been brought up according strict principles and traditions. They have been taught by their parents to keep their traditions and roots. It should be pointed out, that communication with people belonging to other cultures does not meant that you should forget your own identity and background. The current era of globalization and multiculturalism makes relationship between people of different races quite an ordinary thing.
Stereotypes and Prejudices
Young people have different experience of dating outside the race (Abela 2011). Those whose families accept other people’s cultures have positive experience and it is quite difficult to keep relationship for those whose families are strictly against such communication with other races. More than that, there are families who are hostile towards the representatives of certain races. Such attitude is connected with some historical facts or stereotypes. For example, if two races waged a war in previous years, they keep such hostile attitude for a long time. Stereotypes are another problem of modern societies. Such stereotypes are imposed with the help of internet, TV, magazines and other means of mass media (Race, Stereotyping, and Socially-Constructed Knowledge 2007). For example, there is a stereotype that all Arabs are terrorists and Indians are alcoholics and many other stereotypes which hamper the communication between different cultures (Grobman 1990).
Difficulties of relationships with people belonging to other cultures
Lori Abela takes into account the problem of searching love for modern young people. She points out that love knows no boundaries and everyone may find their real love outside their race. Young people who are afraid of their parents’ reaction on such relationship should take some pieces of advice provided in the article into account and try to keep such relationships. Lori Abela provides some pieces of advice in her article to weaken a barrier between different cultures. Everyone should be open and try to experience other people’s cultures and traditions. It does not mean that such people who try other traditions betray their own ones.
On the other hand, such people broaden their cultural boundaries. Everyone may try the cuisine of other culture or to travel to other lands where different cultures are presented. The author points out that if you have a partner from other culture you should be open for broadening cultural horizons. All cultures are interesting and allow us know something new. People should not criticize other cultures. We do not have the right to make a conclusion whether this culture is good or bad on the one hand and we should not allow other people to obtrude their subjective opinion upon us. If you want to make some conclusion about other cultures, you should get acquainted with these cultures better (Rigoglioso 2008).
The solution of the problem
As we can see, cross-culture has become an integral part of modern society. It has become quite difficult to keep the purity of nation. Culture and race mixing are very widespread in modern society. Such processes have positive effects as well as negative ones. Hostile attitude towards other cultures and imposed stereotypes may be the reason of wars. A lot of irreparable consequences may be prevented if people are more tolerant to each other. It is your own business whether to have relationship with the representative of another race or not but you should not allow other people to influence your point of view. Everyone should make his/her own decision fighting with the influence of mass media that sometimes propagandizes subjective points of view concerning other people’s cultures and traditions. Every person may make such decision after having got acquainted with other cultures. People may read books about other cultures, communicate with the representatives of different cultures, try to take part in their traditions or travel to their home land (Cross Cultural Understanding n.d). Everyone should remember that cross-culture broadens our horizons. If people respect other cultures, their culture will be respected too.
Lori Abela casts light upon one of the current problem of modern people namely the relationships between people of different races and cultures. She takes into account the problem of young people who want to find a real love and if they find this love among the representatives of other culture or race what they should do. The key points of multicultural society are tolerance and respect. Everyone should respect other people’s cultures as well as their parents’ point of view who grew up in the time when race mixing was not accepted. This article helps to understand the notion of cross-culture more widely taking into account the particular problem of relationship between young people belonging to different cultures. The author expresses her point of view in a tolerant way. She expresses her approval of such relationships and appeals other people to broaden their cultural horizons.
References List
Abela, L 2011, Do you want to make your interracial relationship work?, Web.
Cross Cultural Understanding n.d., Web.
Grobman, G 1990, Stereotypes and Prejudices, Web.
Jayson, S 2008, New generation doesn’t blink at interracial relationships, Web.
Race, Stereotyping, and Socially-Constructed Knowledge 2007, Web.
Rigoglioso, M 2008, Racial Stereotypes Can Be Unconscious but Reversible, Web.