Can A Country Preserve Its Culture Nowadays When Subject Continually To Outside Influences?

The world we now know has changed drastically compared to what it was like a century ago. Due to a rapid progress in technology, the world has shrunk. In the past, countries were wrapped up in themselves, determined to preserve their own cultures. However, nowadays, it is difficult for any culture not to be influenced due to the presence of television, air travel, the internet and the radio. Wherever we go, we are subject continually to outside influences, especially in Singapore, a multiracial country. Can a country still preserve its culture nowadays when subject continually to outside influences?

There is no way to keep the radio out of a country. It has been regarded as a common appliance in our daily lives. In a dynamic and modern society like Singapore, almost every household has a television. However, there are still some means of controlling which satellite transmissions the antennae can receive from. In Singapore, it is illegal to receive satellite transmissions from disallowed foreign satellites. Rather than to keep out foreign influences, the government does this to protect our local television companies. If everyone can gain access to other foreign channels, our local entertainment sector will cease to exist! However, in Malaysia, we can still access a generous number of dialect programmes.

There are advantages of being open to outside influences. We can learn from other countries and not be confined only to our culture. This helps to promote a greater understanding and appreciation of the diverse races and cultures around us, which is essential for a multiracial country like Singapore. In order to fully understand and embrace people of other races, we must interact with them. Another advantage is that countries which are not so developed can progress faster. Two examples are Japan and South Korea. Since the time that they have opened to western cultures, they have modernised rapidly and become economic giants in Asia. In spite of the invasion of foreign cultures, Japan and South Korea still preserve their traditional cultures. As English is a globally-used language, students from China, South Korea or Taiwan travel to countries such as the United States or Singapore to learn English. Why choose Singapore? The reason is that Singapore has a good education system, so foreign students can learn much faster here compared to studying in their own countries.

Unfortunately, the ability to preserve culture does not exist in all countries. Many of our local teenagers have absorbed the drugs and permissiveness of the west. It is indeed deplorable that people in countries like Japan and South Korea are so deep in their own cultures, while Singaporeans are overwhelmed by something foreign. Have you noticed that most Chinese teenagers in Singapore do not wear red during Chinese New Year? Many local teenagers do not respect their own cultures and traditions, so much so that the cultures that our ancestors have kept for generations may be forgotten.

Cultures do not keep alive by themselves. The government must take a stand, especially in Singapore. The optimum result will be to let western culture co-exist with our own. I believe that with determined government attitude and support from the people, our culture can be preserved.