In some societies, collective harmony is more highly valued than self-expression. If people are reluctant to speak out, prior culture is more likely to persist unchallenged. Caring deeply about social approval amplifies fears of ostracism and motivates quiet conformity. Moreover, where self-assertion is strongly disliked, feminist activism is more likely to trigger patriarchal backlash. Through recent fieldwork in Mexico, Spain, Hong Kong and South Korea, I realise this is a hugely important, but widely overlooked driver of ‘the Great Gender Divergence’.
As someone who's spent considerable time with adults and young, both, in their childhood - I see myself tussling between conforming and not conforming, between nunchi and nunchi. Spending time with adults of the family made me welcome the adjustment for the larger good while spending time with the young (most of them younger than me) made me feel individualistic. I am from India by the way.
I liked this article quite a bit. Regarding education, I am interested in whether you have read the research into what happens in Japanese vs American middle school math classes that showed the Japanese classes to use far *less* rote learning than the American ones.
Loved reading this, a thought-provoking essay. India also presents a similar example of collective harmony. We have a saying, "adjust karo sabke saath", which translates to "adjust your own needs and accommodate other people's needs". There is something very passive-aggressive in the communication styles as well, that one should just anticipate how others would feel or perceive instead of oneself first, in my experience.
Collective harmony vs self-expression: some miscellaneous reflections from a European perspective:
* things are not always how they seem...in theory in the 21st c. West, self-expression walks on stilts. But the reality is that most apolitical people (ie most people) increasingly feel that they have to keep quiet for fear of falling foul of various 'woke' pieties that have become embedded in establishment culture. This is a big subject (and one that I have written on extensively) but I trust you will know what I am talking about.
* whilst large parts of the world remain oppressively patriarchal, the idea that in Western societies feminisation has actually overshot has recently gained currency (even amongst some feminists - see below) leading to a situation in which men tend to feel more constrained about self-expression than women.
As someone who's spent considerable time with adults and young, both, in their childhood - I see myself tussling between conforming and not conforming, between nunchi and nunchi. Spending time with adults of the family made me welcome the adjustment for the larger good while spending time with the young (most of them younger than me) made me feel individualistic. I am from India by the way.
I liked this article quite a bit. Regarding education, I am interested in whether you have read the research into what happens in Japanese vs American middle school math classes that showed the Japanese classes to use far *less* rote learning than the American ones.
Loved reading this, a thought-provoking essay. India also presents a similar example of collective harmony. We have a saying, "adjust karo sabke saath", which translates to "adjust your own needs and accommodate other people's needs". There is something very passive-aggressive in the communication styles as well, that one should just anticipate how others would feel or perceive instead of oneself first, in my experience.
Collective harmony vs self-expression: some miscellaneous reflections from a European perspective:
* things are not always how they seem...in theory in the 21st c. West, self-expression walks on stilts. But the reality is that most apolitical people (ie most people) increasingly feel that they have to keep quiet for fear of falling foul of various 'woke' pieties that have become embedded in establishment culture. This is a big subject (and one that I have written on extensively) but I trust you will know what I am talking about.
* whilst large parts of the world remain oppressively patriarchal, the idea that in Western societies feminisation has actually overshot has recently gained currency (even amongst some feminists - see below) leading to a situation in which men tend to feel more constrained about self-expression than women.
Rather than make this comment an over-lengthy one I will just link to these two essays in which I elaborate on the above themes: https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/shall-we-dance https://grahamcunningham.substack.com/p/life-in-the-shadows-of-metoo
https://spartacus.app/
Perhaps this tool will be very useful if you want to rebel in a collectivist society
Mandatory corruption? Or conscription?
Thank you!! Now corrected.