Cultural differences

I was waiting in reception where they leave outdated magazines for clients to read. Have you ever noticed they are REALLY old, like a good 3 months or so old? I was reading this article entitled “I was arrested for wearing too much make up”. That was pretty extreme so of course I had to read it. PLEASE NOTE: I’m not quoting anything, neither am I trying to offend any countries/faiths/religion/views but am merely expressing my opinions. When I started reading it in more depth, there were four women telling their stories about how they were in trouble by the ‘morality police’ as they called it. The reasoning why they were in trouble is more than just wearing make up, it’s more about going against Islamic beliefs. I was really shocked reading it. It opened my eyes into different cultures, lifestyles and beliefs in different countries. I understand that different countries have different rules and beliefs but you’ll always get people who try to fight against it. That happens everywhere in the world.

I do believe the Islamic lifestyle receives a lot of bad publicity in different mediums, news, papers, radio, online. But maybe it’s nothing like that in reality. Maybe we’d know more if we weren’t so ignorant to topics like that. A lot of people believe what the media tells us. We’ll take it at face value without even trying to uncover the real truth. Topics such as the terrorist bombings and the war in the Middle East have shaped the way some people think. To be honest, you can’t really blame them. It’s up to each individual to research it more, if they want to. If not, they’ll continue to have the same views as the media wants them to have.

Reading the article made me think about the way religions and traditions are portrayed in the media. One of the first examples that popped into my head were arranged marriages. It is thought that people are forced into marrying someone that they do not know and are expected to stay in a marriage with a stranger forever. Being Indian, I can admit that used to happen a lot in the olden days and still happens now but very rarely. Nowadays, it’s more of an assisted marriage where parents will help their children find potential partners. They get to know one another. If they are happy together, they get married, if not, they get introduced to someone else. It’s like a dating game so at least everyone has a day, No one is forced to do anything against their will.

There’s quite a few examples I could give but the point that I’m trying to make is don’t believe everything you hear from the media. Do a little research about different people and I promise you’ll learn a lot. Remember ignorance isn’t always bliss!