BRIDGING THE GAP
Cultural relativism
There is a popular saying that goes like this: "What is unacceptable and bad in a group of people may be good and acceptable in another group of people." Oftentimes, we are quick in judging certain aspects of the culture of other people as "immoral" or "uncivilized" without being aware of the fact that others may judge us also in a similar vein. This is because there are always a tendency on our part to look at the ways and manners of other groups from our own perspective or point of view, making our own ways as the measuring stick.
It is really difficult to understand and accept what the actions of the members of other societies mean if we try to see them in the light of our own values, habits, and attitude, or on the basis of our legal system and of our religion. However, we must bear in mind that a similar behavior has different meanings and values in different cultures. What is desired, therefore, is to understand the behavior in relation to the culture prevailing in that society where it takes place. This simply means that we must not judge other people's behavior on the basis of our own culture but understand it based on that group's culture. For, indeed, it is possible that the said behavior in question may be entirely accepted or even desirable in another society. This is what cultural relativism is all about.
Many examples can be given of traits or behaviors that have different meanings and values in different cultures. Even, in the Philippines, although generally, we speak of a Filipino culture brought about by a greater degree of uniformity throughout the country but yet, there are still sub-cultural differences that certainly affect the meaning of the behavior. The fact is, there are Filipino sub-cultures, usually identified with ethno-linguistics groups. Thus, we speak Ilocano, Tagalog, Bicolano, Waray, Cebuano, Ilonggo, Maranao, Maguindanao, Yakan, Tausog, Badjao, etc. subcultures. And, within these major ethnic groupings, there are still cultural variations in the different aspects of the behavior of people.
One cultural component that can be cited here is the case of the relation of clothes to modesty. Among the lumads or the mountain dwellers of the Philippines, one can sometimes see bare-breasted women going about their tasks without embarrassment or no thought of sexual suggestion. The male population, on their part, do not even bother to look and seem not to care at all. The same behavior when done in a Christian lowland community may elicit an entirely different reaction. Or, what about the practice of young people, both male and female, among the Bontocs to sleep in separate dwellings as a normal part of their behavior? Furthermore, the differences in values attach to behavior also affect marriage relationships and divorce practices in the Philippines. Some Filipino Muslims and some of the animistic mountain groups practice polygamy and divorce which in the Filipino Christian standpoint is immoral. Yet, there is nothing immoral in the Muslim practice of polygamy because it is even allowed by the Koran and the Islamic religious leaders. Also, other ethnic groups of people in the country disdain the eating of dog's meat, but it is a favorite dish in so far as the people of the Cordilleras are concerned (incidentally, the slaughtering of dogs for their meat has been banned by the government in more recent times).
These differences in culture become even more magnified once we talk about the peoples of different nationalities, races and religions. Here, again, the natural tendency is to judge the behaviors of those peoples on the basis of our own cultural standards. For example, the gesture of extending one's hand to shake the hand of another person as a way of greeting is a Western influence and is considered proper by the Filipinos. But, this act may be considered unacceptable and unethical in other societies in Asia and Africa where the forms greeting is not through the handshake but rather through bowing, putting both hands on one's own breast, touching the palm of the forehead, kissing both cheeks, or slapping at the back of each other. Even the interactions of Filipinos with their more familiar American associates manifest the importance of interpreting and understanding behavior in the light of different cultural backgrounds. Americans prefer frankness or openness, where criticism is even freely voiced out as a sign of acceptance and trust, whereas Filipinos may take this kind of approach as vulgar and insulting, and may result to a loss of face or, worst, rejection.
The central message of cultural relativism is that in every society, certain behaviors or norms that may not conform with our own are considered right because they function properly in that setting and, therefore, are compatible with the culture of that people. In other words, in such a setting, the various components or elements of culture are able to respond to the needs, interests and aspirations of the people who possess that culture.