Asian Studies

Since time immemorial, man has been subjected to a lot of inadvertent segregation due to differences that subjugate society and sanction roles for people to assume. It is becoming increasingly difficult to weaken or condense those differences and in turn, bridge gaps within society. There are three distinct definitions available for the word barrier on the internet. A barrier is
a structure or object that impedes free movement, any condition that makes is difficult to make progress or achieve an objective, and, anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access. (Princeton University, 2010)

Going by the literal meaning of the word barrier and intertwining it with its figurative usage is an interesting feat since most of its prime consequences tend to be literal than figurative.

To substantiate this argument, let us assume a room with two individuals. Initially, their bonding will cultivate on the basis of curiosity about each other. However, as soon as differences begin to take root between them, one of them will either want to move out, or create a partition, like a dividing panel, that separates either of them from each others view. This is because, in his mind, he has already constructed a barrier that separates him from the other person and he will not want to be in contact with the other person at all. Even if he might harness feelings of guilt later on in time, at that very moment the feeling of differences, of barriers will overpower every other feeling and the person will want to block the other one out.

According to Lordes framework for redefining differences, he claims that peoples responses are dependent upon what he terms patriarchal consciousness.

It conditions us to see human differences in simplistic opposition to each other dominantsubordinate, goodbad, updown, superiorinferior. (Lorde 114)

Analogous to this argument, people handle these differences with mingled feelings of fear and often disintegrate or distort the meaning of differences to make them seem less intimidating. The group of people who appears to be different is then sidelined to a category where opinions are disregarded and individuals are looked at with intense skepticism.

Lorde believes that differences are not the dividing factors between people it is how these differences are perceived and acknowledged.

Taking a trip down memory lane, one can acknowledge significant gender differences during the 1950s as far as women were concerned. The image of a working woman transformed into that of a petite, fragile domestic figure who took great pride in looking beautiful, cooking for her husband and raising her kids righteously. In fact the perfect woman was a fluid blend of sexuality, delicateness and navet and anything that diverged from this malleable image of that woman was considered scornful and reclusive. Working mothers became a symbol of selfish viciousness because a mother would rather choose to stay home and make living comfortable for her family rather than shed all inhibitions to achieve her ambitions. The emotional instability of her husband and children turned into a result of her negligence.

The accent played on difference evokes the aspiration to effect a social change more radical than that arising from the ideology of equal opportunity prevailing in most capitalist countries in the last decade. A range of possible changes has thus been opened up, from questioning the sexual division of labor to questioning the most fundamental structures of society. In liberalism, the first priority is the removal of barriers to equality, particularly direct impediments once that is done, there is no further proper duty upon the state to provide special treatment. (Longo 270)

Themes like racism and class prejudices were also rampant during the same period of time. Census records that over fifty percent of all colored people were living below poverty line during the 1950s. Expatriate workers functioned in an almost slave-like way with unyielding working conditions and hence people of color were disbanded from ambition, success, amassment and influence, which were in fact integral characteristics of the American Dream. During the same year, a visionary called Rosa Parks rebelled against the system and brought things under the governments consideration which put the status of the transportation system in limbo. With the help of projects such as the Common Ground, African American and Nisei leaders worked with their respective communities to promote interracial education and forum for cross-cultural interaction. (Kurashige 158) Parks laid the foundation stone for a tolerant and path-breaking society during the 1950s and made the Americans realize that color alone cannot be an object for differentiation. Color is something that cannot be chosen and it cannot change a persons aspirations or his strength in achieving goals.

Mura and Pate compose in their semi-autobiography about how they chose to eliminate differences and disregard the racist movement by discovering how cultures and communities defined identity. (Mura  Pate 3) The fifties were an era when people were busy picking up remnants of the Second World War. The soldiers who returned, charred by memories of destruction and anarchy, came back to sort out their torn lives and rebuild on newer pastures. The Americans quipped themselves with rigor and unparalleled strength to enhance their industry and within a matter of years, the effort showed great promise and a host of career opportunities for everyone.

However, as far as Asian cultures are concerned, the caste systems are already prevalent in the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Christian cultures. These caste systems, especially Hindu castes like Brahmin are extremely class conscious and cannot be seen alive walking around or interacting with any members of the lowest caste, the Achoots. Their class structure is built on respect, lineage, wealth, religious and spiritual preferences and dialects. The only criterion of being a Hindu priest is that he needs to be a Brahmin. This cultural segregation speaks of the level of differences and the impact attached to such barriers that have been erected by contemporary moral watchdogs of the respective culture. This caste system is hideously unreceptive to the lowly and disregards their existence as Gods most awful mistake. These differences are also reflected in political acceptance, rise to celebrity and economic endeavors. In China, the northern and southern dynasties have created such huge polarization in their beliefs that they refer to each other as savages. The author critiques the nineteenth century by stating that, Anglo-American desires for luxuries and trade and an independent political identity structured the context in which China and the Chinese were understood by the elite. This patrician orientalism can be characterized as primarily social, conferring status on those who possessed Chinese things and ideas.  (Tchen, J. K. W. xx) Countries like Japan and Pakistan had immensely daft feudal systems that bifurcated opportunity and education in the name of religion and wealth.

Barriers also exist in something as pedestrian as communication. The most witnessed form is physical barriers which hampers effective communication. Moreover, perceptual and cultural barriers are those which carry long-term implications. Barriers such as these block out impartial information and put a persons judgmental instincts on the prowess at that moment.  People might feel emotionally dependent or vulnerable. They might be intimidated by a supervisory figure and end up horribly misinterpreting the message instead. One of the more chilling memories of the Cold War was the threat by the Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev saying to the Americans at the United Nations We will bury you This was taken to mean a threat of nuclear annihilation. However, a more accurate reading of Khruschevs words would have been We will overtake you meaning economic superiority. It was not just the language, but the fear and suspicion that the West had of the Soviet Union that led to the more alarmist and sinister interpretation. (Hodu.com, n.a.)

An area that had been vastly unexplored in the earlier half of the twentieth century was sexuality. Conventionally, male and female participants were encountered in an intimate act of pleasure. However, with growing needs, a branch of homosexuality has also crept out and now it is considered as a legal, acceptable choice undertaken by those individuals who feel as if their needs can be satisfied by members of the same sex. Traditionally, the male participant was considered aggressive and dominant owing to his physical supremacy by default. The women are taught to be more subservient and allowing in their nature. However, those approaches have also been shed to allow for a more harmonious culture that soundly censures gender inequalities. Gender differences have been curbed to the bare minimum and mere dregs of this archaic school of thought are only witnessed in the Asian parts of the world where culture and religion still undermine and advocate the inferiority and subjugation of women.

Over the period of time, the world has witnessed a tremendous movement towards the elimination of barriers and differences. The whole world has become a global phenomenon on the economic and cultural front. The emergence of organizations such as the United Nations that work for the welfare of the entire world is a cue for those individuals who strive to undo these actions and resort to prehistoric methods of dealing with differences. Missionaries like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Nelson Mandela are global heroes who fought against the onslaught of terror and atrocity inflicted upon the crippled and the disadvantaged. They fought for the minor groups, overlooking their religious backdrops or social standings, and brought the world onto a single established platform.

While most educational systems teach the newer generations about homogeneity and unity in diversity, it is of great importance to measure whether this perception is tangential to the external influences that shape an individual. Unless the whole world propagates and promises multiculturalism, there will not be any tolerance or equality.