‘TRADITIONS HAVE NO PLACE IN MODERN SOCIETY.' DISCUSS. Aaron Lee Norman Ng Sim Yu Kit
Dec 19, 2015
INTRODUCTION
❖Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from
generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in
this way. Debates have sparked off on whether modern
societies should be free from old traditional values, or
traditional values are still providing fundamentals for
development & survival of modern society. As Theodore Bikel
once said, “You don't really need modernity in order to exist
totally and fully. You need a mixture of modernity and
tradition.” I therefore disagree that traditions do not have a
place in society, as they can link the present to the past,
provide a source of identity as well as bind groups of people
together.
POINT 1
❖First and foremost, tradition is what gives people their link
to the past. The traditions handed down from generation to
generation give people a common ground with their families
and friends, something they can do together and share their
time together.
❖Example: For example, Qingming festival is celebrated in
China, where people go to their ancestor’s tomb to clean it,
which is a tradition celebrated locally too. This tradition
ensures that people visit their ancestors to pay their respects,
and to remember their roots.
POINT 1
❖Elaboration: All in all, traditions are a way to make sure the
ones that have left us are remembered, to make sure the things
people hold dear and that touched their lives are continued and
passed on. They are important in ensuring that memorise are
held onto.
❖Link: In the end, I strongly believe that traditional values still
hold value in modern society, and cannot be ignored even
today.
POINT 2
❖Point: Family traditions and one’s traditional history can
provide a source of identity for the children in the family,
teaching them about their family heritage and origins, or
giving them insights into their cultural or religious history,
providing a national identity and rooting them to their
country in the process.
❖Substantiation: Dr Marshall Duke, an award-winning
Psychologist teaching at the Emory University, has found
that children who have an intimate knowledge of their
family’s traditions and history are typically more well-
adjusted and self-confident than children who don’t.
POINT 2
❖Example: In the Singapore education system, many schools stress the
teachings of traditional confucian values, such as the Dunman High School,
where it is even a subject in school. The school feels that it is important for the
students, who are mostly Chinese, to keep in touch with their roots through
these traditional beliefs, as it can strengthen their moral compass, while also
providing a source of identity for these students.
❖Elaboration: Understanding one’s own past and knowing one belongs can
benefit these children in the long run, positively shaping their thoughts and
behaviours, which is integral to a child’s development.
POINT 2
❖Link: Having confidence and being emotionally or
mentally stable can and will help them be more
successful in life. This is especially important in the
21st century, where these qualities can provide an
advantage to help to land jobs in an extremely
competitive work environment in modern society.
Therefore I disagree with the statement, and instead
think that traditions still have a place in modern
society.
POINT 3 ❖Point: Traditions bind a group of people together, across
generations. The purpose of traditions is to remember
events of significance in the past. As such, we could say
that traditions assist in helping us maintain a continuity
with the past. Tradition ties people over different age
groups and people with different experiences with a
common identity by celebrating a same event.
❖Example: Examples of different ages of people bonding
over tradition are common. In Singapore, many families
come together to celebrate National Day. Families
celebrating this event has its significance as National Day
helps foster national cohesion and instil a sense of national
identity among students and younger Singaporeans,
inculcating an understanding of the challenges and
vulnerabilities that are unique to Singapore
POINT 3❖Explanation As such tradition is integrated into our
culture and binds a society under common ground.
Tradition as it satisfies our emotional needs, at the same
time helping to promote better relationships and a greater
sense attachment between family members.
❖Link As people become more distant and busy with their
individual affairs in an increasingly fast paced and
competitive modern society, bonding and celebrating over
common traditions can become ever so important to
supporting a healthy family and an inclusive society. Hence
I disagree with the statement as traditions still have a
positive impact in modern society, and therefore relevant.
COUNTER ARGUMENT
❖Point: However, certain traditions can have negative
impacts on a society, cultivating the likes of unfairness and
discrimination among citizens of the community.
❖Example: In Dongguan, China, where an underlying belief
that women are inferior to men exist, local officials have
organized classes on "female virtues", where women are
encouraged not retaliate when scolded or physically
assaulted, as it is their society’s tradition to do so. They are
also advised to resign to their fate, and never seek divorce,
even if their marital life becomes unbearable - which is akin
to putting the old Chinese patriarchal society's prejudicial
moral shackles on women.
COUNTER ARGUMENT
❖Elaboration + Link: Society is dynamic and constantly
changing, with its core and accepted values differing with
the passing of time. What was a commonly accepted
practice a century ago may not be appropriate a century
later. 21st century philosophies and ideas that are
generally embraced such as gender equality are be
constantly held back by the chains of traditions,
restricting modern society from progressing, and
potentially even hauling it further backwards. In this
regard, traditions have no place in modern society.
REBUTTAL
❖However, deeming all traditions unfit for our modern
society just because of a few negative ones is akin to
throwing the baby out with the bathwater. A few negative
traditions, which mostly exist in more backward regions
in the first place, should not cause the benefits and
positive impacts of other traditions to be discarded
alongside with it. Therefore tradition still has a place in
society.
CONCLUSION
❖In a nutshell, it can be seen that tradition does have a place
in society, regardless of how much a emphasis and place it
gets. We must always be cautious about which traditions to
keep, and which to discard. People should be made aware of
harms that some traditions might bring about through the
media, such that those ignorant would be more likely to do
away with it after being enlightened, whilst those who are
apathetic might be put under peer pressure. In the end,
tradition is something people should be upholding, but only
those worth doing so.