Topic > Cultural Variation - 2001

Nazneen's children were born in England and therefore want to be like other English children. Children's assimilation with the uniform Western culture of England is quite natural because every child simply wants to feel normal. This sense of normalcy comes from adopting Western values ​​such as speaking English and wearing American skirts and other clothing. Children are also conforming to homogenized Western culture as they begin to experiment with drugs and alcohol. For example: “But now our children copy what they see here, going to the pub, to the discos. Or drinking at home, in their bedrooms, where their parents think they are perfectly safe” (Ali 18). Here, Dr. Azad explains how children are adopting society's drinking culture. Children of Bangladeshi origin grow up in a Western society and conform to the norms of English culture, at the expense of complete disregard for their roots and Bangladeshi values, which are about cultural convergence. Another example of this standardization is when Chanu states, “It's part of the culture here. It's so ingrained in the fabric of society. At home, if you drink you risk being an outcast. In London if you don't drink you risk the same thing" (Ali 85-86). In this quote he explains how kids are pushed by social norms to homogenize with Western cultural practices, whether they are beneficial, or in this case,