Malaise of Western modernism

 

 

Satyamitra Dubey
Renowned Social Scientist and author

In recent media reports, there are terrible stories of Scarlett Keeling - a British teenage girl and Elisabeth- an Austrian. The raped body of murdered Scarlett was found on a beach in Goa. In her teens, her father raped Elisabeth. For the last 24 years, she was forced to satisfy her father’s carnality in captivity in a cellar, and gave birth to seven children.

We often come across reports of teenagers committing suicide due to exam stress, or running away from home to join anti-social peer groups. With society changing at a breakneck speed, extreme stress is drawing extreme results. The age range from 13 to 20 years – termed as adolescents, teens or upper juveniles, is a precarious phase in personality development. Uncertainties, tender daydreams and terrible nightmares are teenagers’ constant companions.

Nobody can deny that in shaping action orientations, social values and behavioural patterns, various factors play crucial roles. These include primarily parents, siblings, peer groups and play groups. But again, physical environments such as neighbourhood, community, religion, cultural conditions on the one hand, as also bio-psychological factors on the other, are of equal importance.

Teenage behavioural patterns may be understood comprehensively by combining these multiple factors. The teen-years may be divided into two parts. Those below 16 are in the juvenile category and above 18, are called youth. In both, issues of relationships, identity, autonomy and problem solving capacity are equally important. Unfortunately, under the influence of individualism, consumerism and values of the marketplace now-a-days, a relationship is often equated only with sexuality. We have to remember that there are different types of relationships at various stages of a growing adult’s life. For early juveniles, relationships with parents, siblings, schools, teachers and classmates are more important. Their identity is established more on the basis of their families. But at the same time, they try to develop their own capacity to solve their problems. In the age group of 18 years and above, issues of autonomy, identity and relationship in terms of sexuality may be more prominent.

Sociologists often talk of an emerging worldwide youth or teen-age culture, characterised by its own creative or disruptive ideas, attitudes, autonomy, defiance, intimacy, relationship, sexuality, fashion, brands, celebrations, slang, dress, food and eating habits. This global youth behavioural pattern seen today is the product of the marketplace, conspicuous consumption, malls and cultural hegemony of the West. The new and overpoweringly fashionable trend found among the metropolitan, affluent teenagers is sometimes termed as "mall-rat culture".

The main features of urban teen culture are openness about relationships, fun, pleasure, freedom and individualism. In developing societies, there are big gaps between the rich and the poor, urban and rural milieus, small cities and metros, affluence and deprivation. This new global teen culture is mainly in the domain of affluent metropolitans. The maximum impact of this culture is visible in conspicuous expenditure, relationships and sexuality. Indian families in metros spend lakhs on birthday parties.

In this environment of seeking immediate gratification, long-term relationships are considered outdated. Trends show teen-age pregnancies, premarital and extramarital sexual relationships rising globally. One survey showed that a quarter of Chicago’s teenaged girls had sexually transmitted diseases.

In India, available preliminary data points its fingers towards a growing trend of premarital sex, often resulting in HIV infection and teen pregnancies. In the emerging global order, there are tremendous opportunities for teenagers, but imitative modernisation and the unbridled forces of the marketplace are fuelling major social, cultural and psychological disruptions across the country.