Target policymakers, not products

Wan Ahmad Shihab Ismail
New Straits Times
03-05-2003
Target policymakers, not products
Byline: Wan Ahmad Shihab Ismail
Edition: Main/Lifestyle; 2*
Section: Letters
Type: Letter

THE articles of both Dr Farish Noor and K.J. John (NST, March 1), were most interesting. Farish questioned the wisdom of the emerging trend in the developing world, particularly in Muslim countries, of countering Western hegemony in consumerism by way of producing "alternatives" which are in fact imitations of the Western products that they are supposed to replace. He went on to say that the said imitations do little to erode the cultural hegemony that the West has over the world, and what is needed instead is more original thinking and fresh new ideas.

K.J.John argued that the developing world should, among other things, focus on a boycott of the products and services of the aggressors in this war in the Middle East as a "symbol of our Gandhian protest for peace".
Ideally it would be great if we could rid ourselves of the Western influences in our daily lives. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that it is easier said than done.

We must be realistic and face facts.

The culture that is ours today has been greatly influenced by Western dominance, especially in the last century. The advances in technology and the so-called information revolution have only served further to perpetuate this phenomenon. It's hard to imagine life without jeans and soda; without Hollywood films; without music - be it pop, rock or classical; without cheeseburgers and popcorn, without the Internet and mobile phones; without the various things that have become so familiar to us all that they hardly seem foreign in origin.

Such is the dominance of Western culture that we would much rather, for example, dress in trendy Western-style clothes than anything else, wherever we go in the world, to feel a sense of acceptance and normalcy. Unless in an official ceremony or on appropriate occasions, I doubt many of us would dare venture out in a foreign country in traditional clothing for fear of being regarded as strange and alien.

In the face of those realities, I don't think a boycott would amount to anything much.

It took centuries for Western culture to become so pervasive and permeate through every civilisation today. It necessarily follows that undoing its grip on the world will not happen overnight. As a matter of fact, it's anyone's guess whether it can be undone at all.

Therefore we must look at the situation in practical terms. We will not become free from the shackles of pervasive Western culture as soon as we reject Western goods and services. And our fury against the West for their slanted policies and double standards must be directed at the appropriate targets, (the policy makers for instance), and not anything and everything Western. As far as culture is concerned, Western influence will diminish only when we are all ready and able, in practical terms, to live a life free from what we have been used to for so long.

WAN AHMAD SHIHAB ISMAIL Kuala Lumpur

(Copyright 2003)