Members of a society or culture share certain beliefs. What these beliefs are and how they change is the subject of Cultural Anthropology. One of its leading lights was Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887-1948). Her view was that human cultures are personality writ large. That is to say, a culture manifests the beliefs of its individuals.
In her 1934 book Patterns of Culture, Benedict divided cultures into either Apollonian or Dionysian. Worshipers of Apollo emphasized order and calm in their celebrations as opposed to the individualism and wild abandonments characteristic of Dionysius and the later mystery religions.
The Ancient Greeks of Homer’s time were Apollonian and took part in an Honor-Shame culture. Actions were dictated and manipulated through feelings of shame and enforced through ostracism or shunning. People in that society weighed consequences based on appearance, approval, and whether the doer would feel or cause shame.
Contrary to this was the Guilt culture, which developed later as individualism and personal salvation took center stage. In a culture of Guilt, punishment for transgressions is expected, and the concept of fault, or sin, individually or collectively, is prevalent. Fairness and conscience determine choices.
Benedict, in her book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, published in 1946, described Japanese culture as a Shame culture and American as a Guilt culture. For instance, Americans would inform the families of those who were captured that they were POWs because it was the right thing to do (The Geneva Convention). In contrast, the Japanese would be much more reluctant to do so because it meant that a family member had been captured and dishonored, which was shameful to a family in an Honor-Shame society.
During the last century, the Fear culture has become more prevalent. Members are kept in line through the constant threat of retribution and violence.
Each type of culture presupposes certain beliefs. A Shame culture is united by a common religion or ethos that sets the standard of conduct. A Guilt culture is predominated by the individual and his or her choices. A Fear culture is held in place by the limitless power of the state over the individual.
What type of culture are we in now? With religious beliefs weakening, individuals counting for less, and the state often in economic disarray, none of the above appears predominant. Instead, I believe we are in a culture of Perception. Society is driven today by what is or is not revealed and how an event is presented. It is a culture where fame and fortune depend on visibility but where the errors and misjudgments of the past can surface and resurface at any time to wreak havoc.
In a Shame culture, one survives by doing what is right. In a culture of Guilt, one does what one believes to be correct, regardless of the consequences. In a Fear culture, one tries to be invisible by being part of the landscape. In a Perception culture, one manages the story, whatever that story may be, and is aware that all one sees and hears is being similarly managed and controlled.
To live successfully in a Perception culture requires discernment or the ability to judge accurately and well what is being presented. The word derives from Middle French “to separate.”
Today, how an event is portrayed is far more important than the event itself and requires a deeper understanding and awareness of motive. The questions we should be asking at this time are not what we are seeing but why we are seeing it and why we are seeing it now.
Data is inherently meaningless. What gives it wings is a story, whether written, spoken, photographed, or filmed. If we wish to understand today’s world, we should be aware that we are part of a Perception culture where how others perceive an event is all that matters, and nothing is what it seems. It is something to keep in mind.