Reactions Part II

Studying reactions to strange experiences such as suicide bombing and discovering that cultural assumptions (of the person reacting) are partially responsible for those reactions deserves the most attention. This reflection on our reactions to strangeness is critically important in the world we live in, where people fail to realize the roles their hollow judgments can take on. For example, after September 11 Muslims “found themselves associated, occasionally explicitly but more often implicitly, with terrorism” (Asad 2007). Without the right knowledge about a culture's values and its traditions, analyzing it by using your own cultural values becomes inevitable. People often judge specific cultural traditions as wrong discovering the reasons behind them, which is also wrong. Talal Asad comments on such contradictions by stating that “these contradictions remain a fragile part of our modern subjectivity” (Asad 2007). Without learning about a country's political, religious and economical status, it becomes difficult to understand the concept of suicide terrorism. Important questions such as, "Is there a religiously motivated terrorism? If so, how does it differ from other cruelties?" become critical (Asad 2007). Instead of obtaining correct information through research, people make comparisons to differentiate themselves from others, such as suicide bombers in this case. Once a person sees another as different, then labeling the actions of other people as strange makes sense to them. Therefore, people think if what they do is familiar, then what others do is strange. For example, upon Napoleon Chagnon’s first encounter with the Yanamamö, he states “My first day in the field illustrated to me what my teachers meant when they spoke of culture shock” (Chagnon 1992). Chagnon‘s statement proves that depending on assumptions will only create more gaps between people, causing more panic and giving birth to more “strangeness." It is also important to realize that understanding the strange requires time. The strange isn't the only thing analyzed, but so are the reactions of people that are reacting to all that is strange. Asad, Talal. On Suicide Bombing. 2007. New York: Columbia University Press. Chagnon, Napoleon. Yanomamö. 1992. Edition 4. Harcourt Brace Jovanvich.:10-19. Laayla Muhammad