‘TRADITIONS HAVE NO
PLACE IN MODERN SOCIETY.'
DISCUSS.
Aaron Lee
Norman Ng
Sim Yu Kit
INTRODUCTION
❖Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to
generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Debates have sparked off
on whether modern societies should be free from old traditional values, or
traditional values are still providing fundamentals for development & survival of
modern society. As Theodore Bikel once said, “You don't really need modernity
in order to exist totally and fully. You need a mixture of modernity and
tradition.” I therefore disagree that traditions do not have a place in society, as
they can link the present to the past, provide a source of identity as well as bind
groups of people together.
POINT 1
❖First and foremost, tradition is what gives people their link to the past. The
traditions handed down from generation to generation give people a common
ground with their families and friends, something they can do together and share
their time together.
❖Example: For example, Qingming festival is celebrated in China, where people
go to their ancestor’s tomb to clean it, which is a tradition celebrated locally too.
This tradition ensures that people visit their ancestors to pay their respects, and
to remember their roots.
POINT 1
❖Elaboration: All in all, traditions are a way to make sure the ones that have left us
are remembered, to make sure the things people hold dear and that touched their
lives are continued and passed on. They are important in ensuring that memorise
are held onto.
❖Link: In the end, I strongly believe that traditional values still hold value in
modern society, and cannot be ignored even today.
POINT 2
❖Point: Family traditions and one’s traditional history can provide a source of
identity for the children in the family, teaching them about their family heritage
and origins, or giving them insights into their cultural or religious history,
providing a national identity and rooting them to their country in the process.
❖Substantiation: Dr Marshall Duke, an award-winning Psychologist teaching
at the Emory University, has found that children who have an intimate
knowledge of their family’s traditions and history are typically more welladjusted and self-confident than children who don’t.
❖
POINT 2
❖Example: In the Singapore education system, many schools stress the
teachings of traditional confucian values, such as the Dunman High School,
where it is even a subject in school. The school feels that it is important for the
students, who are mostly Chinese, to keep in touch with their roots through
these traditional beliefs, as it can strengthen their moral compass, while also
providing a source of identity for these students.
❖Elaboration: Understanding one’s own past and knowing one belongs can
benefit these children in the long run, positively shaping their thoughts and
behaviours, which is integral to a child’s development.
POINT 2
❖Link: Having confidence and being emotionally or mentally stable
can and will help them be more successful in life. This is especially
important in the 21st century, where these qualities can provide an
advantage to help to land jobs in an extremely competitive work
environment in modern society. Therefore I disagree with the
statement, and instead think that traditions still have a place in
modern society.
POINT 3
❖Point: Traditions bind a group of people together, across generations. The
purpose of traditions is to remember events of significance in the past. As
such, we could say that traditions assist in helping us maintain a continuity with
the past. Tradition ties people over different age groups and people with
different experiences with a common identity by celebrating a same event.
❖Example: Examples of different ages of people bonding over tradition are
common. In Singapore, many families come together to celebrate National
Day. Families celebrating this event has its significance as National Day helps
foster national cohesion and instil a sense of national identity among students
and younger Singaporeans, inculcating an understanding of the challenges and
vulnerabilities that are unique to Singapore
POINT 3
❖Explanation As such tradition is integrated into our culture and binds a
society under common ground. Tradition as it satisfies our emotional needs, at
the same time helping to promote better relationships and a greater sense
attachment between family members.
❖Link As people become more distant and busy with their individual affairs in
an increasingly fast paced and competitive modern society, bonding and
celebrating over common traditions can become ever so important to
supporting a healthy family and an inclusive society. Hence I disagree with the
statement as traditions still have a positive impact in modern society, and
therefore relevant.
COUNTER ARGUMENT
❖Point: However, certain traditions can have negative impacts on a society,
cultivating the likes of unfairness and discrimination among citizens of the
community.
❖Example: In Dongguan, China, where an underlying belief that women are
inferior to men exist, local officials have organized classes on "female virtues",
where women are encouraged not retaliate when scolded or physically assaulted,
as it is their society’s tradition to do so. They are also advised to resign to their
fate, and never seek divorce, even if their marital life becomes unbearable - which
is akin to putting the old Chinese patriarchal society's prejudicial moral shackles
on women.
COUNTER ARGUMENT
❖Elaboration + Link: Society is dynamic and constantly changing, with its
core and accepted values differing with the passing of time. What was a
commonly accepted practice a century ago may not be appropriate a century
later. 21st century philosophies and ideas that are generally embraced such
as gender equality are be constantly held back by the chains of traditions,
restricting modern society from progressing, and potentially even hauling it
further backwards. In this regard, traditions have no place in modern
society.
REBUTTAL
❖However, deeming all traditions unfit for our modern society just because
of a few negative ones is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
A few negative traditions, which mostly exist in more backward regions in
the first place, should not cause the benefits and positive impacts of other
traditions to be discarded alongside with it. Therefore tradition still has a
place in society.
CONCLUSION
❖In a nutshell, it can be seen that tradition does have a place in society,
regardless of how much a emphasis and place it gets. We must always be cautious
about which traditions to keep, and which to discard. People should be made
aware of harms that some traditions might bring about through the media, such
that those ignorant would be more likely to do away with it after being
enlightened, whilst those who are apathetic might be put under peer pressure. In
the end, tradition is something people should be upholding, but only those worth
doing so.