At first when you watch this videos your first reaction is to be shock. I wouldnt be surprise, there is people that cannot accept other cultures because they think its just wrong or to different to be understood. Personally, when i watched them i saw a different culture, a different tradition, different customes that are as normal to them as drinking cafe con leche in the morning to me. Our traditions, our heritage is what shapes us as human beings and we cannot escape from our ancestors. The people represented in these videos are not different from us, they do the same things, they have families and work just the same. The only difference is that they belive in what they are doing, in the rituals they perform. In the first video for example the older wanted to punish the young and for that reason they performed the rituals and the cutting. To them its normal, its a form of punishment, of embarresment, the same way our parents think that taking our cellphones or computer can help us learn from our mistakes. In my opinion they are other ways to make a teenager rethink about their actions but again that is because i was raised in a different culture with different beliefs and a different way of dealing with punishment. I can say that every person that might see this video and doesn't know the culture or the place they are in would probably feel disgusted or shocked by their actions. Its safe to say that we are very easy to judge other people when we are not on their shoes but everything changes if we were to be in them. What would happen if you were raced believing in this? What if you were part of this punishing system, if you taught it to your kids? Would you be shock to see the video, probably not. Because you might see it as normal, as part of your life.
The second video, also teaches us about other culture and their beliefs. The women go through a lot of pain wearing the rings around their necks but they don't do it for punishment, the do it for honor and grace. To them wearing the rings is a pleasure and an honor. The rings represent fidelity and credibility. They are so used to wearing them, they dont even feel it anymore and they see it obviously as something common in their lives. But what happens if you see a woman wearing rings on her neck in FIU? Do you think about her culture, do you think about her traditions? or you just simply, say "weird" and laugh at her. Unfortunately there is people that cannot understand the importance of respecting other people's cultures and beliefs. There is people that make fun of you because you are just different and stand out from the rest. This videos help us realize how versatile people can be, how different our cultures are, and how we should take advantage of our differences.