There are many cultures around the world that are suppressed by majoritarianism. They have to face challenges like forced assimilation, language discrimination and refusal to acknowledgement of their unique identity. In fact, many cultures have been identified by UNESCO, that will soon cease to exist - either that they’re vulnerable, or completely extinct. How do you, as a minority, feel, knowing that your entire identity will cease to exist in a few decades? Do you have a sense of camaraderie towards other minorities from other parts of the world, say, the Ainu people, or the Brahui pastoralist?
Three hours and
no answersonly one answer, which is understandable. Many of these people don’t have access to certain technology because of their economic situation, and even when they do, their voices are so small that they get overshadowed by the majority. I’m not of a dying culture, but I am aware of the many tribes in Papua and how they’re vulnerable from Indonesia’s interference. While many of the Papuan tribes aren’t dying per se, it’s very difficult to get online opinions from (indigenous) Papuans in regards to whether their land is colonized by Indonesians, let alone from tribes that are dying.I don’t agree with this network access take. A lot of endangered cultures are simply being assimilated.
I was in a casual quiz in Hong Kong recently and one of the questions required us to know a language with less than 100 speakers. The default answer the quizzers had expected was Macanese Patuá. That sort of regional dialect existed in such a restricted set of conditions and between two different pressures to remove it (between Cantonese and Portuguese), that globalization simply drowned it out.
True, I suppose it depends on the country. In my country, many Papuans live in remote areas where it’s hard to access basic necessities like medicine, let alone the internet.
Assimilation is death, especially when you’re being forcibly assimilated into a null value.