Somber, cheerless, regressive; average personalities of rural Irish. A time passes on, the interests and traditions of people change. As a result of human behavioral evolution, culture in fact changes. Overtime, culture changes from one generation to the next. While some members within a culture adapt gracefully, others lag to adapt. Therefore, leading them to become deviants of society within that culture. In “Saints, Scholars, and Schizophrenics” author Nancy Scheper- Hughes describes the commonalities of local rural Irish. These commonalities include, shyness of the opposite gender, delaying marriage, and alcoholism. Some cultures, such as my own, see shyness of the opposite sex as a characteristic found in individuals. It is therefore,
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One of these societal demands is social capital. Social capital is the trust cooperation and compromise built through first hand contact with other individuals. In prior ages, marriages were arranged in rural Ireland. However, as culture is continuously evolving, a new form of finding mates has arose. Scheper- Hughes states “... but I understood her frustration with, the dark- eyed country lad who was utterly lacking…”social capital” to participate in the “dating game” of the new matrimonial market” (Scheper- Hughes, 47). Modern marriage in rural Ireland requires for individuals to seek out their future spouses. Many bachelors who have not adjusted to the new form of marriage, suffer from the disadvantage of loss of social capital. This in turn leads to the delaying of marriage. Scheper- Hughes elaborates “ The average age at marriage for Ballybran couples is considerably later than for elsewhere..thirty-four years for men, and twenty eight years for women…” (Scheper- Hughes, 97). It is notable that women and men are delaying marriage due to the loss of social capital. Now that marriages are not arranged, men and women must put forth the effort in order to engage in unionship through marriage. Furthermore, Scheper- Hughes explains this patterned phenomenon. She elaborates “ The apparent reluctance of the Irish villager to court and marry and his inclination to marry late… if and when he marries at all…” …show more content…
Culture and the environment in rural Ireland lead the Irish to resort to alcohol as a form to pass time by. To elaborate Scheper- Hughes states “ Some of these became the depressed and alcoholic bachelor farmers who populated the several village pubs…” (Scheper- Hughes, 46). As a result emigration of women among men, the Irish individuals who chose to stay in their land were severely affected. To deal with the inability to evolve with culture, the local Irish became depressed and repressed their emotions with alcoholism. Although part of the reason for drinking is cultural change, seasonal change is often times the reason for drinking. Scheper- Hughes describes “ While bachelors are most prone to despondency drinking during the “idle” winter months…” (Scheper- Hughes, 123). As a direct result of the lack of productivity during the winter, most Irish men have difficulty finding things to do. Instead of staying at home, they choose to turn to drinking to replace their idleness with drinking. In addition, Scheper- Hughes states “ Among bachelor's, isolated in their lonely stone cottages, heavy drinking is endemic , and these men are largely responsible for the alarming statistic that the Irish are hospitalized twelve times as often as the English for alcoholism (Cooney, 51)” (Scheper- Hughes, 123). It is evident that seasons, particularly the winter, have a direct affect on local Irish. Scheper- Hughes
One of these societal demands is social capital. Social capital is the trust cooperation and compromise built through first hand contact with other individuals. In prior ages, marriages were arranged in rural Ireland. However, as culture is continuously evolving, a new form of finding mates has arose. Scheper- Hughes states “... but I understood her frustration with, the dark- eyed country lad who was utterly lacking…”social capital” to participate in the “dating game” of the new matrimonial market” (Scheper- Hughes, 47). Modern marriage in rural Ireland requires for individuals to seek out their future spouses. Many bachelors who have not adjusted to the new form of marriage, suffer from the disadvantage of loss of social capital. This in turn leads to the delaying of marriage. Scheper- Hughes elaborates “ The average age at marriage for Ballybran couples is considerably later than for elsewhere..thirty-four years for men, and twenty eight years for women…” (Scheper- Hughes, 97). It is notable that women and men are delaying marriage due to the loss of social capital. Now that marriages are not arranged, men and women must put forth the effort in order to engage in unionship through marriage. Furthermore, Scheper- Hughes explains this patterned phenomenon. She elaborates “ The apparent reluctance of the Irish villager to court and marry and his inclination to marry late… if and when he marries at all…” …show more content…
Culture and the environment in rural Ireland lead the Irish to resort to alcohol as a form to pass time by. To elaborate Scheper- Hughes states “ Some of these became the depressed and alcoholic bachelor farmers who populated the several village pubs…” (Scheper- Hughes, 46). As a result emigration of women among men, the Irish individuals who chose to stay in their land were severely affected. To deal with the inability to evolve with culture, the local Irish became depressed and repressed their emotions with alcoholism. Although part of the reason for drinking is cultural change, seasonal change is often times the reason for drinking. Scheper- Hughes describes “ While bachelors are most prone to despondency drinking during the “idle” winter months…” (Scheper- Hughes, 123). As a direct result of the lack of productivity during the winter, most Irish men have difficulty finding things to do. Instead of staying at home, they choose to turn to drinking to replace their idleness with drinking. In addition, Scheper- Hughes states “ Among bachelor's, isolated in their lonely stone cottages, heavy drinking is endemic , and these men are largely responsible for the alarming statistic that the Irish are hospitalized twelve times as often as the English for alcoholism (Cooney, 51)” (Scheper- Hughes, 123). It is evident that seasons, particularly the winter, have a direct affect on local Irish. Scheper- Hughes