Why "ұят" is a global problem.

For the Kazakhstani people out there, an intro to this local realia may not be necessary. I am sure you heard of, maybe opposed to or even supported this social phenomenon. I am not a judge, I am not a preacher either, but I am a citizen, so let me express my humble opinion. Furthermore, it is an opportunity to share with you my recent findings with regard to this topic and also to connect our local issues to a global audience. In a sense it is an act to introduce complexity of our social fabric and to let you guys see that we are no different to you in many respects. I feel that every one in the planet can understand us and we are able to understand other nations by the same token.

Chinese concept of face, or 面子.

Studying Mandarin for quite a while in a college, long before actually coming to China, I discovered a term called face, or mianzi along with other terms like guanxi (关系) and many other. And it felt as if Chinese people and China in general is such a conspicuous place with so many things that are unlike from my home country. Similarly, non Kazakhstani may have the same feeling with regards to us. Nonetheless, the more and more I was actually trying to grasp meanings of these Chinese concepts, the clearer they become. And it is not because I can understand the Chinese characters or the language in general, but because the phenomena existing in this Chinese milieu are present in my country, and also in every nation and in every society. The problem is just they are described in terms that are alien to our ears. So, face or mianzi, essentially, means something related to prestige or reputation in the eyes of the people around us. And whenever there is a risk of our reputation being tainted or severely damaged, we, regardless of our national identity try not let that happen. Am I right, folks? So this risk or fear is what we, Kazakhstani, call "ұят." It is not that complicated, is it?

So, regardless of what people call this aspect of our lives, mian, ұят, or reputation, one thing remains the same. It is necessary to maintain it to fit in. So our decisions tent to be more less in line with what the society deems correct or rightful. Putting bluntly, for the Western societies, an individuality, for the Eastern communities, a collective thinking. In my life in Kazakhstan, I feel there is a tendency towards espousing the collective thinking.

However, this state of affairs was shaken recently. As I remember, a few years ago, there was a blast in social media about a role of Kazakhstani women in the contemporary society. There were, and still are, men and women who uphold rather conservative views and say that women must be morally upright, of feminine character, obedient and so on. In a sense, it is a manifestation collective thinking, when an individuality of a person is less important than collective will. You got the point, right? As a reaction to these attacks to women went against this conservative view, a force of equal magnitude occured from the opposite side. One of the manifestation of this reaction was a cartoon character, yes, it was that, of a man, an "ұят"man. The character, according to the artist and his supporters, is the epitome of backwardness, misogyny, you name it. You see, this friction within our society is very relatable. The only barrier to feel for us is a language difference.

My take of this issue is that both individual and collective ways of thinking are good in some respects and both are bad in their own ways. Everyone has own opinion with regard to this dychotomy. I am not a judge to judge you. Similarly, you are not a judge to judge me, or other people, either. Let's just respect one another!

Americans are not immune to this issue as well.

Recently, I watched a video on YouTube where a few teenagers from abroad describe their life in the US. One girl from Nigeria described what life is like for American kids. Roughly, she said that despite some notions like freedom and individuality, American girls in order to fit their school society had to have a boyfriend or boyfriends. So she wondered why, despite this freedom, girls were not happy. Why can't you be happy just being single? So conformity to social norms is an issue that folks in the US face every day. That African girl, being brought up in a different community, found this aspect of an American life very amusing. Is the situation similar in Kazakhstani realia, I don't know. Back when I was a kid in must school, having a boyfriend was rather an exeption rather than a rule.

"Абырой" a loanword from Arabic (face+water).

A fun fact: there is a term that so close to the Chinese mian in the Kazakh language. According to Wikipedia"Абырой" is a Kazakh word borrowed from Arabic. It literally means "water and face" ab means water, roy means face. However, this word being a literary word, is used less in our everyday life.

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These findings make me realize that face is a universal term, applicable to every developed society on Earth. But the rise of social sciences, the 20th century saw a massive research interest in this topic. One of the leading figures was Erving Goffman. Actually, there is a ton of work published out there so you can check them out.

So going back to the main topic, why there is so much fuss about "ұят" in my country. I feel that is a growing plurality of visions with regard to what one group of people think is a right way to live a life. Furthermore, it is also a growing presense of social media that inadvertently connects people of opposite views. And the point is not about actually living a life that corresponds to their thinking, but rather imposing own value system on their opponents. Tactics one might use to persuade may range from verbal abuse to physical one.

The problem lies not in correctness or falseness of either value systems. You agree that values are subjective, for they change with time, and they differ geographically. So what is the point in making other party accept your point? Why we just can't live according to what we deem right and don't try to submit the other side to live like us?

What is the solution?

The solution to the problem is to live you life as you think correct and without a fear of being judged. If this way of life brings happiness, (put your own definition), just keep on along this way. Other people will follow you, accept your value system, and will be on your side. This is the most painless way, thus the best!

If you like this post, consider reposting it, so that your friends from other countries can have a glimpse of what life is like in this part of the globe, too.

Thanks for reading, love yourself and have a nice day! See you soon!