The Morality of the Black adolescent in a multicultural situation

摘要

This study deals with the problem of moral development discontinuity prevalentin today's multicultural societies. Black adolescents are confronted by manyobstacles in their situatedness in the home, school and society. It has beenrevealed that the black adolescent in the multicultural situation is exploited,dehumanised and exposed to impersonal situations when he should be offeredmoral guidance and challenging moral dilemmas in order to develop his moralsense, however he is consequently reduced to an object that is tossed to and froby his fellow human beings. The black adolescent, it has been shown, needs hisfellow human beings, as transmitters of moral values to help him to achieve amoral-self.This study examines the three multicultural situations, the home, the school andthe society and shows that morals are not inherited but acquired through mutualcontact. The acquisition of morals manifests itself under conditions characterisedby respect, modelling, imitation, indoctrination, reward and punishment,conformity, loyalty, communication, exemplification, socialisation, experienceand learning as determined by the home, school and society. It was also foundthat in their acquisition of morals in a multicultural society, black adolescentsexperience confusion brought about by the cultural differences of their society.!hat they previously regarded as the right thing to do in their cultural backgroundreceives negative responses in the multicultural situation. It was further found thatblack adolescents in a multicultural situation are not provided with sufficientopportunities to participate meaningfully in moulding their new moralenvironment. The multicultural environment is cold and unfriendly, as a resultblack adolescents are barred from expanding and anchoring themselves in theirnew situation to face the challenges confronting them with confidence.The empirical research revealed that in the home parents are too busy with theirprofessional upgrading and the positions they hold at work to bother about themoral upbringing of their children. In school teachers emphasise scholasticachievement above moral development. The society does not provide blackadolescents with moral role models to imitate. Society has become totechnocratic, with devices such as the TV, radio, Internet and video games, toguide black adolescents in their moral intemalisation.