Egypt and the ¡Kung Bushmen

In the United States one of the most prevalent problems in our society is the problem of crime. While there are many reasons for the high crime rate in America, I feel that one of the main problems can be directly linked to how children are raised, predominately how our culture is structured to “force” certain individuals to commit crimes and act deviant. America can learn a lot from the people of Egypt and the ¡Kung Bushmen of South Africa. Egypt provides an example of how honor, community, and generosity can work together to create a country that thrives on excelling as a people, rather than harming one another for one’s personal gain. America could also learn a lot from the ¡Kung Bushmen of South Africa who value social exchange and cooperation and look down upon competition and conflict. Both of these groups of people, in my opinion, have aspects of their society which America can learn from to make our society better in relation to deviance and social control. 

In Egypt the value of community is one of the most important aspects to their society. People call others by familiar and friendly name, making all of the people they come in to contact with feel as if they are family. As described on page 180, “Egypt is a “touch” society…men greet their friends and relatives by first kissing on one cheek, and then on the other.” This displays how the Egyptians place extreme value on the need for human interaction and “touch” within their society. I feel that this sense of community, in which everyone is “close” to one another, can foster an environment where deviance is less likely to occur. If everyone feels as if they are cared for by the entire community, then they will be less likely to commit a criminal act upon those who promote this environment of caring and compassion for one another.