Analyzing The Cultural Clash in “The Croods : A New Age” (2020)
DreamWorks Animation’s follow up to 2013 toon “The Croods” once again make a come back to entertain the fans with wit jokes and new obstacles encounter by Grug’s family. Meeting new family, the Bettermans whose more civilized in many ways which results the cultural clash between the families.
The first sequel of “The Croods” cartoon in 2013 tells us about an overprotective and patriarch early man called Grug (Nicolas Cage). He was always worried about the safety of his family from the beasts. Therefore, he ordered the members of the clan to stay together in a cave (the safest place) which they considered as home. One day, Grug’s daughter whose named Eep (Emma Stone) met a stranger, Guy (Ryan Reynolds). Grug’s family still have limited knowledge about the world outside, they didn’t dare to go further place and explore new places. After the outsider, Guy came to the family he encouraged the family to think and acts beyond the limits. Explore other places and find a place called ‘home’.
The newest sequel of “The Croods : A New Age” which had launched in 2020 was directed by Joel Crawford. This latest sequel tells the journey of Grug’s family in looking for a place called ‘home’. I think Crawford has successfully shows the development of civilization in the Stone Age. This cartoon allows us to imagine what if early people experiencing the latest modernity such as privacy room, toilet flush, shower, fruit baskets, elevator, well-planed farming and agriculture, irigation, and table manner.
Conflict or clash is a normal thing that is likely happen in society where everyone has different ideas, opinions, habits, values, etc. As Glorier (1983: 371) explains that conflict is an accident which has been generally happened in human’s life, everyone can face all kinds of conflict because of different reasons. Moreover, culture refers to “knowledge, experience, meanings, beliefs, values, attitudes, religions, concept of self, the universe and self universe, relationships, hierarchies of status, role expectations, spatial relations, and time concepts, accumulated by a large group of people over generations through individual and group effort” (Novinger, 2001: 14). Therefore, cultural conflict or clash is a common event which happened in society for everyone who has different ideas, habits, values, and backgrounds were interacting each other.
The culture own by Grug’s clan and the Bettermans are clearly dissimilar. The Bettermans’ are sleeping separately each other in private rooms while Grug’s clan are sleeping together in a pile. The Bettermans’ are taking shower everyday in a bathroom. Otherwise, members of Grug’s clan don’t take shower in a daily basis perhaps only once a in a few weeks? Moreover, the Bettermans’ are taking care of animal farms and growing plants. Meanwhile Grug’s clan are not used to take care of other creatures, for they were busy to save their own lives outside of the walls.
Back to the issue in this cartoon, there is also a conflict between Grug’s family and the Bettermans. I believe that their conflict emerged from different assumptions of both families each other, since they come from different world the cultural clash will likely to be happened.
Here are some factors which causing Grug’s family and the Bettermans facing the cultural clash. Firstly, both families were stereotyping each other. As Deena and Mara (1982:182) declares that “Cultural conflicts occur as a result of misinterpretations, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice.” In this movie, I strongly believe that Grug and Phill have stereotyping each other because of unfamiliarity that they faced. It has been proven that Phill and Hope Bettermans considered Grug’s family as ‘cave people’ who they thought as barbaric, strange, uncivilized, and dangerous. Meanwhile Grug also labelled the Bettermans as strange.
Secondly, the Bettermans and Grug’s family have different habits, values, and ideas about life style. Since you know, they also come from completely different background, experience, and environment thus the way of life and the concept about life in their heads also varied. In line with Perrine’s statement that the different “action, ideas, desires, or wills” between one person to another, or group of persons to another group might cause a conflict. She further states that “the conflict may be physical, mental, emotional, or moral” (1983: 42). Likewise within the movie, Grug and Eep were having emotional conflict within their minds. It can be shown through the uncomfortable feelings felt by them while experiencing ‘the more civilized culture’ in the Bettermans’ environment. They felt as if they didn’t belong in that place, they wanted to do the old habits that they did before coming to the Bettermans’ field. In addition, when Grug’s family were having dinner together in a table with the Bettermans’, the members of Grug’s clan didn’t know the table manner thing so they just eat aggresively with their hands as fast as lightning. Such manner is considered as ‘uncivilized’ and ‘wild’ for the Bettermans’ its a prove of conflict in moral.
Thirdly, the selfishness of each individuals is the main factor of cultural clash. You know that everyone must posses desires and wills in their life as Perrine (1983: 42) states that “Conflict is a clash of action, ideas, desires, or wills”. Here, Phill Betterman has a strong will to protect his family from outside world which was danger, full of beasts, and uncertainty source of foods and water by creating the field within the wall. On the other hand, Grug also wished to eat his most favorite rare food which is ‘banana’. However, banana wasn’t allowed to be consumed in the Bettermans’ field. But, as Grug angry towards Phill and Hope who had fooled them he ate all the bananas in field. This action resulted another conflict and argument between Grug and Phill which lead them and also the family to another ‘enemy’ outside of the walls.
Then, how can we solve this problem? According to Deena and Mara (1993: 182) it is possible to prevent the cultural clash in society “by increasing awareness of our attitudes as well as sensitivity to cross-cultural differences”. So, I think its very crucial for us as individuals to posses the basic knowledge of other cultures. Thus, when we meet other groups of people who have distinct culture we can respect each other and living side by side in peace.
Refferences
Huntington, Samuel P. (2002). The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. London: Simon.S Schuster
Levine, Deena R. dan Mara B. Adelman. (1993). BEYOND LANGUAGE: Cross Cultural Communication, Cross cultural understanding. San Diego State University
Stewart, Edward C. (1972). American Culture Patterns: A Cross Cultural Perspective. Maine : Intercultural Press.
