BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Bigger Picture  >  Beyond The Ballot Box  >  How to Avoid the Culture War Trap: Lessons from USA on What NOT to Do

How to Avoid the Culture War Trap: Lessons from USA on What NOT to Do

Peter Beattie, Political Psychologist and Political Economist, Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

23-Mar-23 15:00

How to Avoid the Culture War Trap: Lessons from USA on What NOT to Do

The world is becoming increasingly polarised. Whether it’s in the US, Europe or even Southeast Asia, which includes Malaysia, the increasing polarisation has often led to a focus on hot-button cultural issues at the expense of substantive policy discussions centred around political economy and class struggle. This phenomenon is known as the ‘culture wars.’ 

The culture wars can take many forms. In the US, the culture wars these days tend to centre around abortion rights, transgender bathrooms and Critical Race Theory. In Malaysia, the culture wars which have amped up dramatically since GE15 often revolve around the LGBTQ community and the sensitivities of Islam. 

But what are the consequences of falling into the culture war trap? And how can we avoid it?

We speak to Peter Beattie, a political psychologist and political economist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). 


Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  politicsgovernmentinternationalpersonal development

Tags:  lgbt culture warsabortion rightspoliticsmalaysian politicsglobal politicsusademocratsrepublicanspolarisationclass strugglecapitalismsocialism





Play / Pause

Listen now : Discovery Hour: An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in...

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist, UBP tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Sarah Jane Mahmud, Senior Industry Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, on Singapore banks’ 2025 results and the outlook for 2026.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4), discusses governance and accountability concerning public funds, complaints and anti-corruption.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Leo Varadkar, Former Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, weighs in on how to best navigate today's geopolitical order.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Journalist Erin Cook examines Myanmar’s final election stage and its fairness amid banned parties and ongoing conflict.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

(REPEAT) Sarah Jane Mahmud, Senior Industry Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, on Singapore banks’ 2025 results and the outlook for 2026.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Carlos Casanova, Senior Economist, UBP tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

The Property Show

Jimmy Chiam of CCN Consulting and Kyle E of POW Ideas discuss what drives success and failure in retail.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

1.9 Million Vacant Houses: Can Urby’s Upcycling Make Them Liveable Again? Cha-Ly Koh and Stirling Yiin from Urby discuss turning "neglected houses into modern homes" through their fractional ownership and upcycling model. Can upcycling existing assets fix a market that building more hasn't?

11:00 AM

The Workplace

Lalit Jagtiani, Lalit Jagtiani, Author, Transformation Specialist, and Senior Facilitator at Harvard Business Publishing

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

Weihan Chen, Head of Insights, Momentum Works

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Leo Varadkar, Former Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, weighs in on how to best navigate today's geopolitical order.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

Reef Check Malaysia’s 2025 annual survey paints a worrying picture of the state of our reefs. CEO Julian Hyde joins us to unpack the latest results.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

Why services in confinement centres need to uphold good hygiene, health and safety standards.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

6:00 PM

Big Issue

7:00 PM

Stories of KL

Bukit Kiara and the People Who Protect It

8:00 PM

Cruise Control

Daniel Fernandez, Managing Editor, dsf.my