EuroYank
I know you will be disappointed but I have not come to debate.
Rather, I wanted to drop in and say hello and that I have missed you and your challenges to our brain and thought process.
Excellent piece of writing. But, don't you think by declaring that all westerners are the same disavows your very argument? Or we the elephant in your eye?
You see my friend,
I am pure American through and through. I have never even had the blessing of experiencing any other culture other than through reading.
But, I too see the jungle. There are some of us out here that can. I hope you are able to see the jungle that surrounds this elephant.
Okay so maybe I debated one issue, but what the heck, it's good to visit you again.
Missed ya!!
Jackie
Shinade Nice to see you back BUT - These are generalizations and you missed this point which is in the middle of the post under WHAT IS CULTURE? "Culture in general is concerned with beliefs and values on the basis of which people interpret experiences and behave, individually and in groups. Broadly and simply put, "culture" refers to a group or community with which you share common experiences that shape the way you understand the world.
The same person, thus, can belong to several different cultures depending on his or her birthplace; nationality; ethnicity; family status; gender; age; language; education; physical condition; sexual orientation; religion; profession; place of work and its corporate culture."
I missed you too Shinade! Get your butt in gear and come back often!
Well I am not sure really how to debate on things. I'm merely a person trying to see things thru the eyes and words of others. There are many different cultures and beliefs on here. We are all either teachers or students to some degree. I find it interesting to learn new things. Oh I am just messing up here big time, so it is probably best I not say nothing. At least I would not feel so stupid. You post great topics and I learn a lot from them, just never very good on expressing myself in situations like this.
Excellent debate, well versed, indeed... I am American, my cultural background is extremely diverse, since most of my best friends and some of my favorite loves have been from a wide scope of the world, plus, I have always been intrigued by the WHOLE of the world, so, I perceive myself as an open person, who resides in this country, though not limited to this country. I believe that ultimate experience and intelligence can only be gained through being a functional PART of the WHOLE, therefore, be I white or not, I am as indirectly both as I am one. If people limit themselves to certain cultures, of which yes, there is an abundance of this mentality, then yes, there are stark differences in cultures. I am sure that in reality, there are more limited mentalities than not, as the basis of propoganda, education or lack of it, and other such factors create this mindlessness of growing beyond your demographich boundaries... again, excellent debate...
I have a post in full in participation of the debate concerning, Critical Thinking, Are We Bloggers Missing The Boat? at http://enlightenedbits.blogspot.com
This was a very powerful and excellent subject matter, which is close to my own mind. It is so true that most people are evasive of the truths around them, and we need to, for many reasons, be more informed, as in being so, we have more options...
Great idea and post Euro! In my post Future Shock I try to expand a little on this theme by questioning how society and cultures might do battle for supremecy or simply melt together in a universal sameness because of technology. This themed exchange of ideas of yours is an excellent source of debate! Cheers!
Hi Euro! I think people from other countries understand America from what they see on TV and the media in many respects. The America I see in international media (not American media), is much different that the actual America I live in. For instance, I know many people from all over the US, but don't know a single person who actually watches Paris Hilton - maybe teenagers do, but not adults.
I have many Asian friends from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, etc, and they seem to be more American than the people I know who actually live in America. The western pop-culture has taken over many of those countries. If I tried to discuss an Asian concept like Zen with an Asian, most know nothing about it! They watch American idol..hahaha!
Unfortunately, the most interesting ideas to talk about or debate, are considered irrelevant by bloggers, no matter what country they're from. I know you understand that very well! My best, most relevant and important articles are always the ones people don't read. That used to piss me off, but I don't let it bother me anymore.
To be honest with you, I hold back on my blog because I already know it would cause people to hate me and completely kill my readership. So, I write a lightened up version so I don't completely offend people. Once you bruise people's delicate religious sensibilities, they don't come back around. It's so ridiculous it almost makes me want to quit blogging sometimes.
Bob, being a product of two cultures and living in Europe after leaving the USA, I know this. One day after 911 common talk over here was "I bet Bush did this so he can have a war, and more oil and fascism like Hitler used the Reichstag torching."
Now seven years later and years after "Loose Change," and other 911 revelations, Americans still can't believe it. When it comes to losing their democracy, Americans have let it go without a whimper. Americans really do make good Germans, just like back under Hitler when the Nazis took over.
I blog just to get it out. For me the American people are just too stupid to get worked up about it!
Most people are so busy working, trying to feed their families because of the collapsing economy, they don't have time to pay attention to anything - which is of course exactly what our leaders want.
This is why I appreciate your choice of using Neo as your picture. Life really is so much like that movie. When you tell people that everything they believe is based on a myth, not reality, it is extremely difficult for them to accept. It really does hurt them!
I tell people that they are smart (not stupid), too smart to let our leaders destroy our lives and freedoms. It's a different approach, but either way, people need to learn the truth. It's much like dog training, you give a treat for correct behavior instead of spanking for doing something wrong. I know it's an insulting analogy to many folks, but humans are animals too...haha!
Hi Euro,
I watched the video and it's fantastic. I have seen it before. And, I for one am glad that I am not a "Sheople".
And, I too must agree with Bobby. Whenever, I do venture off and actually write anything remotely profound, I am garunteed....almost no comments.
You are correct about blogging. What I see is the same thing that occured during the great depression, and, also WW2. People are flocking to the lighter blogs because they need to escape. In the past it was the movies and television. Now it is blogs.
As you well know we Americans are facing an unprecedented time in our history. Yes, our freedom has been dwindling for years. But, with Bush and his bunch they just absolutely took over and don't even try to hide the fact.
But, I can tell you that more and more people are getting truly pissed off over here. I hope it is a sign that we are all waking up and coming togehter to fight the thieves of our freedom.
I can tell you this. I am gratefull that our home is paid for and we have room for a garden. Because, I know what we are facing. And, it is not a recession. It will be completely devestating when it hits full force.
But, we will pull out. I do have that much faith. Maybe it's my 3/4 German ancestry mixed with my Cherokee. We will survive the hard times. And hopefully, we will come out on the other side a better country than ever.
Afterall, what doesn't kill us does make us stronger.
Great new video Euro. I just viewed the Washington, You're Fired! film. All is not lost! 
Euro,
I am not sure what actually to debate here, and what you want me to blog on my page. I mean, I do have many thoughts, and ideas of things I could possibly write about on my blog. Oh, I should say this is a comment to the first part of the Debate Blog.
I guess we can all agree that there is a fundamental difference between the East and West", however many of us do have an understanding of that difference. Sometimes, the difference is mostly religious differences, and sometimes not. I do agree that East and West, are seeing the world through different lenses, and there are many different Cultural differences. Therefore, between the Easterners, and Westerners there are many different
Cultural insights that dertermines are different attitudes of things. In this link I put in here, they say that "brain scans support surprising differences in perception between Westerners and Asians". This is hard for me to believe, however I am apt to believe the reading of a brain scan. Therefore, I guess they know what they are talking about.
So you would ask the question: What is Culture?? To me Culture is the way we grew up, where we grew up, and what we may or may not have been exposed to in our lifetimes. However, there is a bit more than that to it. We have to take into consideration, what type of family we grew up with, and what we were exposed to later in life, and what we were taught to believe from either family, or society itself.
I mean, I was taught a certain way to believe when I was a child, however learned quickly after growing up, that things were different than what my family taught me. Considering, I grew up in an abusive family sitiuation, I didn't have much choices until I was able to get away from that abuse. That difinetly will change your Cultural insights into things, it did mine.
I am quoting part of your blog, since I have had some experience with this particular thing.
"It could have implications for, say, Western mental health care workers trying to help Easterners. On a broader scale, researchers say, it might be useful in business schools for students preparing to work in East-West trade, to help clarify culture gaps." This could go the other way around.
How about the Easterners, helping Westerner's mental health, it seems there will be the same problems there also. I think that could also be true in the Medical Field, not just the Mental Health Field. I know that when I was in hospital, I sometimes had a difficult time with the Easterners way of doing certain things, such as personal needs. Personally I don't really care which you are, as long as they forfill the needs that I have. However, in certain cases, that didn't happen.
I believe I have a little video that will help us misguided Americans - it includes a mirror and some boots.
Hi Euro, thanks for posting the George Carlin video about critical thinking! I've always been a big fan of his, since the Hippy Dippy Weatherman days, and I always appreciated how he can get to the core of a matter and expose it. He hasn't changed a bit, and that is wonderful! There are tons of his videos on YouTube that are worth viewing. Thanks again for reintroducing me to George!
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