Want to be notified of new posts? Get the RSS Feed or Register by Email
Can we really fully *know* the cultures we have lived in?
This post has 285 views
Hey y’all
Well, i was reading through the FB thread and someone asked if we really truly knew the cultures that we have lived in. I must admit that that has come to me many times during my life. Because for me, France is stuck at the time when i was 15. And Mauritius from when i was 13. The US.. changes for me, the last time i was there was when i was 14. And Australia… changes with me as i am living hjere now but i know that when i leave i shall remember it from the age that i left it (hopefully i shall be 21!).
I do not beleive that anyone can fully know a culture inside and out because culture changes. I can never truly know Aussie culture because there are still references that people make of their early schooling days that i don’t understand.
For example, abt 3 yrs ago i did not know something apparently well known in Aussie culture (the akubra hat). [http://www.walkabout.com/images/i/hat-ak-snowy-st.jpg]
I had seen some men around wearing them but i didn’t know that in the bush some people bought the hats with pieces of cork hanging off them (to keep the flies away). And i when i was told this i was all “Really?!” And the person saying this to me was all”What? You don’t know your own culture!”.
I had thought that i didn’t need to know aymore as i had been living here for then abt 8 years.
Anyone got any ideas? Comments? Stories?
What do you think of this post?
(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
Loading ...
Related Posts
Comments
16 Responses to “Can we really fully *know* the cultures we have lived in?”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
Top Commentators
- Ayako (781)
- Cynthia (554)
- miyon (505)
- Uncle Dan (500)
- mairabay (368)
- kristine (363)
- MsMerising (279)
- mmmmmm (249)
- marie (229)
- Isa (223)
Polls
Loading ...
December 21st, 2007 at 9:15 am
Yeah it’s sometimes kinda hard to understand what people are talking about. You might speak the language and understand the words that are being said, but have no idea of the context. And of course most of the slang is beyond me. Even if you think you understand the culture, people are probably looking at you if you were some kind of an alien.
(Is this spam?)
January 1st, 2008 at 2:29 pm
yeah Charm… I’ve asked myself that same question some time ago already “wow, am I the only one here who likes England?” lol
(Is this spam?)
January 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I don’t mind england…. Why does it have such a bad reputation?? hahaha
(Is this spam?)
January 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Maybe this will help:
England has worst crime rate in world
“England and Wales have the highest crime rate among the world’s leading economies, according to a new report by the United Nations.
The survey, which is likely to prove embarrassing to David Blunkett, the Home Secretary. shows that people are more likely to be mugged, burgled, robbed or assaulted here than in America, Germany, Russia, South Africa or any other of the world’s 20 largest nations.”
(Is this spam?)
January 2nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm
People don’t like England because they have a “home country”(ish) relationship with it.
I love it because I have a “host country” relationship with it.
It’s the same reason why people love Brazil. And why, each time I’m in the chatroom and I say “I’m in Brazil”, people go all “oh you are so lucky”, and I’m like “lucky? I bloody HATE this country” (there’s a British expression for all of you British haters, lol)
Really…Brazil’s crime rates are waaaay higher than England, not to mention the culture…no one takes ANYTHING seriously, curruption is CARVED in people’s behaviour, there is no respect WHATSOEVER on another person’s space/privacy/right to live life the way she wants…ugh…sorry guys, somehow the ranting-autopilot-button got hit again
It’s weird (or rather I think it’s a TCK thing), I feel so much more inclined to defend the UK (and western developed countries in general) than to defend Brazil. And people here just don’t get it. It drives me nuts when they say “oh, the North Americans are so cold”. I mean please, they *respect* other people’s spaces, something Brazilians are totally incapable of.
As you can see…more ranting…
Ok, I’m gonna shut up now!
(Is this spam?)
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Keeping up to date with the slang is a seroius problem if you’re not immersed in it - so I avoid using it…to avoid sounding like the Doc in ‘Back to the Future’. I mean that would really be mortifying.
I was so brain washed by Americans on a day to day basis and at school that I think I probably understand their culture best at the end of the day. In a discussion where people are getting mad at each other I can usually understand why the Americans are mad even if I don’t necessarily agree with them. I can usually understand why they are being polite and why they are being rude.
Or some American dude who’s hitting on me…well I can tell if he just wants sex or is looking into a relationship or wants neither and is just harassing me because he’s bored! In other words I can read them better than others. OK, it’s not 100% but you get the picture.
The British totally confuse me. I have no idea how sincere they are being with me. I think it’s because I’m missing all these cultural cues that point to these things. Let’s not even get into French, Spanish or Italian guys.
But you know I’m a TCK so the British think I’m Canadian…lol I’ve never been to Canada but they think my soft generic kind of American accent has got to be Canadian, especially over the phone.
And when I call them and ask them to send me my bill they send it to a Ms. McNamara, and then I can’t pay the bill because my last name is Nakamura and there is only a McNamara in their database…They think it’s McNamara because over the phone they think I’m Canadian.
As for Japanese culture - it’s very clinical. I will have to say - well they don’t like it when you do this or they like it when you do this or they just do it like that! I can analyze it and explain based on what I know but I don’t really know???
(Is this spam?)