Reply
Thu 29 Apr, 2004 08:54 am
I suppose i am generally considered here to be a liberal. Nevertheless, i have seen some truly ridiculous threads by "other liberals," and have commented on them. But the rest of the world sees us as having two conservative political parties, and some politically meaningless fringe elements. I really have no problem with that characterization, as i see it as fairly accurate. But that is as far as i go. All too often, those from elsewhere go much, much futher. The criticism of American society and culture quite often arises from ignorance, or from projecting upon the entire populace whatever lessons those outside our borders take from viewing American television. Of course, American television does not accurately portray life here, as it has only a handful of non-whites, and men overwhelmingly outnumber women in television programming. Of course, there is also the distortion which arises from the themes of television and motion pictures. A program or movie about a relatively happy family which is not involved in intrigue, murder, espionage, the eternal struggle of good against evil, or hapless pratfalls and ridiculous dilemnas would have absolutely no value as a product for sale. So, it seems to me to follow that those who have not lived here have at best a slight distorted view, and at worst, an irrational antipathy based upon half-truths and outright falsehoods.
Whaddaya think ? Should we nuke the rest of them fargin' bastiches ?
Setanta
Setanta, your topic got me to thinking (I know, don't laugh
) about how the world would view each of us and our country-city on A2K based on the history of our posts.
I know I've formed opinions about several denizens of A2K and have met a handful. They not only give me a window into themselves, but also the places in which they live.
For example, how would all you A2Kers out there imagine Setanta's country? City? Family?
BBB
Those miserable iceholes. I could not agree more. One thought. I find it interesting that one part of the world (the Arab world particularly) deplores American culture for its crudeness and immorality. On the other hand, we have many European critics who consistently attack America for its Bible belt puritanism. Many people hate America and its culture and find their own reasons to bash it. They are just player haters. LOL
They need to keep their filthy imaginations off me, Boss. I am as pure as the driven snow . . .
Setanta
Setanta, pure? hrumph!
I visualize Setanta ensconced in his paneled english style library in a leather chair. A glass of port awaits him on his library table. He scans the walls of the room covered floor to ceiling with oak bookcases containing his favorite books collected over his long lifetime.
Wait, there is a knock on the door. "Enter" in his stentorian voice allows the love of his life into his inner sanctum.
Arf! Arf!
BBB
LOL, LOL, LOL . . .
Stentor didn't smoke Camels for 40 years, so i doubt i could match his voice. And i don't take strong drink.
The little doggie girl, however, is allowed in my room and and my lap whenever it pleases her . . .
Any distortion of American life when viewed from abroad should be disregarded. It can't be changed.
It is as distorted as many of our own perceptions concerning Europe and Asia.
The view of the USA and, vice-versa, our view of Europe and Asia, is probably best expressed by those in either location who have studied in our best Universities( Harvard, MIT) and those who have studied in their best Universities( Sorbonne, Oxford).
The rest, I am afraid, must be disregarded as ignorant.
mporter
mporter, welcome to Able2Know; glad to have you here, especially one so wise to realize that people-to-people personal interaction competes with commercial media influence all around the world. Sometimes I'm not sure which does the most damage.
BBB
Why do I have to take the word of some one who attended a university over some one who lived in the other country for several years? You are saying that only through Higher education, can one get a true appreciation for the culture of another country.
Being ex-military myself, and growing up as a military "brat" I have met many people who have been to many countries. Most of these people do not have beyond a high school education. Personally I would take their EXPERIENCES in foreign countries as a working class member of society, over the Educated Studies done by some one over there strictly to learn the culture from an academic perspective.
And Setanta, did you ever think that the reason there are so few non-whites on the programming because Whites make up 75% of the population, Black or African Americans make up 12.3% and Hispanic or Lation of any race make up 12.5%
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on. Call me crazy, but I would think that Television Studios and broadcast companies would cater to the majority.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace