A Response to the Issue of Cultural Contradiction
One of the last comments included the anonymous person's fear of Japan because of the contradiction of oppression and beauty. I feel that in every culture there are inherent contradictions In India there was a big thing about purity and pollution being an important awareness, but people would spit, shit, piss, and litter all over public places. On one occasion I went to B.R. hills, which is a tribal region in southern India. The guide took our class to this sacred grove deep in the forest where there was a three-thousand year old tree. People from that tribe had been worshiping Shive there for over a thousand years, but there was thrash littered on the forest floor not a hundred meters away.
Another scenario is to look at women and women's rights in the USA and also how foreigners think of US women. I mean, we seem to have come so far with putting women on an equal playing field, but we just contradict that with objectifying them through thier anatomy and sexual appeal. Or we make it so hard for women to feel comfortable with thier bodies and body wieght by having so much media and advertisements that tell women how they should look. I feel that many american women have lost thier dignity by following the social standards of vanity. I distinctly remember being in India with my mother, and listening to her say, "I am never wearing khaki shorts again." This was after seeing a group of western tourists walking by. The women in India are more oppressed than in any other place than I have been, but they carry themselves with so much dignity and beauty that they look good no matter what shape and size they are. I have not yet been to any middle eastern countries yet, but that is my experience so far.
The whole point here is that yes there are inherent contradictions, but if you limit yourself from visiting a culture because you don't agree with a certain part of it then you are just being hipocritical and narrow-minded. Life is about seeing, and not seeing good or bad, but just seeing (and experiencing). But, you can choose what you want to do.
One more thing, I met a girl yesterday named Keiko, and she had spent one year in Ohio for an exchange program. She said that in Japan people think of America being this perfect place because so many of them have visited NY and LA. She said that the truth is that you don't really see america unless you get into middle america and the more blue collar areas. I thought that she was really insightful with that observation. I asked her what her favorite and least favorite things about the US were. She said the beauty and diversity were her favorite things, and people being two-faced was her least favorite thing. How about that contradiction?
Another scenario is to look at women and women's rights in the USA and also how foreigners think of US women. I mean, we seem to have come so far with putting women on an equal playing field, but we just contradict that with objectifying them through thier anatomy and sexual appeal. Or we make it so hard for women to feel comfortable with thier bodies and body wieght by having so much media and advertisements that tell women how they should look. I feel that many american women have lost thier dignity by following the social standards of vanity. I distinctly remember being in India with my mother, and listening to her say, "I am never wearing khaki shorts again." This was after seeing a group of western tourists walking by. The women in India are more oppressed than in any other place than I have been, but they carry themselves with so much dignity and beauty that they look good no matter what shape and size they are. I have not yet been to any middle eastern countries yet, but that is my experience so far.
The whole point here is that yes there are inherent contradictions, but if you limit yourself from visiting a culture because you don't agree with a certain part of it then you are just being hipocritical and narrow-minded. Life is about seeing, and not seeing good or bad, but just seeing (and experiencing). But, you can choose what you want to do.
One more thing, I met a girl yesterday named Keiko, and she had spent one year in Ohio for an exchange program. She said that in Japan people think of America being this perfect place because so many of them have visited NY and LA. She said that the truth is that you don't really see america unless you get into middle america and the more blue collar areas. I thought that she was really insightful with that observation. I asked her what her favorite and least favorite things about the US were. She said the beauty and diversity were her favorite things, and people being two-faced was her least favorite thing. How about that contradiction?
posted by Kyle Weaner at 10:25 PM
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