The first world has a hubristic tendency to view everything and everyone from only their own viewpoint, which is by turns extremely condescending to those being viewed, and extremely dangerous to those doing the viewing. Everyone is not "just like us", i.e., inside every Vietnamese, there was not an American just dying to get out.
BBC Documentary: Scotland And The Klan.
- Thread starter mawnansmiff
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Aldecaker- I think some of the barriers are simply due to exposure. While there is certainly culture and different ways of knowing the world in North America, it is quite difficult to get out from what the standard is to really experience interesting, informative ways that might make an impact on your life and world view.
Sadly, I don't think the television or a newspaper article, etc. is sufficient enough exposure to really see and understand how radically different (in good ways) life can be for other people. And to learn from it... I don't know. Perhaps advances in virtual reality technology for those who are unable to physically go and live somewhere else might make an impact some day in the future.
When I am in Brazil and speaking in Portuguese with my Brazilian friends, I can say the experience is nearly a 180 degree turn from my friends in Canada or those in Germany. Even my thinking and dreaming takes on changes that are quite profound. I just can't imagine a world where that does not exist. But interestingly, that world did not exist for me for quite a long time because I just had no idea it was even there, other than to point to it on a map and have some vague ideas. I think the protection of language and culture is incredibly important. I guess there can be different ways to go about doing it which are acceptable to everyone. And maybe that is the key. To somehow engage people in a positive way so that they might also share in the experience of having your world view cracked wide open for so many incredible and interesting things to come flooding in.
What a wonderful world we have to live in.
Sadly, I don't think the television or a newspaper article, etc. is sufficient enough exposure to really see and understand how radically different (in good ways) life can be for other people. And to learn from it... I don't know. Perhaps advances in virtual reality technology for those who are unable to physically go and live somewhere else might make an impact some day in the future.
When I am in Brazil and speaking in Portuguese with my Brazilian friends, I can say the experience is nearly a 180 degree turn from my friends in Canada or those in Germany. Even my thinking and dreaming takes on changes that are quite profound. I just can't imagine a world where that does not exist. But interestingly, that world did not exist for me for quite a long time because I just had no idea it was even there, other than to point to it on a map and have some vague ideas. I think the protection of language and culture is incredibly important. I guess there can be different ways to go about doing it which are acceptable to everyone. And maybe that is the key. To somehow engage people in a positive way so that they might also share in the experience of having your world view cracked wide open for so many incredible and interesting things to come flooding in.
What a wonderful world we have to live in.
^ yeah I sent a PM to keep from high jacking the thread. But since you have already done it I agree completely.
oops
Sorry, I didn't mean to Hijack.
In keeping with the OP.... I did not know of the link between the Scottish and the Klan. I'll have to check that out.
Really, sincere apologies. I treat this as a "poker table discussion" where the subjects drift in and out. Bad netiquette though. Sorry everyone
No you were right to comment. I was just being too cautious. Being from MS I would rather talk about Boardwalk Empire than the Klan.
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