Quote: (01-07-2014 01:12 PM)BahamaPapa Wrote:
Clearly the use of the word "objective" was not appropriate for the context of what I was trying to say. Good catch. The point I was trying to make was that I'm not a native American. I don't have the same bias as someone who was born there. I consider myself as much a Bahamian as an American
OK yeah that's true.
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Let's be specific here. What cultural variation are you referring to in the new world? As far as the architecture comment goes I'm not sure I understand that either. Are you saying that unless a country has an illustrious form of architecture then it becomes culturally deficient? Are the cities and skylines of Ecuador or Honduras that captivating and innovative? Also, wouldn't said illustriousness be subjective anyway? At the shop I worked at in little Hartford, CT there were at least 4 different languages being spoken daily by the workers. The building was made of these ugly red bricks. Does that mean there's less culture within it's walls?
In terms of cultural variation take Mexico for instance (not saying Mexico's awesome, it goes without saying they've got tons of serious problems but they're only a century or so older than us with a similar history so it's a fair comparison)...from what I remember lots of the states have very distinct and recognizable forms of traditional food, dance and forms of dress: Nuevo Leon, Veracruz, Jalisco, Nayarit, Guerrero, Michoacan, Yucatan, Puebla, etc. Can we say the same? Does Ohio or Connecticut have a unique folk music and dance, a distinctive cuisine, its own traditional clothing? You can still find cultural variation across regions but from what I've heard from old-timers it used to be much stronger.
Architecturally there's no doubt the US has a host of great buildings but this isn't about skyline: Paris' skyline is nothing next to Dubai's but a city is much more than that. The larger point is that with some exceptions American city streets sometimes lack attention because we've neglected them for a long time, and I think that affects how they function as social units. I remember I was showing a few Finns around a decently-sized local city and they were like "oh the river is over there let's go to a cafe and hang out"...and then I told them there weren't any cafes on the riverfront because that part of the city had been completely demolished to make way for an interstate highway in the 1960s. They were downright mystified...and I can't blame them.
I think you're right that we can also distinguish between the physical vessel and its cultural contents, and like I said the US has a lot of world-class stuff to offer in that sense, no argument from me there.
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This is pretty much an extension of what you said previously but I'll bite. I said America is young and it hasn't had the time other countries have had to develop a distinguished identity. How could it? It's founding population wasn't even remotely indigenous to the area. Since then it's population has been supplemented with more people from different places. European countries have been distinct from one another for centuries. The people of those countries identify with those distinctions. They take pride in those distinctions. America is pretty much a collection of individuals trying to work and live together. I feel like in time the baby will grow up, figure out a way to truly make all those puzzle pieces fit and create something that all her citizens can hang their hat on.
Yeah I don't disagree, but my concern would be that we're passing through (or have passed through, according to some...I'm not smart enough to know which) our most prosperous period and we could have much more to show for it. It also feels like communities are weakening, not strengthening, but that's just my feeling.
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I'm not sure where I made the statement that the US "has it all". On a side note, what other place have you lived other than the U.S that you would recommend? I'm having a hard time figuring out where I want to go next.
I lived for awhile in a few parts of Europe which was great, it's hard to say one thing about all them because they're wildly different. It depends on what you're looking for...Mediterranean Europe knows how to live the good life but their economies are teetering and it can seem like forever for anything to get done, oh and the concept of 'service with a smile' simply doesn't exist. German-speaking Europe is the opposite because everything works well, is very well organized and it's economically strong, but then again people there can be distant, closed-off to strangers and they're so obsessed with fixing everything (even if it's not broke) and making arbitrary rules (even if it's not a problem) that it gets annoying. Scandinavia was interesting (I wasn't in Denmark thankfully) because people are really polite and measured but the "always in moderation" attitude extends to everything and I ended up wishing there was more bravado. I suppose you have to take the bad with the good wherever you go, but what lifestyle you like the most comes down to taste. Other guys on this forum have lived in more places than me so definitely get their take because it's more in-depth than mine.
I will say I did miss the US for a few reasons: people are more open to strangers, usually less snobby (though in my experience women in big American cities are more stuck-up, go figure), more laid-back, you can find spicy food and most importantly it's always good to be able to converse and joke in your own language. Anyway I'm planning to get out of the US this year (Asia most likely), not because I'm unhappy but because there's so much more out there...including more feminine women and cheaper stuff