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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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 Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I don't see how you and this student contradicted each other. It is an erosion of cultures and an opportunity to get to know the outside world at the same time. |
We didn't contradict each other at all. It's a difference of value; I think it's better to give everyone on Earth equal opportunities, while he wants to make sure yellow people eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts. |
He wants them to retain their traditional culture. Do you think rice, hats, and huts are the sum total of asian culture? No? Then don't attack a strawman. |
Wanna bet his answer will be "Me so solly!" Judging by these few posts, I get the feeling this dude wouldn't survive long outside his home country. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
It's a mixing of cultures that creates new and improved culture, at least when it's not one-way. |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| But if you're a professor for 10 years, you're going to be making more... Why give up a career to screw around in Korea? |
True, but if I'd gone to law school, I'd make even more, or if I got an MBA I'd make even more.
There's more to life than money. |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I don't see how you and this student contradicted each other. It is an erosion of cultures and an opportunity to get to know the outside world at the same time. |
We didn't contradict each other at all. It's a difference of value; I think it's better to give everyone on Earth equal opportunities, while he wants to make sure yellow people eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts. |
He wants them to retain their traditional culture. Do you think rice, hats, and huts are the sum total of asian culture? No? Then don't attack a strawman. |
Wanna bet his answer will be "Me so solly!" Judging by these few posts, I get the feeling this dude wouldn't survive long outside his home country. |
Nice try--I haven't lived in my home country since 2001! |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I don't see how you and this student contradicted each other. It is an erosion of cultures and an opportunity to get to know the outside world at the same time. |
We didn't contradict each other at all. It's a difference of value; I think it's better to give everyone on Earth equal opportunities, while he wants to make sure yellow people eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts. |
He wants them to retain their traditional culture. Do you think rice, hats, and huts are the sum total of asian culture? No? Then don't attack a strawman. |
Wanna bet his answer will be "Me so solly!" Judging by these few posts, I get the feeling this dude wouldn't survive long outside his home country. |
Nice try--I haven't lived in my home country since 2001! |
And you call them "yellow people?" Were you born in 1921? |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| michaelambling wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| I don't see how you and this student contradicted each other. It is an erosion of cultures and an opportunity to get to know the outside world at the same time. |
We didn't contradict each other at all. It's a difference of value; I think it's better to give everyone on Earth equal opportunities, while he wants to make sure yellow people eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts. |
He wants them to retain their traditional culture. Do you think rice, hats, and huts are the sum total of asian culture? No? Then don't attack a strawman. |
Wanna bet his answer will be "Me so solly!" Judging by these few posts, I get the feeling this dude wouldn't survive long outside his home country. |
Nice try--I haven't lived in my home country since 2001! |
And you call them "yellow people?" Were you born in 1921? |
Let me make this a bit clearer for you. When I said "he wants to make sure yellow people eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts", I was making an indirect quotation--that is, HE thinks that Asians are "yellow people who eat rice, wear pointy hats, and live in huts." I call my best friend Japanese, his wife Chinese, my ex-girlfriends Korean/Chinese/Taiwanese/Vietnamese, etc. etc. I rarely even use the word "Asian" because it's, well, about as meaningful as "westerner". |
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Koveras
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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| jajdude wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
That was incredibly well-put. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
And here we are, living in basically a monoculture that is far less culturally rich from the multicultural nations that most of us come from. |
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michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
And here we are, living in basically a monoculture that is far less culturally rich from the multicultural nations that most of us come from. |
My experience of monocultures is that they have much less to offer than multicultural nations that offer a greater variety of human experience. Those experiences might not be true to the traditions that they came from, but they are often more stimulating and interesting than whatever 'high culture' has to offer. Read War and Peace then surf Wikipedia--tell me which is more stimulating. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
| jajdude wrote: |
| How is learning a foreign language and learning about other cultures an erosion of a local culture? Sounds like an expansion of culture to me. |
No: multiculturalism is definitely an erosion of culture. |
How about we call it a change of culture? To me erosion sounds like a good thing, but I'm sure some will disagree. |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
I'm not sure what my view on culture is. I think some cultures, or societies for certain, are better than others. My first point was that knowing more than one language and knowing about other countries is a good thing for anyone. At least it makes life more interesting. |
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Koveras
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 4:22 am Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Koveras wrote: |
The point of contention between us is that I have an elitist view of culture (there can be more or less of it, it can be better or worse), whereas yours appears to be relativistic. You see change where I see erosion or decadence. |
And here we are, living in basically a monoculture that is far less culturally rich from the multicultural nations that most of us come from. |
Well, again, it seems we have basically different perspectives. To me, Canada is in the cultural poorhouse. While it seems true that there's a greater profusion of objects of culture in North America (such as fancy buildings, novels, recorded music, and so on) one would be mistaken to think that necessarily indicates a "richer" culture. That's like thinking more legislation equals more Law. |
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Koveras
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:12 am Post subject: |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
My experience of monocultures is that they have much less to offer than multicultural nations that offer a greater variety of human experience. Those experiences might not be true to the traditions that they came from, but they are often more stimulating and interesting than whatever 'high culture' has to offer. Read War and Peace then surf Wikipedia--tell me which is more stimulating. |
You should amend that to say "a greater variety of stimulation", which appears to be what you actually mean, and which I liken to defibrillation. Thanks for involuntarily confirming me in my opinions.
A slight clarification: when I say I'm a cultural elitist I don't just mean I'm an exponent of high culture (though I am that); I think just as highly of what we might call 'folk' culture. |
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Mix1
Joined: 08 May 2007
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:41 am Post subject: |
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| michaelambling wrote: |
| yingwenlaoshi wrote: |
| But if you're a professor for 10 years, you're going to be making more... Why give up a career to screw around in Korea? |
True, but if I'd gone to law school, I'd make even more, or if I got an MBA I'd make even more.
There's more to life than money. |
That's easy to say when you've got money.
Anyway, best of luck in your career choices. |
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