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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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 Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:15 am Post subject: Documentary about the Difference Between East and West |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyaD1ZjS-s
Is it just me or is there a subtle bias? This is a documentary produced by EBS about the difference between the eastern and western mindset. I can't help but feel it is at the very least an inaccurate portrayal of the western mindset. Apparently we are all self-centered narcissists. My favorite part is the section about photography. Did you know that asians never focus on their face when they take pictures? That is because they aren't as self absorbed as Western Folks.
It's long but I'm curious about other people's thoughts. |
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Dodge7
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:36 am Post subject: Re: Documentary about the Difference Between East and West |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnyaD1ZjS-s
Is it just me or is there a subtle bias? This is a documentary produced by EBS about the difference between the eastern and western mindset. I can't help but feel it is at the very least an inaccurate portrayal of the western mindset. Apparently we are all self-centered narcissists. My favorite part is the section about photography. Did you know that asians never focus on their face when they take pictures? That is because they aren't as self absorbed as Western Folks.
It's long but I'm curious about other people's thoughts. |
What!? Whaaat?!! WHAAAAAAAT??!!!
Koreans are the most self absorbed people I've ever came across. It makes me puke to see both men and women have to look and see their relection in any and everything they walk by. Looking at their self in their phones on the bus, taking pictures of themselves--I mean 10-20 pics in a row. How self absorbed can you be? |
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giraffe
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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| i must be asian/ eastern minded born in a white mans body because 100% of my answers to their questions were the same as the asians..... Can't say i 100% agree with all their statements.. I've observed otherwise... BUT interesting documentary nonetheless |
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korwan
Joined: 24 Jan 2011
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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Plastic surgery, mirrors everywhere, someone to the right of you at any given moment throwing up a peace sign and taking a picture of themself on their phone or tablet.
Nope. Koreans don't focus on their faces. |
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newb
Joined: 27 Aug 2012
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| korwan wrote: |
Plastic surgery, mirrors everywhere, someone to the right of you at any given moment throwing up a peace sign and taking a picture of themself on their phone or tablet.
Nope. Koreans don't focus on their faces. |
+1 |
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KimchiNinja
Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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I can't be bothered to watch some youtube video but there are huge differences in thinking!
Most noticeable to me was how Westerners see the microscopic components while Easterners see the whole.
Koreans for example can't understand why it takes Westerners so many words to communicate a simple thing or why they argue about everything. Try doing a Google search on anything and look for the simple answer, it's buried in over-analysis and argument and nobody ever just answers the question! Too obsessed with their personal trip.
Since I like viewing the whole rather than silly detail I like that aspect of Asia, hence my being here.
Also the role of the individual is viewed differently. Westerners are obsessed with their individuality, ego and attributing things to physical beings. Where as Asia it is more about the group and not necessarily associating things with an individual. Like Steve Jobs for example, in the West a guy is singled out as BEING Apple and being a supernatural force, when actually in Apple it is "the whole" that makes it work. I guess that's why you see a lot of emphasis on team work here in KR. and I think that's why Americans have a lot of mental problems...the stress of tring to "be" Steve Jobs or Arnold Swatzenwhatever or whatever. The East understands "non-being".
But as a Westerner I've got to say I sure like being an individual, and doing/thinking whatever I want to do. If I were born in KR they would have problably kicked me outta this society long ago for not fitting in and doing what I was told. |
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DejaVu
Joined: 27 Jan 2011
Location: Your dreams
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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| KimchiNinja wrote: |
Also the role of the individual is viewed differently. Westerners are obsessed with their individuality, ego and attributing things to physical beings. Where as Asia it is more about the group and not necessarily associating things with an individual. Like Steve Jobs for example, in the West a guy is singled out as BEING Apple and being a supernatural force, when actually in Apple it is "the whole" that makes it work. I guess that's why you see a lot of emphasis on team work here in KR. and I think that's why Americans have a lot of mental problems...the stress of tring to "be" Steve Jobs or Arnold Swatzenwhatever or whatever. The East understands "non-being".
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Honestly, I see the complete opposite here. Most Koreans I know are obsessed with Steve Jobs, not Apple. I have met quite a few people who say the only book they've read in English was the Steve Jobs book. They put ALL of their focus on the CEOs and the leaders. I feel that they are the ones striving to be like him because in Korea, success = who makes the most money. |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2012 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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| KimchiNinja wrote: |
I can't be bothered to watch some youtube video but there are huge differences in thinking!
Most noticeable to me was how Westerners see the microscopic components while Easterners see the whole.
Koreans for example can't understand why it takes Westerners so many words to communicate a simple thing or why they argue about everything. Try doing a Google search on anything and look for the simple answer, it's buried in over-analysis and argument and nobody ever just answers the question! Too obsessed with their personal trip.
Since I like viewing the whole rather than silly detail I like that aspect of Asia, hence my being here.
Also the role of the individual is viewed differently. Westerners are obsessed with their individuality, ego and attributing things to physical beings. Where as Asia it is more about the group and not necessarily associating things with an individual. Like Steve Jobs for example, in the West a guy is singled out as BEING Apple and being a supernatural force, when actually in Apple it is "the whole" that makes it work. I guess that's why you see a lot of emphasis on team work here in KR. and I think that's why Americans have a lot of mental problems...the stress of tring to "be" Steve Jobs or Arnold Swatzenwhatever or whatever. The East understands "non-being".
But as a Westerner I've got to say I sure like being an individual, and doing/thinking whatever I want to do. If I were born in KR they would have problably kicked me outta this society long ago for not fitting in and doing what I was told. |
It's not just some youtube video though, it was nationally broadcast on EBS. Someone just added subtitles, and I think at the very least it gives insight into how some korean people view us here. It also explains some of the weird stereotypes I get asked about. As far as the idea that westerners lean towards the individual rather than the collective, there are many examples to contradict that. Kim Jong Il, Mao Tsung, King Sejong, etc. Not to mention the etiquette is named after a single guy...Confucious. Then there are the celebrities that lead their fashion. I think the video is somewhat of an honest attempt to figure out our differences, but it has some glaring inconsistencies. Anyone that has lived in the far east for more than a year can see right through what they say in it. |
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elway
Joined: 16 Oct 2012
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:24 am Post subject: |
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That's funny.
| newb wrote: |
| korwan wrote: |
Plastic surgery, mirrors everywhere, someone to the right of you at any given moment throwing up a peace sign and taking a picture of themself on their phone or tablet.
Nope. Koreans don't focus on their faces. |
+1 |
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Hugo85
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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| hiamnotcool wrote: |
| As far as the idea that westerners lean towards the individual rather than the collective, there are many examples to contradict that. Kim Jong Il, Mao Tsung, King Sejong, etc. |
I view that as the opposite actually. All of North Korea is "united as a group" for the triumph of one individual, or at least that's the intended purpose of the regime. It's about one person, but not each individual. NK is still a shithole though. |
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bigverne
Joined: 12 May 2004
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 5:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Kim Jong Il, Mao Tsung |
You chose two of history's most collectivist societies as evidence that Asians don't have a greater tendency towards collectivism and conformity?
Anyway, interesting documentary...seems inspired by Richard's Nisbett's Geography of Thought |
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hiamnotcool
Joined: 06 Feb 2012
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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| bigverne wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Kim Jong Il, Mao Tsung |
You chose two of history's most collectivist societies as evidence that Asians don't have a greater tendency towards collectivism and conformity?
Anyway, interesting documentary...seems inspired by Richard's Nisbett's Geography of Thought |
They are more like personality cults. The income gap in those countries is pretty significant which I think contradicts the idea of a collective society. If the people admire these rulers or former rulers they are admiring people who exhibit the most extreme form of narcissism, so it's hard to say they lean towards society as a whole rather than the individual. Maybe look to Karl Marx, who is praised quite often but more in the shadows. He is basically the cause of this "collectivism" and he is also a westerner. Pretty ironic.
Anyway, I provided those examples to show that Steve Jobs doesn't really show that westerners are obsessed with the individual. You can find examples in both cultures for many different sets values. |
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KimchiNinja
Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2012 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Like even this conversation goes all logical and facts and bla bla. That's the whole point, you can use intuition instead of logic. |
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