5 ms·

This is bit nit-picky of me, but it's a thread I've been noticing lately in some international news, so I'd like to know if anyone has observations or thoughts.

by shaboi 7y ago

This is bit nit-picky of me, but it's a thread I've been noticing lately in some international news, so I'd like to know if anyone has observations or thoughts. In South Korea, China, and Japan (to the extent of my observations), it seems when some culturally significant norm, craft, or product begins to lose said status, partit chalked up to a result of (what tone usually conveys as destructive) "Westernization". But a significant amount of the advances (i.e., emergent products or norms that have supplanted the ones in question) themselves tend to be celebrated and attributed to the progressive trajectory of their culture & state. It's just an odd bit of nationalistic hypocrisy that gives me an itch. Of course, I do not think for a moment this is the case for everything, or that their peoples even embrace this view (as I believe to have been conveyed by the media). And I'm sure the West has behaved or.continues to behave in a similar manner, either now or (surely) in the past. Perhaps I'm completely amiss, which, in that case, all the better.

benj111 7y ago
From a western (uk) perspective I would say theres Americanisation going on, where in the past there would have been a diversity of opinions. In the 80/90s we seemed to look to Japan for Business/technology and culture, to Europe for food, and culture as well as America. I suppose China has somewhat filled part of the gap, but it seems to be a near US monopoly at the moment. It seems to me that being exposed to the diversity of the world is a good thing, becoming a copy of one other place not so much. This is of course highly subjective. So to answer your question, being exposed to, and picking the best bits of western culture seems a net positive, becoming a generic western country not so much. I have absolutely no idea where the balance is between 'progress' and 'tradition', and I don't even think I'd recognise the balance if I saw it. I'm not even sure if there is a balance. Perhaps we'll forever be bemoaning the loss of washi, whilst celebrating the things that replace it.

by shaboi 7y ago

benj111 7y ago

From a western (uk) perspective I would say theres Americanisation going on, where in the past there would have been a diversity of opinions. In the 80/90s we seemed to look to Japan for Business/technology and culture, to Europe for food, and culture as well as America. I suppose China has somewhat filled part of the gap, but it seems to be a near US monopoly at the moment. It seems to me that being exposed to the diversity of the world is a good thing, becoming a copy of one other place not so much. This is of course highly subjective. So to answer your question, being exposed to, and picking the best bits of western culture seems a net positive, becoming a generic western country not so much. I have absolutely no idea where the balance is between 'progress' and 'tradition', and I don't even think I'd recognise the balance if I saw it. I'm not even sure if there is a balance. Perhaps we'll forever be bemoaning the loss of washi, whilst celebrating the things that replace it.