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Part of growing up in most modern North American and European cultures is learning to suppress 'childish' tendencies. Stop making noise, stop doing distracting
by csours 4y ago
Part of growing up in most modern North American and European cultures is learning to suppress 'childish' tendencies. Stop making noise, stop doing distracting things, stop saying silly things. Stop enjoying inappropriate things.
I'm not advocating for more childishness in public - it is genuinely distracting - or for more childishness in serious situations - or for being inappropriate in mean ways - but maybe it's OK to just have fun. Make a fart noise every once in a while. Sing in the shower, or while you vacuum, or whatever. Make motorcycle noises while you're riding your bike. Flap your arms when you run.
- recuter 4y ago> Part of growing up in most modern North American and European cultures is learning to suppress 'childish' tendencies. You ever been to Asia?
- csours 4y agoI have not, and that's why I didn't say anything about it.
- hnlmorg 4y agoI do all of that and more. My kids think I’m hysterical (they’re still young) and I intend to keep it up until they’re embarrassed to be around me. Life’s too short to take yourself seriously. Sometimes it’s the little things that makes life enjoyable.
- happyopossum 4y ago> Part of growing up in most modern North American and European cultures Not really sure which cultures you’re assuming aren’t that way - Asian and African culture don’t tend to have a lot of childishness either..
- csours 4y agoThere are cultural differences - the congregation in many black churches vocalizes during the sermon. I think it's a universal tendency with cultural expression.
- pvg 4y agoAmerican black churches are part of American culture and there's plenty of non-black churches where the laity vocalizes. People even speak in made up languages. Plus, google up Shakers, Quakers or one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening
- csours 4y agoSure, and that's why I said: > universal tendency with cultural expression. There is no single "culture of America"
- googlryas 4y agoThere is no single American culture, but there certainly is a "mainstream" American culture. Does any country have just a single culture? Maybe the Vatican or San marino?
- SeanAnderson 4y agoReminds me of a bit from an article I enjoy. https://www.villagevoice.com/2014/08/13/ask-andrew-w-k-whats-this-partying-thing/ https://www.villagevoice.com/2014/08/13/ask-andrew-w-k-whats... It seems to me that people often equate intelligence with seriousness, and stupidity with playfulness. These people also tend to overvalue a sort of stoic distance and lack of excitement and enthusiasm as somehow being a sign of wisdom and advanced thinking. An austere and somber attitude doesn’t make someone smarter or more intellectual. Sometimes people are overly serious because they’re afraid of looking unkempt, unimportant, uneducated — they fear they’ll “make a fool out of themselves” if they don’t remain dour and stiff. In my opinion, if more people aspired to the level of life-mastery and self-actualization that a true fool has attained, there’d be much less conflict in the world.
- Swizec 4y agoDoing childish things because I want to is one if the best parts of living in the big city. Nobody knows me, nobody cares. If someone’s annoyed, not like I’ll ever see them again.
- 8bitsrule 4y agoThink that being able to understand and do childish things is important, because all the children are doing them, and sometimes they need to talk to someone who's older who can still connect that way. (Thus Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers.) When I look at the coping skills of adults in the world en masse, I see different ... I certainly don't see better. Some of the good parts may be missing. The word 'childish' makes a very crappy pejorative. I'd even call it the 'C word'.
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