Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronin4hire
Japanese culture is not defined by its inclusiveness or exclusiveness any more than Arab culture is not defined by its supposed "barbarism".
Get that through your thick head.
Culture is neither good nor bad and has both good and bad elements in it.
|
Really? Take a walk through Mogadishu, Somalia, or Port au Prince, Haiti, (I have been to both places). And then, after visiting these places, tell me if you still carry the same opinion. Tell me that the culture of these places is equal to the culture you enjoy in New Zealand.
I have met many spoiled ideological young people who grow up in pampered western societies, and are educated in the "Never-never land" of university who develop fantastic opinions of the world without ever having seen it. The better of these people do the noble thing and join the Peace Corps, or go to work for Doctors Without Borders to spend a year or two pitting their money where their mouths are. Most of them return with a much different opinion than that which they set out with.
Words are nothing but empty air, and ideals are nothing but empty thoughts when compared to the physical reality of the world we live in. Human beings are animals; territorial and competitive. A better culture suppresses it's animal instincts, and promotes a safer society in which all may enjoy an equal chance of success. The developed societies of the world all share a similar culture, and this culture has made them more or less safe and prosperous. The rest of the world where the "law of the jungle" is stronger are less safe and prosperous, made up of a few "haves", and many "have nots".
The cultures of the developed nations are fairly new, and they are more fragile than you might think. Look at the inner-cities, barrios, and "ghettos" of America and Europe. Take a walk through them (if you dare), they are often a mirror image in culture and appearance of the lands where their inhabitants originated.