how come westerners always try to impose their lifestyle and culture on other cultures?

Question

how come western culture is the best and the most rationalised culture and lifestyle while any other culture or lifestyle is suddenly extremist, radicle and "weird". isnt that extremism.

Answer 1

Because any culture that doesn't circle around self-serving is really radical and extreme.

Answer 2

It is not that ANY other culture is extremist, radical or "weird," just most of them. Its really quite simple. Americans are free. Free to dissent from the government, free to practice whatever kind of religion (or none at all), free to gather and have protests, free to interact with any culture out there. Now, some of our freedoms have been stripped by things like the Patriot Act and others, and that is unfortunate. Hopefully those will be regained, but you never know. Once a government is able to take something away from its citizens it rarely gives it back.
Now as far as imposing our culture onto others, well, is it that bad to have freedom? Is it that bad to disagree with what your goivernment is doing and be able to say so? America has many faults, and the one of the worst might be our idealism that all other countries should live like we do. This sort of idealism has gotten us into trouble more than once in the 20th, and now 21st centuries. We should learn to back off sometimes, and let the chips fall where they may. Who knows, we might even come out with more friends then we had going in. Unfortunately for the U.S. someone appointed us Big Brother to world, and it is continually biting us in the rear.

Answer 3

I don't think its so much imposed as sought after.
America offers more opportunity and social mobility than any other country, including the countries of Europe.
In the American view, there is nothing vile or degraded about serving your customers either as a CEO or as a waiter. The ordinary life of production and supporting a family is more highly valued in the United States than in any other country. America is the only country in the world where we call the waiter "sir," as if he were a knight.
People live longer, fuller lives in America.
In America the destiny of the young is not given to them, but created by them.
America has gone further than any other society in establishing equality of rights.
America has found a solution to the problem of religious and ethnic conflict that continues to divide and terrorize much of the world. Visitors to places like New York are amazed to see the way in which Serbs and Croatians, Sikhs and Hindus, Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Jews and Palestinians, all seem to work and live together in harmony. How is this possible when these same groups are spearing each other and burning each other's homes in so many places in the world?
America is the only country in the world that extends full membership to outsiders. An American could spend 40 years in India but would not become Indian. In America, by contrast, hundreds of millions have come from far-flung shores and over time they, or at least their children, have in a profound and full sense "become American."
Twice in the 20th century, the United States saved the world -- first from the Nazi threat, then from Soviet totalitarianism. What would have been the world's fate if America had not existed? After destroying Germany and Japan in World War II, the United States proceeded to rebuild both countries, and today they are American allies. Now we are doing the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet America never stays to rule that country.
America is far from perfect, and there is lots of room for improvement. In spite of its flaws, however, American life as it is lived today is the best life that our world has to offer. Ultimately America is worthy of our love and sacrifice because, more than any other society, it makes possible the good life, and the life that is good.
So its not really any type of extremism, its a reality many seek.

Answer 4

Westerners do not impose their culture on other cultures. Other cultures listen to our music, watch our movies etc. and a large element in the other culture wants what we have, materially. Don't buy Hollywood, it is poisoning our culture too. But I guess given human nature everyone wants the "good stuff" even if it conflicts with their root culture. So light another Marlboro, turn on your high definition TV and tune into movies on demand via satellite like everyone else in your culture whatever it used to be.

Answer 5

As a group, we Americans are xenophobic and ethnocentric.

As individuals (and there are very few individualist Americans left as we are an endangered species under the Bush administation) we are striving for a balanced understanding of ourselves and the cultures of other countries.

Under a Republican controlled senate, house and presidency, we are a country of extremism. We hope to balance that out in the next election. Its looking favorable.

If you don't like the politics of America, wait a minute and it will change. A lot of damage can be done in 8 years but there is still hope.

I appologize for the rude, paranoid behavior of my people!

Answer 6

oh I don't know.....

maybe it's the fact that westerners don't behead people on camera and brag about it

even WHEN we catch our most hated enemy we will not do that


maybe it's because westerners don't hijack commercial airplanes and fly them into skyscrapers for the sole purpose of killing the people inside because they worship the "wrong" God....


maybe it's because westerners know that freedom of religion is a right everyone should have and no one can tell anyone else what God they must worship.


maybe it's because westerners want everyone to understand and enjoy that freedom.


maybe it's because westerners are concerned about where this nuclear bullying is going to lead and they want to try and stop it.... think again if you are under the misguided idea that Korea (or someone else for that matter) will not use the nuke if westerners were to back down




it looks like we are headed for WW 3, but it won't be westerners fault.

Answer 7

So we should be more like the Muslims? Blow each other up because we aren't Muslim?I think I'll will stay a westerner thank you very much! We allow anyone to believe in any thing they want.We don't feel the need to kill just because You worship something or someone else!.

Answer 8

Hubris and ignorance. Because our system of education has become so inferior, we are incapable of analyzing the lies of the Bush administration. OR of doing anything about the fact that our elections have been stolen for the last 3 times. And our mainstream media is so bought, they won't report it or even investigate the facts.
We guilty of great pride...which goes before the fall, as you know. DeTocqueville warned us that "Without an educated electorate, this experiment called democracy is bount to perish."
John Adams warned us that "When the people become corrupt, the only form of government viable will be a despotism."
We're there.

Answer 9

We impose what on who? The nations of Irag and Afghanistan both chose the kind of government they want, a free government. Freedom is a natural desire in case you didn't know. Millions of people around the world are trying to come to America to be American, because we have free enterprise, free voices, and free elections.

Answer 10

No, but showing someone that living in a cave in the 21st century, is perhaps a little behind, isn't forcing anything on anyone...
And, if you want to criticize, try to spell words correctly, will you??