Ladies & Gentleman: is disregaring other cultures a turn-on for most people?

Question

Why do people fight over cultures? What makes them think their lifestyle is superior to others?

Even the people from same religion/culture divide the religion into different parts....and take pride in calling their culture superior to others.

The question is not just about religion but also cultures.

Serenity, I agree, "turn on" is not a technically correct word for this question. I try to keep it simple so as to get more answers from the users.

Answer 1

Hi Maddy, I don't think "Turn On" is the phrase you are reaching for here, as that means a behavior in one person makes another become sexually aware or aroused by the one with the behavior. So, this would mean somebody disparraging anothers culture would cause another individual to become sexually aware or aroused by that person. When I read this, the first thing which popped into my head was whether or not this is viewed as attractive and/or acceptable behavior, which also has a touch of admiration towards the one doing it by another who feels inadequent in bravery to speak out what is on everybodies minds in these oh-so-pollitically correct times. Is that more on target of what you are trying to ask, or am I way off base and it is as simple as you said, "Is disregarding other cultures a turn-on for most people"? Regardless, I have some strong opinions on this subject, and they may not be pollitically safe to say, in these days of hidden prisons, secret arrests of citizens in the dark of the night, and citizens being held without bail, an attorney, hearing and/or viewing the evidence against them, or the ability to face their accusers. Are liberties have become eroded since 9/11 and I have some very strong opinions on who is NOT responsible for that attack, and some strong suspicions of who may be responsible. In any investigation you look for means, motive, and opportunity. Whom was the person whom benifited the most from that attack, is a question the investigation has not even touched upon. it has also been disregarded how those towers came down; towers built to withstand a level 10 earthquack and a bombing airstrike. Those towers were built so strongly, few others were their equal. Yet, the American Government wants to have the American People believe one jet airliner caused the towers to implode from within and come straight down as though they were set up by a demolation crew.

I mention this due to the fact that that act has caused many people to hate others even worse than ever in the past. It has created a fear within the world that has had no equal. This has increased the human tendency to need to view their own culture as "better" than any other culture. This has caused people to speak out publically in manners nobody would have tolerated before 9/11.

Our government has set itself up to bring democracy and "freedom" to countries which have far different government setups. This has cuased a huge rise in the battle of who is right and who is wrong. People who already have a need to look down at others are free to do so aggresively now, and to talk freely of how much better their way of life is than another cultures.

Human nature tends towards competiveness. Human nature tends towards attempts to raise one's self esteem by thinking they are better in some way than another, even in the very smallest ways. This is a sad commentary on the human condition but it is true nonetheless. Between competiveness and those with needs to be "better" we have a merging of these which creates this attitude that one's own culture is "better" than anothers. People engage in pointing out how much "better" life is here, the freedoms, the abilities to "control" one's own destiny, and to climb the ladder of success, usually on the backs of others. In Coperate America we have been leaning towards selfishness for some time now, we encourage others in believing Self comes before all else, including one's family. This has created competiveness in marriages, and this one upmanship creates unions where one must be a "winner" and the other the "loser" just by competiveness.

Oor families are being torn assunder, our government is out of hand, children are starving in the wealthiest, most "developed" country in the world, Children are abused, or quickly torn from families on the flimsiest of excuses, husbands are killing their wives and wives are killing their husbands, greed is the staple of daily life, and materialism is on an all time rise. These are just a few of the horrible qualities in our own culture. Yet, we still say our way of life is better than other cultures and we sit smuggly on our self proclaimed laurals, ignoring the destruction of our society as it shreds around us.

One of the major issues this country uses as a means of ellevating itself above other countries, especially those in the Middle East is our female citizens "rights" and "freedoms". Now, change takes time, and that change hinges on the religious affilations within any country. Regardless of how democracies declare the seperation of religion and state (governments) ALL governments are swayed by the personal beliefs of those who hold office and represent the "people". While the government can refuse to give tax dollars to church run organizations, that does not mitigate the fact that every single individual is guided by their personal belief system. How is it possible this is not true? It is simply not possible for an individual to put aside a lifetime built belief system while creating and acting upon law and public policy, as well as how individuals respond to daily events of life and the way individuals carry out their job specifications. So, regardless of how well meaning any government organization intends, religion and lack thereof DO have a very deep impact upon a countries politics and representitives actions. This means there is not truely a Seperation of Church and State.

We critize other cultures for the manner in which they treat their women. However, it was not long ago our own female citizens held absolutely no rights. In 1998 150 years of Woman's Sufferage Movement was celebrated. Women's sufferage which is responsible for creating the rights a woman now enjoys and takes for granted started in this country in 1848. In 1769 it was declared in the constitution that a woman had no personal rights due to this wide held belief: “By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in the law? The very being and legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated into that of her husband under whose wing and protection she performs everything.” Quote copied from "Timeline of legal history of women in the United States.

Now, that was directly attributable of the Christian religion and belief system in upholds. To this day the Christian religion believes a woman is under a husbands direction and that she is required to "obey" him and take all direction from him at all times and in all things. While it has become pollitically incorrect for Christian religious institutions to force a woman to include "obey" in her wedding vows, those Christian institution not swayed by current popular trends still require this statement. While women are offered a choice by some Christian institutions of including or excluding that statement, it is still a belief which governs most Christian marriages who practice that religion faithfully and fully.

In 1866 the forteenth amendment to the constitution defined "citizen and voter" to be male. Women had no more rights than children, could not own property in their own name, any wages they earned legally belonged to their husband, and they had absolutely no right to refuse him conjugal relations, and it was legally impossible to rape ones wife. The Rule of Thumb stated a man could not beat his wife with any object larger than his thumb and could not beat her beyond a capacity to do her "work" and discouraged from beating her on Sundays. There was no such thing as spousal abuse or child abuse, and it was legally reprehensible to interfer in a man's marriage or parenting methods.

We have come a long way. However, this took a lot of effort on the part of both women and men and it was an uphill battle all the way. Many women libbers forget that it was men who had to vote to give women the rights we now take for granted, and still look askance at most males, consistantly looking for disparanges and unfairness both under the current law, and in what law should be. The women's sufferage movement was not solely women's but an equal male and female fight. Husband's had to back their wives and representitives had to bring forth bills and then vote and ratify them into existence, and back then all representitives were male. Women get very insenced when any pressume to say that men "gave" them anything, they would rather be devisive and cling to the mistaken interpretation that women "took" these rights all by themselves. Women who choose this extreamly narrow view of history are doing so in a need to set themselves up as "better" than men; declares women more fair minded, and better suited to governing, which further devides the sexes and creates great angst amongst them. Women who choose to view history in light of truth understand the male role in our freedoms today.

It was not until 1920 women were finally granted the right to vote in all Federal and State elections. There was one state which granted women the right to vote in its states elections, which was Wyoming and it was in 1890. Any who is interested in the "Timeline of legal history of women in the Untited States" can find it here: http://www.legacy98.org/timeline.html

Now, the reason I wrote all of this is to show the journey of one country in gaining rights for women. Our country, while ahead of the game over the Middle East, still has a way to go towards finally integrating fully equal rights under the law, and in all aspects of our society. Discussion of this journey is critical in regards to showing how difficult it is to bring about change. One factor many ignore or just are inable to see, is the fact that the United States has been in a flux of change from its creation as a place Europeans wished to journey to in the quest of personal freedoms, live life as they saw fit, and to achieve religious freedoms. Do to the fact that this Nation has been a focal point of change from the beginning, it really is not surprising it has been a forerunner of change. The industrial revolution began here too.

This country was first created to bring about drastic change from the realities of life in European countries. It was settled by those who wished a better life for themselves and their families. Individuals were willing to undergo tremendous hardships to gain those achievements, including indenturing oneself into what was basically slavery in order to pay for passage to this land.

However, instead of comprehending how drastic the needs were which caused the founding of this Nation, people assume we came to it without much struggle. We hold others in contempt who are not living lives we view as extreamly desirable. We forget history, we forget our heritage, and assume everyone would want what we have. This is simply untrue.

The people who settled this land looking for a better and different sort of life, came from all over the world. Most blacks came from the slave trade, yet they are now integrated as equal under the law and this is their land as much as the next persons. While the manner in which they arrived and their history is vastly different than White Europeans, Orientals, Middle Easterner's, Spanish, and now the mixture of Spanish and Indians which created the Mexican race, etc, they still have freedom and equality in their hearts and souls the same as any other. All who came here with the exception of the blacks came of their own free will. These folks desired change and sought it out aggresively. It was their choice, not forced upon them in any manner.

Now, those who choose not to come to this new land have lived their lives in a manner much simular to what it was even a thousand years ago, two thousand years ago, three thousand years ago. Their cultures are much more deeply embedded and alive than that of the Untied States. These cultures are extrreamly well developed in regards to belief systems and personal, family and societal traditions. While many of their cultureal beliefs and ways of life are in direct opposition to the United States and other European cultures, this is what they have chosen and it should be respected.

It is not up to anybody but their own citizens to bring about change in those countries. We have no rights to force our way of life onto those who simply do not agree with it and who actually believe our way is currupt and rotting at the roots. Many Western peoples just forget all the problems corperate and capitalistic governments create. In the zealousness of "freeing" others, they don't stop to consider whether or not the people even want those freedoms and way of life. It is assummed the world holds our way of life as an ideal, and that all those folks feel supressed and victemized by their governments. While some may feel that way, it is obvious that most do not or they would rise up and bring about change, topple the leaders who create daily life horrors ect, ect, ect. However, they don't, now we should stop and ask ourselves why that is. These countries are a huge population as exibited by the civil war now raging across Iraq. If they wanted change they have the man power to attain it. The reason the civil was is raging is directly a result of the U.S invasion. Had we not iinvaded, the Iraqian people would not now be fighting and killing one another, but rather going about their daily lives basically in peace as they had been doing for centuries before we interferred.

So, why is it such an immediant need of others to view themselves as superior to others? Well, this is many faceted, but the basic reason is simply to validate their own personal choices, and lifestyle as "better" than anothers. This makes them feel that they are right and others are wrong, that they have the answers of how to live properly and others do not. It is a personal need to elevate onesself to a position of justifaction for their own lifestyle, life choices, actions and behaviors. It is difficult for individuals who lack in self esteem to just simply say, "This is my personal belief system, it is not more or less better or right than any others, it just works for me and it brings contentment, fullfillment and happiness". It is comfortable and feels like a nice well worn pair of jeans, full of holes, but still not trash.

We humans have such a competiveness trait, it is difficult to just allow others to be equal. That is what it boils down to, competition and in many cases low self esteem. Sadly, this leads to mass death and destruction around the world, as we attempt to force our beliefs and way of life onto others. In the very least it is divisive and creates animosity, which is not conducive towards world peace and harmony.

Well, I know it may appear that this post has gotten a bit off base, but this issue is huge, not one which a simple answer is possible. There are many factors which drive individuals needs to feel superior to others and therefor it is difficult to trascribe how this human behavior arises and how it is so damaging to both the person who does it and those it is directed against. The even sadder fact is how the children raised by those who behave in such deplorable manners grow up to hold simular beliefs and needs to be superior as well. This creates a vicious cycle which is difficult to stop.

We are all here to learn and grow. Wisdom is hard earned and nobody can ever gain perfection or learn all there is to learn in a life spent here. I personally am a Christian, yet fully believe in each individual's right to make choices and to live according to their own conscience and dictates. I may believe I have some of he answers to lifes questions, but I am certainly not so arrogant as to think I have any right to push those personal answers off onto others or to even say others are wrong while mine are right. I believe one day, when I leave this physical world, I will attain answers not available here. Until that time, all I can do is try with all my heart, might, mind and soul to uphold God's first two commandments: 1. To love the Lord your God with all your might, mind, and soul, and 2: To love thy nieghbor like thyself.

If we all tried to do just those two items, regardless of what religion or culture you are from, this world would be a beautiful place. Coming to accept and love those who are like you is the easy part. However, doing so with those who are very different is a much more difficult task. Which is why I personally believe God created people so diverse. Why would he make the second commandment easy to follow and implement? There is not any growth in what comes easy, but in those things which come from struggle and effort.

Thank you for this question, it is a very difficult one to respond to, but it is important to open dialog about it in the hopes that others will realize that perhaps, just perhaps, we should live and let live, allow others to determine what their lives should or should not be, and stay out of it unless directly requested to assist.

I wish you are very nice day and a great weekend, Maddy. ;-)

Answer 2

Good question. Life is to short for all ths rubbish about race. I fed up about shades etc. Why this and why that about race. At the end of the day we are all human beings.