NationStates Jolt Archive


The Cultural Debate

Botrosox
31-03-2005, 12:38
Recently it has come to my attention that people play one culture off against another as if to suggest it is, some how, superior?

How can we judge a culture as superior? Who truly has a fair and unbiased view...People rage about French Art and English Literature and German Composers and almost everywhere considers America to be culturally inferior. I think it's time to stop thinking of things like that. Perhaps these are all accomplishments of humanity rather than of a single race/Nation...what do you think?

Is culture important? How can we judge which is superior? Is there a superior one?
Alien Born
31-03-2005, 13:17
It seems that you may be mixing up two completely different meanings of the word culture.

There are society cultures that we do tend to compare, with the implication that for most people it is possible to decide that one such culture is better than another. Europe vs USA is a good example of this. The Europeans generally think that the American culture is too short term, money grabbing and agressive, whereas the Americans, by what I see here, seem to think that the European culture is too passive, submissive and regulated.

Then there is culture in the sense of being a cultured person. This is the ability to recognise and appreciate the fine arts. Here is where your English literature, Dutch painting, Italian music etc. are relevant. This form of culture is not something that can be compared, except to say that one person has more interest or inclination toward this culture than another.

Is culture important?
Societal culture is one of the basic determinants of the behaviour of people. If complaining is part of your culture then this affects how service is provided and the quality of goods sold. If respect for quiet and tranquility is part of the culture then contemplation will be a more common activity. etc.
Personal culture, which painter or novelist you like, is just a matter of personal taste. It matters if you are an influential individual in the art world, but only to those in the art world. It matters if you are in A&R, but only to those listen to music etc. It does not define behaviour in the same way as society culture.

How can we judge which culture is superior? Is there a superior one?
The culture that we are most comfortable with, the one that best fits our personal beliefs, is the superior one for us. No universal judgement can be made.