I have always been interested by different languages and cultures and how they shape our worlds. The insight that I derived from this video is an regarding limitation. In american we limit ourselves to identifying streets, and lose sight of the identity of the block. We put our focus on half of what is available to us, often ignoring the gestalt, and therefore whole picture.
This video totally caught me off guard. I mean, I knew that there are little things like people driving on the other lanes of the road in certain countries, but the whole block thing throws me off. I think it is so interesting about how people from different places can think of things so differently. I took a math class for teaching this term as well and we had to come up with our own way of how someone might construct a number system. I think every group came up with something completely different then the last. The brain is an incredible thing.
I have taken two years of college level Japanese. Learning a new language is a wonderful opportunity because it allows one to step back from their native language and finally get a persepctive for what an outsider might view. In my studies, I have never been more away of the differences between individualistic cultures and collectivist cultures. This video is a perfect example of those beliefs.
In individualistic cultures, like the United States, we pride ourselves on being different, standing out, looking out for number one (ourselves). So it makes perfect sense that in our culture, separate streets are given individual names, while the block they encompass as a whole is not viewed as important or relevant.
While in collectivist cultures, for example, Japane, the ultimate goal is the wellbeing and raising of the group. Therefore, it is again perfectly, culturally relevant that blocks as entire entities recieve the importance of being labled.
This video is very interesting. Thank you for posting it!
It is interesting that some very simple things can be so different on opposite sides of the world. Is there any research that shows whether on not children have trouble with these concepts? If an american child went to Japan, would they understand the concept? If a japanese child came here, would they understand the concepts of streets? Is one concept necessarily easier for children to understand than the other?
I liked this video! I want to share it with people I know. I took an sociology intro class and learned so much about perspectives and how culture can influence everything. It's interesting to me that maps here where we live always have the US in the center. I never even considered that being bias, but if I saw a map with a different country in the center I would think it's weird. It's important to know that not everyone is the same, this helps us understand one another and even if you don't agree or fully understand you can still be respectful!
That's really cool! I never thought about the fact that other cultures might use different systems.
At the very end he says, "Whatever true thing you can say about India, the opposite is also true." I wonder if the opposite of this statement is also true. "Whatever true thing you can say about India is the only truth there is."
I really appreciated this video. It is so true that certain things you take for granted are not cross-cultural. When I was in India I learned that you should NOT say "thank you" to everyone. Like in America, you do say "thank you" to strangers, like thanking your taxi driver. But If you say "thank you" to someone that is very close to you, like a friend or family member, they will be very offended. To them, if you are close, you don't need to say thank you. So if you do say "thank you", you are implicitly saying "we are not very close, we are like strangers." This is why when visiting another culture it is always good to have someone who can tell you what the local customs are. As a traveller it is always good to be flexible and open to changing your behavior.
You encounter interesting paradoxes when considering different cultural norms. What I believe is "normal" makes no sense to others who are not aware of my norms. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I would deliver the mail in a setting where the house numbers are not sequential. I know they must have a system, but it's not one I'm used to. That doesn't make either of us wrong, just different. Our planet is continually shrinking with technology and so is our need to understand new and diverse cultures.
I have always been interested by different languages and cultures and how they shape our worlds. The insight that I derived from this video is an regarding limitation. In american we limit ourselves to identifying streets, and lose sight of the identity of the block. We put our focus on half of what is available to us, often ignoring the gestalt, and therefore whole picture.
ReplyDeleteThis video totally caught me off guard. I mean, I knew that there are little things like people driving on the other lanes of the road in certain countries, but the whole block thing throws me off. I think it is so interesting about how people from different places can think of things so differently. I took a math class for teaching this term as well and we had to come up with our own way of how someone might construct a number system. I think every group came up with something completely different then the last. The brain is an incredible thing.
ReplyDeleteJessica Snee from Human development.
ReplyDeleteI have taken two years of college level Japanese. Learning a new language is a wonderful opportunity because it allows one to step back from their native language and finally get a persepctive for what an outsider might view. In my studies, I have never been more away of the differences between individualistic cultures and collectivist cultures. This video is a perfect example of those beliefs.
In individualistic cultures, like the United States, we pride ourselves on being different, standing out, looking out for number one (ourselves). So it makes perfect sense that in our culture, separate streets are given individual names, while the block they encompass as a whole is not viewed as important or relevant.
While in collectivist cultures, for example, Japane, the ultimate goal is the wellbeing and raising of the group. Therefore, it is again perfectly, culturally relevant that blocks as entire entities recieve the importance of being labled.
This video is very interesting. Thank you for posting it!
Francis Phillips from human development
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that some very simple things can be so different on opposite sides of the world. Is there any research that shows whether on not children have trouble with these concepts? If an american child went to Japan, would they understand the concept? If a japanese child came here, would they understand the concepts of streets? Is one concept necessarily easier for children to understand than the other?
I liked this video! I want to share it with people I know. I took an sociology intro class and learned so much about perspectives and how culture can influence everything. It's interesting to me that maps here where we live always have the US in the center. I never even considered that being bias, but if I saw a map with a different country in the center I would think it's weird. It's important to know that not everyone is the same, this helps us understand one another and even if you don't agree or fully understand you can still be respectful!
ReplyDeleteZuly Barron
Human Development Fall 2009
Alex Freed from Human Development
ReplyDeleteThat's really cool! I never thought about the fact that other cultures might use different systems.
At the very end he says, "Whatever true thing you can say about India, the opposite is also true." I wonder if the opposite of this statement is also true. "Whatever true thing you can say about India is the only truth there is."
I really appreciated this video. It is so true that certain things you take for granted are not cross-cultural. When I was in India I learned that you should NOT say "thank you" to everyone. Like in America, you do say "thank you" to strangers, like thanking your taxi driver. But If you say "thank you" to someone that is very close to you, like a friend or family member, they will be very offended. To them, if you are close, you don't need to say thank you. So if you do say "thank you", you are implicitly saying "we are not very close, we are like strangers." This is why when visiting another culture it is always good to have someone who can tell you what the local customs are. As a traveller it is always good to be flexible and open to changing your behavior.
ReplyDeleteYou encounter interesting paradoxes when considering different cultural norms. What I believe is "normal" makes no sense to others who are not aware of my norms. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I would deliver the mail in a setting where the house numbers are not sequential. I know they must have a system, but it's not one I'm used to. That doesn't make either of us wrong, just different. Our planet is continually shrinking with technology and so is our need to understand new and diverse cultures.
ReplyDelete