Martin wrote:
I happen to share Yrjo and Phillip's concern. I also happen to
be an American. Cognitive dissonance compels me to (a) renounce
my citizenship (b) change my attitude and embrace this American
solution (c) place in doubt the veracity of those who label it
such.
The (gentle) rebuke is well-merited. I accept that the 'label' is a
coarse meshed description and an unwarrantable generalisation.
On the other hand this community of all communities must surely
accept that there are such things as distinctive cultural contexts.
And if we accept that, how are we to define their boundaries?
My use of the label 'American' has two sources:
1. I really do believe that the sorts of discussions that have taken
place here obver the past few weeks are more likely to have occurred
in a community whose majority is American than in other communities.
Note that I myself have been careful to note exception in my posts.
2. In my experience one of the things which most Americans find most
difficult to appreciate is how much their culture continuously pokes
the chests of other cultures, and how little other cultures register
with them.
A simple test. If I write Coca-Cola, fifth amendment, Ally McBeal,
Republican primaries, associate professor, LAX and ask you to tell me
what those mean and what images they invoke, I would guess that most
readers, wherever they live, would have a response to most of them.
If I write Lemon&Paeroa, self-incrimination laws, Lynn of Tawa,
Labour Party selection meetings, senior lecturer, AKL and ask the
same question there may be half a dozen people on this list for whom
any one of those terms have meaning. Yet they represent an NZ list of terms directly
analogous to the first one.
There is absolutely no experience I can offer an American in order
that s/he can deep down understand how most of us experience
American culture. Some Americans respond to suggestions such as this by
becoming despairing and by talking about 'Ugly Americans'. But I do
not personally think that that is an appropriate response. There is
no element of judgement or contempt in my statement. It says nothing
about the intelligence, sensitivity, warmth, or general character of
Americans individually or collectively. It is simply
the way it is, and it needs to be factored into any analysis of
discourse within communities which contain both Americans and
non-Americans.
Phillip Capper
Centre for Research on Work, Education and Business (WEB Research)
PO Box 2855
9th Floor 142 Featherston Street
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: (64) 04 499 8140
Mobile: 021 251 9741
Fx: (64) 04 499 8395
phillip.capper@webresearch.co.nz
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