Cultural Identity

[soundofmusic]

Excellent topic, Scher,
I don't recall ever thinking of myself as an American, even though we chanted the "Pledge" everyday in school. My ancestors were all from the UK, mostly fishermen and builders who began leaving England in the 1700's. I was one of 4 children born to a schizophrenic mother and a sadistic, abusive father. They were poor, proud and fanatically religious. There were no books allowed in the house except the bible; we sometimes risked beatings to watch the late night horror movies. When my mother wasn't sick, she was very sweet, silly and inventive.
I was taken out of the home when I was 3, after a sibling died. I was sent to live with an elderly couple, psychologists. I learned to speak properly, good manners, not to be too inquisitive; I was rewarded, like some monkey, for being brilliant. Then when I was ten,
I was sent home. I had forgotten the "language of my family", the hierarchy.
My brother and sister hated me, tricked me because I didn't understand how much they resented that I had been taken out: They locked me in closets, tried to suffocate me while I slept... My parents had frequent visits from child services, or whatever version they had in those days, so I was constantly dressed in party clothes, I was never able to play. The children at school made fun of my mother because she would show up looking lost with her hair half down, holes in her stockings to pick up the kid in the party dress.
The school tested my IQ, and decided to put me in yet more advanced classes. Make me more of a freak than I already was; make my family hate me even more...I began to skip school, christmas treed the tests and married the first boy I could find to get me out of the house.

Unfortuantely, we carry our culture with us, it's there every time we open our mouth, every time we lick an ice cream cone. It's burried so deep within that we don't feel the bias' until someone else does. It's what causes us to loath strangers, feel uncomfortable with certain literature, fear certain political religious groups. It is what causes us to be victims or victorious...

[blazeofglory]

My upbringing was in an Orthodox Hindu setting and I grew up in a very traditionally woven family background and I was grown up in a community with a mono-culture. That means there was no other religious or ethnic section or other sects than Hindu in my locale. I was totally conditioned accustomed to set values, beliefs, mores and the like and we did not transgressed and contravened those values; for to do so was to be out of that community or society and drifting apart or disorientating oneself from set values and traditions is likened to go dead in my village. I knew nothing of other cultures, religions outside my community. I held a string belief in caste systems. I was a Brahman and this is the highest and holiest class and the rest are below me. We were treated with respect and I had pride in being Brahmanic. Brahmanism was very rampant and the rest had to be submissive.
Everything burst suddenly and I am in the city, though it is a very small city. Here I am amidst many cultures and beliefs. Now in the city I feel estranged but I choose to be disoriented culturally and I despise the idea of caste, creed, belief and ethnicity. We are one and all these externalities or attributes are skin-deep

[billl]

I am an American (U.S. citizen). I grew up in a military family and my best friends were often minorities when I was young (although our military-kid culture was distinct from any "ethnic" or minority culture). After leaving home, I was a typical suburban american young person, living in an area that was predominately Black (I am White), but with friends that were mostly White (although some among my closest friends were not White). There was plenty of healthy interaction between cultures and races of course (especially in the workplace, where I worked for and made friends with people from various different backgrounds), but I remember that friendships were not always so well-mixed--not so much out of animosity, as out of shared experience/cultural comfort, or something like that.

Eventually, I found work that had me involved with people from a very wide range of countries, cultures, races, religions, etc. I have taken part in discussion with people from many cultures, and as a result, I find that I am often in a different cultural mindset from people around me. But really, I am not so outgoing at all (outside of the workplace), so I think that the cultural issues usually end up meaning less to me than they would to a person that was more focussed on activities in their broader community.

I spent 5 years living in Japan, in a culture that was, to begin with, entirely unfamiliar to me, and I made some friends there, but basically learned little more than how to play the role of an outsider (gaijin) in that culture. My Japanese never progressed beyond functional (e.g. in shopping contexts), or just suitable for basic chatting with friends that had become familiar with my quirks and limitations.

Now, I live in Texas, in a majority Hispanic neighborhood, and Spanish is spoken with about the same frequency as English here. My Spanish is MUCH better than my Japanese, but I am still thrown a bit off-balance when I am suddenly immersed in Spanish conversation (not even a monthly occurrence, since I am usually recognized as non-Mexican). It can be uncomfortable when it happens, but thrilling too!

To specifically address pop-cultural contexts, I should finally admit that I love music from many different countries, and some foreign films, but--on the whole--my appreciation for the arts, TV, etc. is pretty much just English language stuff (with some Spanish-language and Japanese music, TV etc., too).

[blazeofglory]

I am an American (U.S. citizen). I grew up in a military family and my best friends were often minorities when I was young (although our military-kid culture was distinct from any "ethnic" or minority culture). After leaving home, I was a typical suburban american young person, living in an area that was predominately Black (I am White), but with friends that were mostly White (although some among my closest friends were not White). There was plenty of healthy interaction between cultures and races of course (especially in the workplace, where I worked for and made friends with people from various different backgrounds), but I remember that friendships were not always so well-mixed--not so much out of animosity, as out of shared experience/cultural comfort, or something like that.

Eventually, I found work that had me involved with people from a very wide range of countries, cultures, races, religions, etc. I have taken part in discussion with people from many cultures, and as a result, I find that I am often in a different cultural mindset from people around me. But really, I am not so outgoing at all (outside of the workplace), so I think that the cultural issues usually end up meaning less to me than they would to a person that was more focussed on activities in their broader community.

I spent 5 years living in Japan, in a culture that was, to begin with, entirely unfamiliar to me, and I made some friends there, but basically learned little more than how to play the role of an outsider (gaijin) in that culture. My Japanese never progressed beyond functional (e.g. in shopping contexts), or just suitable for basic chatting with friends that had become familiar with my quirks and limitations.

Now, I live in Texas, in a majority Hispanic neighborhood, and Spanish is spoken with about the same frequency as English here. My Spanish is MUCH better than my Japanese, but I am still thrown a bit off-balance when I am suddenly immersed in Spanish conversation (not even a monthly occurrence, since I am usually recognized as non-Mexican). It can be uncomfortable when it happens, but thrilling too!

To specifically address pop-cultural contexts, I should finally admit that I love music from many different countries, and some foreign films, but--on the whole--my appreciation for the arts, TV, etc. is pretty much just English language stuff (with some Spanish-language and Japanese music, TV etc., too).

much interpersonal contacts and interaction and there is much to learn from and influence in a country like that. Of course one feels a little bit broadminded and forward-thinking in a country like yours. I wish I was born there. I have a passion for learning about other cultures, other religions but in Nepal we have no such opportunities. However with globalization we have most of international channels and I can watch them at a fairly low price and at the same time we can have access to international bestsellers but belatedly. I do not feel I am just a Nepali confined to my geopolitical periphery and that is why I am on this forum interacting wide numbers of people representing multicultural communities and ethnicities. All this has been possible for me owing to two factors: one is the Internet and the other is the English language and with these two advantages over the rest of people in Nepal I am a highly privileged man. I really am excited to be together with all of you in a virtual world sharing and learning and I will continue to do so as long as I will not bore you with my gibberish ideas.

[billl]

much interpersonal contacts and interaction and there is much to learn from and influence in a country like that. Of course one feels a little bit broadminded and forward-thinking in a country like yours. I wish I was born there. I have a passion for learning about other cultures, other religions but in Nepal we have no such opportunities. However with globalization we have most of international channels and I can watch them at a fairly low price and at the same time we can have access to international bestsellers but belatedly. I do not feel I am just a Nepali confined to my geopolitical periphery and that is why I am on this forum interacting wide numbers of people representing multicultural communities and ethnicities. All this has been possible for me owing to two factors: one is the Internet and the other is the English language and with these two advantages over the rest of people in Nepal I am a highly privileged man. I really am excited to be together with all of you in a virtual world sharing and learning and I will continue to do so as long as I will not bore you with my gibberish ideas.

Blaze, I almost began my post with a great thanks to you for yours, and now I really wish that I had. You are a fascinating person, with a great gift for language. I know that English is not your first language, but your prose is something very special indeed, and a great boon to this website (as are, of course, your opinions and insights). To learn more of your background was a great treat.

And I'd like to point out that here, being something as rare as a Nepali, and living in Kathmandu, there are probably many readers here that envy you and your experiences.

[Lokasenna]

Oh, please do tell!

Well, the criteria (or perhaps commandments?) for English acceptance in a Welsh village runs something like this:

You must live there for at least thirty years.
You must never say anything negative about Wales.
You must be generous in the local pub.
You must visit the Eisteddfod anually.
You must be able to sing "Land of our Fathers" in Welsh, while drunk.
You must have a picture of Bryn Terfel in your loo.

After all that, they might grudgingly admit that you're all right... for an Englishman.

[kasie]

Lokasenna - you forgot the bit about never, but never, saying anything remotely approving of the English rugby team. In fact, you would be well advised to stay indoors, draw the curtains and pretend to be suffering from some unspecified but highly contagious disease on International days. And never do anything eccentric - like keeping a large dog or going to Foreign Parts for a holiday. And thirty years? Let's not be hasty about these things.

[blazeofglory]

Blaze, I almost began my post with a great thanks to you for yours, and now I really wish that I had. You are a fascinating person, with a great gift for language. I know that English is not your first language, but your prose is something very special indeed, and a great boon to this website (as are, of course, your opinions and insights). To learn more of your background was a great treat.

And I'd like to point out that here, being something as rare as a Nepali, and living in Kathmandu, there are probably many readers here that envy you and your experiences.

Thank you Bill for your kind and inspiring words

[papayahed]

Weird, everybody has felt like an outsider at some point in time.

[Lokasenna]

Lokasenna - you forgot the bit about never, but never, saying anything remotely approving of the English rugby team. In fact, you would be well advised to stay indoors, draw the curtains and pretend to be suffering from some unspecified but highly contagious disease on International days. And never do anything eccentric - like keeping a large dog or going to Foreign Parts for a holiday. And thirty years? Let's not be hasty about these things.

Oh yes, the rugby... I'd forgotten the rugby. That's very dangerous territory indeed!

As for hoildays, who needs Barbados when you have Rhyl so close to hand?

[Scheherazade]

Weird, everybody has felt like an outsider at some point in time.

I was thinking the same thing as well... Wonder if it has more to do with our psychology than our location/environment.

Re. Wales: I often dream of moving to Wales because I hear it is very beautiful but I should reconsider that, I guess.

[Virgil]

Weird, everybody has felt like an outsider at some point in time.

Absolutely. I think the human mind forms conceptions of identification and contra identity. No matter who we are and what our history is.

[OrphanPip]

Weird, everybody has felt like an outsider at some point in time.

Well I've been told by Quebecois nationalist that I should go home or back where I came from, which was a bit of an odd thing to say to someone when my family has been in Quebec for over 200 years.

On another note, when I was attending French language primary school, the grade 1 teacher told my parents that they should tell me to introduce myself as Michel instead of Michael, because I could pass for purelain (pure lineage). A term that refers to French Canadians with heritage that goes back to France and the original colonist, which hardly applies to me, but my teacher thought, since I could pass as being from this apparently more appealing culture, that I should take advantage of that.

It is difficult in this kind of environment not to feel like an outsider.

[Bakiryu]

At least some of you can blend in, my accent marks me as an outsider even my own country.

[OrphanPip]

Ha, this is going to turn into a competition over who feels more culturally alienated.