Posted by syringachalet on February 3, 2003, at 23:11:42
In reply to I think we need a visit from BEARDEDLADY MA'AM, posted by Dinah on February 3, 2003, at 17:28:10
Dinah and ALL,
I took a class in high school that was simply called a Multi-Culture course.
In this class we studied how different cultures communicated through the centurys and the old and current customs.
To me then and some even now, some of those customs seemed very odd and some even barbaric.I did learn that when you decided to live in a culture different from your own, you go into it knowing that you will be expected to live to the rules of that culture or some kind of punishment will result.
Here in America we were 'blessed' back in the 1960s with a TV show called All in the Family where a WASP middle aged man shared his views and his lifestyle that was a benchmark of white bigotry and racism. Archie Bunker was a living, breathing example of what my teacher called ' cognitive descenance. This meant that he based all of his beliefs and his way of life (and how he treated other people) on his own personal experiences and was not open to listening or considering other peoples points of view.
(At least Archie was a equal-opportunity bigot.. he didnt like ANY minority group).He did however make Americans start to take a good long look at themselves and what kind of messages Americans were teaching their children that might shape their futures.
Each of us also brings our own life experiences to the table here at PSB. To expect all of us to try to guess what might upset or offend someone when our lifes expereinces tell us its Ok is probably not very realistic.
The ability to agree to disagree is the sign of good communication and mutual respect. We should expect nothing more and accept nothing less.
But first you have to try to be Ok with you.
If you have a lot of turmoil in your own life it can often project on to others here who are clueless to where you are coming from.We are all subject to a certain amount of cognitive descenance and hopefully we can have enough positive expereinces to widen that scope of cognition and tolerance and mutual respect can be a common goal.
syringachalet
poster:syringachalet
thread:36066
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030201/msgs/36288.html