Mod note: Split from this post
[quote=“hoedad”] White, western culture is the most violent, aggressive, arrogant culture in the world.
[/quote]
But pre-WWII Japan gives it a pretty good run for the money.
[quote=“Flicka”][quote=“hoedad”] White, western culture is the most violent, aggressive, arrogant culture in the world.
[/quote]
But pre-WWII Japan gives it a pretty good run for the money.[/quote]
China has both of your examples beat. Nothing more arrogant than “ZhongGuo” 中 國 . Aggressive? How about 5000 years of warring, conquering of neighboring lands. Violent? 5000 years of dynastic rules sure will give way to palace intrigue, corruption, power hungry eunuchs, military governors, princes all fighting amongst each other.
[quote=“hoedad”]White, western culture is the most violent, aggressive, arrogant culture in the world.
[/quote]
I am not sure that I can properly identify what white, western culture is! I think the idea of western culture, and evern more of the Westerner is of limited value.
Edward Said identified and ‘critiqued’ a set of beliefs which he called Orientalism. emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Orientalism.html
Here in Taiwan we live in a society which takes a kind of Occidentalism, as a pretty full and complete description of certain types of people and cultures and ignores important diferences between them. Of course, Occidentalism is a phenomenon not just in Taiwan but in the West as well. In some ways a mirror image of the Orientalism ‘the West’ fostered.
Both Orientalism and Ocidentalism are powerful cultural constructs which can warp and skew our understandings of people, cultures and reality in general.[/url]
[quote=“lsieh”][quote=“Flicka”][quote=“hoedad”] White, western culture is the most violent, aggressive, arrogant culture in the world.
[/quote]
But pre-WWII Japan gives it a pretty good run for the money.[/quote]
China has both of your examples beat. Nothing more arrogant than “ZhongGuo” 中 國 . Aggressive? How about 5000 years of warring, conquering of neighboring lands. Violent? 5000 years of dynastic rules sure will give way to palace intrigue, corruption, power hungry eunuchs, military governors, princes all fighting amongst each other.[/quote]
Life back in the old days was violent, period. Romans letting slaves slaughter each other and calling it entertainment, Mongols killing entire towns in their conquest of Central Asia, centuries of animosities between Burmese and Thais…etc. World population was relatively constant until fairly recently for a reason.
[quote=“daniel_han”]
Life back in the old days was violent, period. Romans letting slaves slaughter each other and calling it entertainment[/quote]
Now we just televise foreign wars during dinner time and call it the evening news, but really it’s a form of entertainment for those who watch.
I don’t want to think about it.
Obviously everybody here has forgotten about Latin America. Talk about violent and crime ridden and macho arrogant.
Possibly what was meant is that american/european culture is agressive, not that the culture has a history of violence. What i mean is that it is only ‘western’ (and especially american) culture that has aggressively tried to export itself. South America, Japan and China all have deeply unpleasent parts to their history (and possibly present) but they are on the whole very insular i think.
(To be honest i haven’t taken much time to check what the original poster was refering to, so if i have msunderstood completely then please ignore me.)
[quote=“mrwill”]Possibly what was meant is that American/European culture is agressive, not that the culture has a history of violence. What I mean is that it is only ‘western’ (and especially American) culture that has aggressively tried to export itself. South America, Japan and China all have deeply unpleasent parts to their history (and possibly present) but they are on the whole very insular I think.
(To be honest I haven’t taken much time to check what the original poster was refering to, so if I have msunderstood completely then please ignore me.)[/quote]
mrwill, that’s closer to what I meant in the original comment than most people are reading into it. I wasn’t making some grand statement regarding political and military history. I was referring more to the current climate, particularly in the US, which just seems to me to be extremely aggressive, paranoid, and violent. And, yes, I think this violent, aggressive culture is being exported, mainly by movies and music.
America is now an SUV (family armored vehicle more like it), gun toting, ‘you’re with us or you’re against us’ place. Westerners bring that attitude here, which is why they often freak out and get so defensive and ready to bust heads if someone so much as cuts them off in traffic.
But this is also why, I think, they are less likely ‘open up’ and allow themselves to be just a wee bit vulnerable and trusting and smile once in a while to a stranger on the street, be they any color, who, for whatever reason, says hello to them.
I don’t know about attitude, but just want to clarify this: Not all Westerners are Americans and there is a BIG cultural difference between Americans and Europeans and between Europeans from different countries. Why do you people always mix that up!!!.. :raspberry:
I don’t know about attitude, but just want to clarify this: Not all Westerners are Americans and there is a BIG cultural difference between Americans and Europeans and between Europeans from different countries. Why do you people always mix that up!!!.. :raspberry:[/quote]
As an American, I reserve the right to make stupid comments.
So… when exactly did Europe secede from the US?
[quote]
So… when exactly did Europe secede from the US?[/quote]
Most of us live on the axis of evil.
[quote=“mrwill”]Possibly what was meant is that American/European culture is agressive, not that the culture has a history of violence. What I mean is that it is only ‘western’ (and especially American) culture that has aggressively tried to export itself. South America, Japan and China all have deeply unpleasent parts to their history (and possibly present) but they are on the whole very insular I think.
(To be honest I haven’t taken much time to check what the original poster was refering to, so if I have msunderstood completely then please ignore me.)[/quote]
China has tried to export and impose her culture on all neighbors, with Taiwan being a prime example.
The islamic world after Muhammed is also a good example of an “aggresive” culture.
Check into it, and post again.
[quote=“robi666”][quote]
So… when exactly did Europe secede from the US?[/quote]
Most of us live on the axis of evil.[/quote]
Aha!! A terrorist in our midst! I might have known by the shifty gaze in your avatar. Bomb the neighborhood in which the evildoer lives!!! Kill them all and let God sort them out!! :fume:
[quote]
China has tried to export and impose her culture on all neighbors, with Taiwan being a prime example.
Check into it, and post again.[/quote]
really? how did China do that? and what area are you talking about?
This island, which was not even remotely in the Chinese sphere of anything 400 years ago, but is quite sinizised by now.
I don’t know about attitude, but just want to clarify this: Not all Westerners are Americans and there is a BIG cultural difference between Americans and Europeans and between Europeans from different countries. Why do you people always mix that up!!!.. :raspberry:[/quote]
Sure…and all that violence at ‘football’ matches, skinheads, etc. isn’t considered to be real violence is it? The only thing most of Europe is missing is the ‘gun toting’ part. The attitude is alive and well. 
[quote]
Kill them all and let God sort them out!! :fume:[/quote]
Ja
Thats the american spirit. Come for me.
[quote=“robi666”][quote]
Kill them all and let God sort them out!! :fume:[/quote]
Ja
Thats the American spirit. Come for me.[/quote]
No need to find you, evildoing nonbeliever. Your friends will deliver you for the money and lucrative posts we offer in return. But we’ll bomb your neighborhood just for emphasis.
I dont get your point. Do you think the island has chinese culture now because of the outgoing of the civil war or because of early settlement 400 years ago?