Someone else's well thought-out words....
While trying to find a place where I could by my mom's cousin a cool automobile-related gift, I stumbled on a website with a series of posts, one of which I have copied and pasted below...while I'm sure it doesn't tell the complete story, it does capture a big element...
also, the weather has been energy-draining...ugh.
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Well, it's like this. We first-worlders are so decadent and disillusioned, that some of us are just sick to death of conspicuous consumerism. I know it's obscene when half the planet's population is hungry, but that's how it is. We earn enough so that we can buy a house and a new car in our early twenties, and after that it's just a never-ending procession of consumer durables - cars, SUV's, motorcycles, sailboats, jet-skis, ski boats, beachhouses, pools, hi-fis, microwaves, toaster ovens, bread makers, electric juicers, wide-screen HDTV's, skiing holidays, etc.. It's the gleaming hamster-wheel of doom. Life in the economically priveleged countries is all about the stuff that we own.
Some of us aren't too happy about a life dedicated to the aquisition of stuff, and are quite satisfied if we can live in an interesting foreign country and earn enough to just get by. We exchange all of our shiny things for shiny new experiences in shiny new cultures. In some ways it's even more bizzarre than the consumer-go-round, but perhaps some of us are just naturally perverse. I suppose we're just snobbishly consuming 'authentic cultural experiences' while pooh-poohing the hordes of ignorant tourists and smelly backpackers that are essentially doing the same thing, but for only a few weeks a year. In a sense we're on an extended holiday, and doing a bit of English teaching on the side.
The funny thing is, people that don't have a lot of shiny things seem to value those strange, old fashioned things like, well...other people. And of course, we intrepid little shiny-new-experience-seekers find that terribly quaint and charming, not to mention strangely appealing. Throw in a few impoverished peons on donkeys and we're in hog heaven.
You see, unlike the denizens of the countries we visit, we can jump on a plane anytime and get back to the serious business of putting together an impressive collection of shiny things. Apparently the one who dies with the most wins. Don't ask me to explain why - I don't get it either.
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also, the weather has been energy-draining...ugh.
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Well, it's like this. We first-worlders are so decadent and disillusioned, that some of us are just sick to death of conspicuous consumerism. I know it's obscene when half the planet's population is hungry, but that's how it is. We earn enough so that we can buy a house and a new car in our early twenties, and after that it's just a never-ending procession of consumer durables - cars, SUV's, motorcycles, sailboats, jet-skis, ski boats, beachhouses, pools, hi-fis, microwaves, toaster ovens, bread makers, electric juicers, wide-screen HDTV's, skiing holidays, etc.. It's the gleaming hamster-wheel of doom. Life in the economically priveleged countries is all about the stuff that we own.
Some of us aren't too happy about a life dedicated to the aquisition of stuff, and are quite satisfied if we can live in an interesting foreign country and earn enough to just get by. We exchange all of our shiny things for shiny new experiences in shiny new cultures. In some ways it's even more bizzarre than the consumer-go-round, but perhaps some of us are just naturally perverse. I suppose we're just snobbishly consuming 'authentic cultural experiences' while pooh-poohing the hordes of ignorant tourists and smelly backpackers that are essentially doing the same thing, but for only a few weeks a year. In a sense we're on an extended holiday, and doing a bit of English teaching on the side.
The funny thing is, people that don't have a lot of shiny things seem to value those strange, old fashioned things like, well...other people. And of course, we intrepid little shiny-new-experience-seekers find that terribly quaint and charming, not to mention strangely appealing. Throw in a few impoverished peons on donkeys and we're in hog heaven.
You see, unlike the denizens of the countries we visit, we can jump on a plane anytime and get back to the serious business of putting together an impressive collection of shiny things. Apparently the one who dies with the most wins. Don't ask me to explain why - I don't get it either.
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5 Comments:
wow, I haven't used the word "nuanced" in a long time. In fact, I find myself speaking that kind of modified English you use when you speak to foreigners...you know, when suddenly out of nowhere you adopt an accent in some unconscious effort to relate to the person you are speaking to...
anyhow - I didn't mention this, but what i put up there was this guy's response to the question posed by an Argentine - "why are 1st-worlders coming to Argentina to teach english when it doesn't pay to do so?". and i thought he made some valid points - people from 1st world countries want to get a sort of cultural breath of fresh air - then they can go back to where they came from and feel relief that they dont live in the country they visited but can still say they experienced something "real".
I think the guy hit it on the head to some extent, but I guess the queston begs to differ why it really matters. If you go and experience things and or go to contribute to another nations well-being, who cares as long as you do it? Maybe you end up doing both, I think what I find interesting is I genuinely enjoy finding out why people do what they do. However I like wondering about why people really care about why other people do what they do.
Oh and speaking of words we don't throw out there too often, my math teacher keeps using vernacular. Makes him sound like he should be on Numbers or something. :)
May, you use some purty big werds thar. You think you are better then me?
you best believe i got some learnin under ma belt. i done taken the GED and all. i'm a-fixin' ta git me some of them there compewter skillz as well. reckon' i get me one of them fancy office jobs and such.
bobby - remember on SNL - Grizzled Old Man? the one with Robert Duvall? need to find a transcript of that. He talks about book learnin...and how he doesn't trust banks!!!!
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