Another superb essay, Alta, very astute and profound. I experienced the kind of contradictory feelings on the part of the people from the developing world when I lived in the Middle East. On the one hand, most Arabs felt a keen sense of inferiority vis-a-vis the West in terms of the technology, and indeed many Arab leaders explicitly want to adopt the technology, but nothing else from the West. On the other, because Islam tells them that their culture is superior, and that Arabic is the language of God, they feel superior to everyone. (And in some respects you could certainly argue that traditional Bedouin culture was superior: the Bedouin, both the men and the women, were almost superhuman in their endurance and bravery.) So there was an inherent ambivalence in how most Gulf Arabs responded to modern western civilization. Unfortunately, on the whole they've taken the worst of it--the computers, the air conditioning, the relentless destruction of the environment to get the oil out of it--and ignore the best that it has to offer, the literature, the classical music and so on. They can't be blamed for that, particularly when, as you say, the expats who come to manage their economies for them are so patronising, and also, frequently, so shallow in their values. I try to explore some of this in my first book, a collection of short stories set in the Gulf. And you're right too, that Puritanism is much to blame. I'm afraid that's the fault of the early English settlers! Not my ancestors, though! The Church of England was rather different--more pragrmatic, and much less guilt-ridden. By the way, I think much of what you say applies also to the current pro-Palestine protests in American universities. There's an implicit sense of superiority and entitlement when you listen to those kids. They are so condescending to anyone who disagrees with them.
I think we understand each other because you've had the experience of living in non-Western countries, which is essential in understanding how others think. Yes, I think in most of the world, non Western countries take the worst from the West. And the problem with the kids on American campuses is ignorance and entitlement. It's sad when you think that this is the end result of a society in which children are given everything they want. But maybe this is the lesson here: maybe having to overcome obstacles is essential in life, and living in a "safe space" is the worst environment for a developing human.
Yes, not the best anyway. A little adversity can help you grow up strong. The most interesting students were often the ones who had come from poor backgrounds. It all seems to be collapsing now anyway. I wonder what's going to replace it?
Very interesting, Alta. There is the term “technochauvinism”—though it applies mostly to digital technology, which has made information so much more accessible but also so much less reliable, two results of which are a net increase in average stupidity and a severe decline in the educability of college students. “I have a smart phone, therefore I am.”
Another superb essay, Alta, very astute and profound. I experienced the kind of contradictory feelings on the part of the people from the developing world when I lived in the Middle East. On the one hand, most Arabs felt a keen sense of inferiority vis-a-vis the West in terms of the technology, and indeed many Arab leaders explicitly want to adopt the technology, but nothing else from the West. On the other, because Islam tells them that their culture is superior, and that Arabic is the language of God, they feel superior to everyone. (And in some respects you could certainly argue that traditional Bedouin culture was superior: the Bedouin, both the men and the women, were almost superhuman in their endurance and bravery.) So there was an inherent ambivalence in how most Gulf Arabs responded to modern western civilization. Unfortunately, on the whole they've taken the worst of it--the computers, the air conditioning, the relentless destruction of the environment to get the oil out of it--and ignore the best that it has to offer, the literature, the classical music and so on. They can't be blamed for that, particularly when, as you say, the expats who come to manage their economies for them are so patronising, and also, frequently, so shallow in their values. I try to explore some of this in my first book, a collection of short stories set in the Gulf. And you're right too, that Puritanism is much to blame. I'm afraid that's the fault of the early English settlers! Not my ancestors, though! The Church of England was rather different--more pragrmatic, and much less guilt-ridden. By the way, I think much of what you say applies also to the current pro-Palestine protests in American universities. There's an implicit sense of superiority and entitlement when you listen to those kids. They are so condescending to anyone who disagrees with them.
I think we understand each other because you've had the experience of living in non-Western countries, which is essential in understanding how others think. Yes, I think in most of the world, non Western countries take the worst from the West. And the problem with the kids on American campuses is ignorance and entitlement. It's sad when you think that this is the end result of a society in which children are given everything they want. But maybe this is the lesson here: maybe having to overcome obstacles is essential in life, and living in a "safe space" is the worst environment for a developing human.
Yes, not the best anyway. A little adversity can help you grow up strong. The most interesting students were often the ones who had come from poor backgrounds. It all seems to be collapsing now anyway. I wonder what's going to replace it?
Very interesting, Alta. There is the term “technochauvinism”—though it applies mostly to digital technology, which has made information so much more accessible but also so much less reliable, two results of which are a net increase in average stupidity and a severe decline in the educability of college students. “I have a smart phone, therefore I am.”