[ SECRET POST #4165 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4165 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 14 secrets from Secret Submission Post #596.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Or you could acknowledge that every culture is complex and has its points of pride and shame. Yours, theirs. All of them. Romanticising a culture doesn't make you more worldly, and there are better ways to learn about cultures you're unfamiliar with than through fiction.
Fiction does play a role in establishing empathetic ties to people from different backgrounds, definitely, but it's not a good source of information.

[(Anonymous)]

It's just as stupid to romanticize a culture as it is to dismiss it out of hand tbh

I mean, the whole thought process is farkakte

[philstar22]

I agree. And honestly, most romanticization has at least a tinge of "otherness" to it, which definitely is a bit racist.

Cultures are cultures. They all have good and bad. And they have neutral things that people can have opinions on. A culture is just a culture. There are big cultures that are things that categorize whole countries or ethnic groups, and there are small cultures that may be just one neighborhood or one family. A culture is just describing a group. It is neutral.

[(Anonymous)]

What's the best way to learn about cultures in your opinion?

[(Anonymous)]

Realizing that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and to understand that everyone in the world is the same sort of human being. So long as you understand that people on the other side of the world aren't mysterious fairies who are there to enrich your life, or inhuman creatures in need of a white savior like out of an old imperial-era pulp story, you'll be fine. Pretty much if you acknowledge that people everywhere are just as human as yourself, then you're good.

[(Anonymous)]

NAYRT

I think they meant what method of learning about cultures was best.

(Since anon said there were better ways of learning about culture than through fiction.)

[(Anonymous)]

AYRT

Well, travelling! It's not the best option for everyone, but spending time in less touristy areas, especially staying in people's homes and finding out what they do for fun and how they earn a living and what they cook at home is very different from what you'll see of the place in any of the travel guides. Backpacking can be super cheap if you're willing to live like a local in a lot of places. Farms, temples, etc. will often let you sleep inside and take meals with them if you're willing to work during the day.

If you have a particular interest, you can find out more about religious culture, history, politics, food, agriculture, language, etc. It's very interesting to be able to compare it to what you know of your own history and culture and other places you're interested in too. Maybe you have an opportunity to steer your formal education in that direction and share knowledge with other academics, maybe you just visit libraries and pick up anthropology journals on your own time as a nice break from whatever you normally do.

You might have a community of people from that culture living in or near your area. If they have community activities, they're usually very open to people who want to learn. Volunteer organisations that assist refugees or recent immigrants definitely expose you to more people. If you're interested in personal stories, volunteering your time with older people or getting to know the people in your neighbourhood will definitely give you some really fascinating insights. One of my neighbours lived through a genocide in Cambodia that I had never even heard of until I asked her how she'd come to be living here. I know that's a really messed up example, but it was one of those moments where I really got smacked in the face with how little I understood about the world.

Immerse yourself, basically. Exchange information. Learn new skills. Talk to different people. Try new things.

It's not to say too that documentaries focusing on one aspect of that place like the wildlife don't have merit, or that fiction can't teach you at all, especially things written by people from that culture and traditional folk stories. Just be a sponge and try to soak up as much as possible.

[(Anonymous)]

Ah, yes, traveling internationally. The option all people have everywhere. /s

[(Anonymous)]

Someone didn't read the whole post before deciding they just had to be a right-on cleverarse in "replying" to it.
Clue: the long paragraph about connecting with people local to you that are not from the majority culture. No international travel required.

[(Anonymous)]

Traveling

[(Anonymous)]

We all find doors to understanding in our own way. Not much point in mocking someone for using a different door, yeah?