The concept we discussed in class – faster is better- is something that I have recently put a lot of thought into. When I was abroad I traveled to many different countries. I started to notice, mostly at restaurants and stores, that the concept or time did not occur or shape these peoples lives. In America when we go to a restaurant we expect fast, attentive service. Everywhere else in the world people expect a relaxing, leisurely experience. When I started to think why we as a culture differ so drastically when it comes to time I realized that it is because we are so busy. We tend to take on so many activities, jobs, tasks, as well as having many interest and activities that we like to do for fun and pleasure, that it becomes difficult to fit everything into our days. We have the notion that the faster we do things the more we can accomplish. We do not realize that although we are fitting more things in the quality and effort put into each activity is drastically lessened. Americans would rather have many activities or skills that they are capable of, while other cultures choose to pick one skill and become a master at it. Who is to say which was is better? Just because our cultures have evolved differently and as a culture we have developed a fast past work habit, does this mean we are less superior to other cultures? Something I did notice while traveling is that people living in cultures living as a slower pace seemed to be much happier than Americans. Living life at such a fast pace puts a lot of stress on people.
How did we begin to evolve into this life style? I think it is because our culture provides so many options. Everything we want to do we have to decide which one we want to go to or which one we want to watch. We begin to get the feeling that we want to be able to try all of these different options, whether it be a restaurant or a TV show. Other cultures seem to have so many less options and choices to make in their day to day lives. Perhaps this is why they can relax and take the time to enjoy life.
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3 comments:
DBA126
I also traveled abroad last semester and had a similar experience. I noticed how other cultures actually sit down and relax while eating their meals as opposed to American culture where we rush through everything. In class we talked about global capitalism and how it is all about consumption. Americans have become experts on the consumption of products, whether it is buying the latest trends, using the newest technology, or getting all of our meals from restaurants. Right now our economy is collapsing apart because it relies on citizens always consuming the products the economy provides. Other countries have not made consuming products such an important part of their culture.
In class we also talked about how the modern world is co-existing with the ancient world. This is also plays a part with how much different cultures emphasize consumption. Our country does have so many options and we feel almost obligated to try everything. Other places all over the world are not overwhelmed with new products and continuous advertisements. Our culture seems to make people believe to be happy they need all this “new” stuff, but witnessing how happy people can be with next to nothing made it clear how consumption driven our society is.
LightningBolt, I like how you took what we learned in class and applied it to your abroad experience. Through my travels I have also experienced this cultural difference. Your theories on why we as Americans are different and more fast passed are very thought provoking. I also find it interesting that you observed that people abroad seemed happier.
-Starfish
DBA 126, you bring up some good points and it is great that you wrote a post commenting and following up on your classmates ideas. It does seem that we as a culture have become experts on consumption.
-Starfish
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