Mixed Messages

. . .Despite the best efforts of our most gifted linguists, linguisticians, grammaticians and writers, people will always have a personal way of perceiving, handling and using any given language. I say 'fugstigate' for tersity and literary elegance, but a pratical, pragmatic businessman from America may perceive such obvious fluency in a language to be condescending and pretentious.
. . .Of course, pretentiousness is only valid if one's credentials are either ludicrous, unrelated or well below-par. From this, one could almost say that although we, in the English language, haven't as finely distincted forms of speech as say the Japanese do (in plain, polite, respectful and humble language) we obviously do have these forms in our daily communication.
. . .But of course, without clearly defining these forms of speech, it's up to the speaker and the listener to determine what they find to be obtuse, crude, rude or offensive. On the other hand, it's also up to the speaker and the listener to determine what they find to be kind, polite, humble or respectful.
. . .As it appears to be in any established civilization, the forms of respect seem to use 'bigger words' and simple ideas or contructs become elaborate, flowery lines of poetry. Compare this to the stark construct of what we perceive in modern American movies, where it's cool to presume a familiar tone with strangers -- something which I find to be rather presumptuous.
. . .But sadly, most people are rather paradoxial in their perception. They look at those of the older generation and find them pompous, criticizing their sesquipedalian use of English, saying that they should acquiesce to the level of the listener. Hypocritically, they don't seem to ever adjust their own presumtuous form of speech when talking with another person, or even trying to understand where the other person is coming from. Communication should be bi-directional, but most people seem to be too caught up in criticizing others to realize their own ignorance.
. . .Which brings to mind a line I learned at a young age, "practise what you preach". I shall admit that I too am very guilty for sometimes doing something contrary to what I say ought to be. But thankfully, I've sharp (and sometimes vengeful) friends and associates who are very quick to point out when I'm being self-contradicting.
. . .While I dare not make a commentary on what I term "American society", I shall share ideas which I've read from an essay back in high school. In the essay, the author presented the idea that the central difference between Canadian society and American society is that of a mossaic and a melting pot.
. . .The author continued by explaining that in the mossaic, all the individual colours are preserved, but they fit and weave together to form a beautiful tapestry. That is to say, while there is a common ground upon which Canadians interact, those of the staggering percentage who are of immigrant status, or of immigrant descent are able to preserve their own cultural heritage. Which, in my opinion, is saying that there is no definitive qualities in the term "Canadian culture" because what exactly happens in Canadian society is essentially dependent on the cultural identity of the resident.
. . .On the other hand, the author(probably Canadian), compared American society to a melting pot, where all the beautiful and distinct elements(or ingredients) are all mixed together to form a solution (or colloid, if you're lucky). In this essay, the author explained that although there is an equally staggering percentage of residents who are immigrants or of immigrant descent, most induhviduals(a borrowed term from Scott Adams) seem to cast away whatever richness their ethnic culture had to offer for the pugent, probing scent of what was termed 'American Society'.
. . .And vehemently avoiding any talk of how USA is perceived in the various nations, their politics and/or history between other countries, it is at the very least commendable that what we now term "America", though technically only one of many countries of North, South [and Central] America, has been strong enough to at least develop their own distinct sense of culture, society and values.
. . .The only criticism I'd dare to venture is that USA seems to be a bit too ego-centric. Yes, USA is a scary world power. Yes, USA is very influencial. And yes, USA is perhaps the strongest [or most influencial] nation economically, militarily and culturally. But from my experience, and from the numerous humerous anecdotes I hear from my various Canadian friends from their experiences in America, as well as an online quiz (hosted by National Geographic, I think), the average anecdotal American seems to be disasterously ignorant of anything outside its borders.
. . .Admittedly, it's usually only the extreme cases who make it into the anecdotal annals of Canadian ridicule, but in my conversations with many people, most seem to either agree or hold a similar perspective of the melting pot vs. the mossaic(or tapestry) imagery.
. . .Which really gets me thinking. Aside from a very attractive idea I picked up from Record of Lodoss Wars, I wonder how grand it is for people to have 'good, wholesome American values' when it only seems to promote arrogance in themselves and ignorance of the world outside. (And believe it or not but there's a vast world outside of the United States of America.)
. . .It is with little wonder that most people here in Taiwan and HK (whom I've met anyways), look down on most ABC's and CBC's, calling them 'white-washed', 'westernized', etc. And it's no wonder that I've had such a hard time proving them wrong because of their already blinding stigmatism that led them to believe that I was a Westerner just because I was raised in Canada.
. . .So while I'm not blaming the hordes of ABC's and CBC's who perhaps haven't had a linguistically disasterous childhood as I had, I do feel that both in the Far East and in the West there is an alarming lack of acceptence for 'originality' and 'individuality'.
. . .Asia probably has it worst; if you're not a male doctor, lawer, mathematician, scientist, computer geek or engineer, you're pretty much looked down upon as a failure. It's sad to see that those 3000 years of highly developed and refined culture extinguished because of the money-grubbing, greedy, pragmatic attitude of most modern Oriental people.
. . .At least in America, there's a fighting chance of earning a living as a foreign cultures' expert, linguist, artist, musician or actor. But here, in Taiwan, actors and models are looked down upon, finding them to be of 'cheap quality' and noting that after their popularity wanes, most of them don't seem to have any other skills upon which they can rely.
. . .So while American values may give the illusion of promoting ignorance, they at the very least encourage individuals to explore their interests and do "what they feel is right".
. . .And while most modern people cannot hope to appreciate artistic and skillful linguistic agility, equating "emotion" and "feeling", I stand firm in my conviction and persistence in encouraging what appears to be a dying art in what once was known as Literature.