Eric wrote:
If all you mean by cultural immersion is that people take
the mainstream position or view as "normal", then it
doesn't seem to be saying much.
For me "cultural immersion" means using cultural language and thinking
patterns without being aware of it.
If one is interested in cultural change then "cultural immersion"
is indeed an interesting topic.
If we were able to be multi-cultural and our thinking was not
dominated by one culture, then would we use terms that required
a cultural bias to give them meaning. For example, if we went
to a Bushman in Africa who was isolated from industrial society
and began talking about environmentalist. This would really
confuse the Bushman. If we used terms that had clear opposites
would our task of communication to the Bushman be easier? I
don't know the answer to this question, but i suspect a multi-
cultural person would be able to see "cultural immersion" more
clearly and tend to avoid terms which require cultural reference
points (immersion = cultural reference point?).
If you are saying that people can't see the comparison
because they are blinded by the apparent lack of an
opposite, then I'm not sure I'd agree.
I'm saying that when people use groupings without an common
opposite it may be "deep" cultural immersion. We should take
a second look at these types of groupings.
It would be interesting to find such a phrase that I use,
to see if it does indicate some kind of cultural
immersion. I would find this particularly interesting
because I consider myself very open to other cultures and
the huge variety of values, traditions, customs and points
of view that exist.
It is my understanding that all of us think in the language
and culture we were exposed to from ages 2-7 (roughly). None
of us are free from cultural immersion and it is almost
impossible to step outside this box. One indicator of cultural
immersion is to assume our thinking is not tied to cultural
norms. It is only when we become aware of how immersed we
are that change is possible.
I have been going through a process of tearing away
cultural assumptions, so finding some would be
enlightening, and possibly difficult since they would be
deep ones (I assume).
I don't know if it is possible to separate ourselves from
cultural immersion? Maybe, the goal would be to create a
culture and language which encourages deeper thought. There
have been attempts to do something like this by elimination
of some words. Also, some native languages make abstract
groupings difficult. I think the Navajo language is free of
nouns and this was used in WWII to totally confuse another
culture. Our wartime communications were in Navajo. This
indicates how difficult it is to shift from one cultural
thought pattern to another.
jeff
