Quoting Arlo Bensinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > [Platt] > I wonder what the word for "individual" is in Chinese. > > [Arlo] > This "useful convention" (the "self") is a stable part (and result) > of collective activity.
I assume "collective" is also a "useful convention." > But for an interesting aside, consider this > from a Cornell study on self-concept, "Contrast of U.S./Chinese > memories shows impact of culture on 'self-concept'". > > "Americans often report lengthy, specific, emotionally elaborate > memories that focus on the self as a central character," said Qi > Wang, an assistant professor of human development at Cornell. > "Chinese tend to give brief accounts of general routine events that > center on collective activities and are often emotionally neutral. > These individual-focused vs. group-oriented styles characterize the > mainstream values in American and Chinese cultures, respectively." > > http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/01/6.28.01/memory-culture.html > > The short reporting of this study concludes as such. ""These findings > indicate that cultural differences in autobiographical memory are > apparently set by early preschool years and persist into adulthood. > They are formed both in the larger cultural context that defines the > meaning of the self and in the immediate family environment," Wang > concludes. "The self and autobiographical memory are intertwined not > only within an individual but also in the overarching cultural system."" It seems the Chinese "cultural system" with its emphasis on the value of "collective activities" made the country easily susceptible to the siren call of communism. Or, perhaps communist propaganda created the Chinese emphasis on the group over the individual. In any case, I'd rather be a free individual in American than a groupie in China. ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
