Having spent the past ten years split between Canada and Japan, I feel as if I have been somehow living between cultures. I am confident many of you have experienced a similar feeling. Here I would like to explore this phenomenon through my personal experience, and contextualize it in terms of today’s globalization.
First I should define what I mean by culture. Really what I am talking about are social skills and “common sense,” which are both tied to one’s cultural context.
In the beginning, after living in Japan for a couple of years and returning to Canada, I was still able to perceive Canadian and Japanese culture separately. I could socialize with Canadians on their own terms, without coming off as weird. I had approximately the same cultural knowledge (common sense) as people of the same age. However, after “growing up” in-between cultures during my 20s, my common sense has not grown commensurate with my Canadian peers. My cultural database has developed independently of either Canadian or Japanese culture. Discerning between the two cultures has become difficult in many subtle ways. This has resulted in a sense of dislocation.
Being married to a Japanese who has lived abroad has only compounded the situation. As a foreigner without the benefit of “proper” Japanese courting skills, I had to develop particular communication methods with my wife. I am sure all of you out there in an international relationship know what I mean. Moreover, she has also experienced social dislocation. Over the near-decade we have spent together, we have become one another’s cultural community. I do not belong to the Canadian community, nor the Japanese one, but have developed a third community with my wife. Call it Younghusbandland, population 2.
Alternative communities are by no means a new thing. Robert Kaplan has written and spoken of the international community of cosmopolitan journalists. Like the aristocrats of old, these internationalists have more in common with one another than with others from their own country. Lady YH has pointed out that the international feminist movement is much the same. The latest wave of globalization and the information revolution have exacerbated this trend. The internet has brought together massive numbers of geeks worldwide who share the same niche interests. This has been captured in Chris Anderson’s concept of the Long Tail.
Likewise, that sense of social dislocation is not a new thing. However, the fact that some cases may lead to suicide bombing is a new and worrying development. Myself and many of my friends prove that social dislocation is not a sufficient condition for becoming a suicide bomber. Nevertheless, mass migration brought about by the current globalization may increase the risk of such attacks.
To close I would just like to say that living between cultures can sometimes make one feel he is falling behind his peers. Having said that, the alternative cultural perspective developed over the years is absolutely invigorating, and leads to many previously inconceivable opportunities.
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COMMENTS / 11 COMMENTS
Chirol added these pithy words on 14 Apr 08 at 11:53 amI have to say I can relate 100%. Of the past 8 years, I’ve spent over 6 abroad, mostly in Germany. My wife, who speaks perfect English and has lived in the US, is similar in that sense to yours.
Chirolistan is also a strange hybrid between Germany and the US but still neither one. The cultural skills, perspective and experience developed and gained is of course invaluable, although at times can leave one somewhat isolated, again similar to how Kaplan described extensive travel and war reporting made him feel.
The true test will come soon when I relocate to the US (for awhile at least) and begin really living there again. But more on that soon!
Kurt9 added these pithy words on 14 Apr 08 at 6:40 pmI lived in Japan and rest of Asia for 10 years (1991 to 2001). I can definitely tell you that living in several different cultures make you very aware of the artificial nature of all human organization constructs. It also makes clear the artificial nature of the non-libertarian conservatives in the U.S., being that their political ideology is crafted on the notion of “natural” communities.
Chirol, My recommendation is that you not return to the U.S. unless you are either sustainably self-employed or have a job already lined up. The job market is not bad (its not good, but not bad) but that companies are obsessed with hiring the “perfect” person (which only exists in the minds of HR people) and will reject anyone, no matter what their accomplishments or abilities are.
The U.S. business culture is far more rigid than it was in the 80’s and we have far less economic growth than we did in the 80’s as well (the 1995-2007 period was based on speculative bubbles rather than “Real” economic accomplishment). For this reason, I expect the U.S. economy to enter a Japan-like slow growth period for the next 10 years or so.
I am selling equipment, supplies, and technology to China. I may move back to Asia (either Japan or China) in the near future.
The social effects of moving back to the U.S. are even more atrocious. Having lived as an expat, you have lived a very “outward oriented” life and are used to hanging out with the mates at the local pub from time to time. This does not work in the U.S. People tend to get married young here, buy houses, and live the “patterned” life (I believe this is called “the conventional life cycle”). Most of the people are quite boring to socialize with because they have rarely done anything note worthy with their lives and, therefor, have little of interest to talk about. Also, most of these people tend to have lower IQ than most of the Expats you are used to hanging out with. This further compounds the socialization issue.
Upon my return to the U.S., I found a U.S. society in which large segments of the population were almost as rigid, career-wise and social-life wise, as the Japanese. I fail to see how the home mortgage, car payments, 2.1 kids and accompanying lifetime wage-slavery (actually, I don’t have any of these) can be considered a rational life-choice.
Chirol, do yourself a favor and stay in Germany. Even better, consider going to China or somewhere else in Asia.
Michael added these pithy words on 16 Apr 08 at 12:27 amAt risk of comparing apples and oranges, it doesn’t seem like one needs to leave the US to experience that sense of dislocation—much of my life has been an exercise in dislocation from my own culture. I’ve never been big about going to the movies every weekend or renting large numbers of movies, so I’m always getting wierd looks from people who find out I haven’t seen such-and-such “must see” movie (one friend has threatened to kidnap me and keep me in his attic for a week or two to play catch-up with his dvd collection). Likewise, I’ve done without tv (for financial reasons) for the past couple of years. I was raised in the country. I’m not particularly religious. I’m not a sports fan. I don’t even go for the bar scene (too noisy to have a good conversation). I’ve just about given up on dating because I have trouble finding people I can relate to in the town I live in.
a young curmudgeon added these pithy words on 16 Apr 08 at 1:58 pmI think most people who are in the “normal” patterns of life are just as estranged, but because everyone around them is doing something similar it gives them a fake sense of security against reality’s truths. A lot of these people end up taking mind-altering drugs to cope. At least now those who see the strangeness of it all clearly are able to reflect upon this together using the internet, or within the expat community. There really is an objective reality out there independent of human culture, although culture is of course a reaction of humans to reality, with some cultures being more in line with true reality and thus being more successful.
von Kaufman-Turkestansky added these pithy words on 16 Apr 08 at 8:28 pmI sympathize, YH. My experience is similar. The best we can hope for is a “community of communities of 2” I suppose.
Chirol added these pithy words on 16 Apr 08 at 9:04 pmI feel sorry that Kurt9 has such negative feelings towards the US. While the US may indeed have some problems, neither Germany nor China are without their own. And regardless of where you go, it’ll always be a trade off. It’s just a matter of “whose crap you can put it with best.” I love Germany and indeed would prefer to travel at least half of the year but home is home and I feel much happier and free-er legally, economically and socially there than here.
Felix Dzerzhinsky added these pithy words on 17 Apr 08 at 2:16 pmHere in Dzerzhinkistan a small developing country in South East Asia my wife (and her extended family) and I are adjusting to sharing a house for about one year. The family is Khmer but they seem to accept my strangeness without problem.
I have also been working in an International Organisation in a number of countries since 1999. I find when I go back the people who I grew up with have stayed the same. I tied to go back to live and lasted 3 months before signing up to go again.
I have a lot more in common with an internationally recruited aid worker or an English Teacher in Cambodia than I do with someone who stayed in Brisbane all his life. Plus I think a lot of it has to do with the fact in Australia I was a alien here I my wife and family think I am strange because I am a “Barang” Bruce Sterling’s Article “Shinkansen” first made me aware of this concept. I quote below:
“Lafcadio Hearn was, in brief, a rootless oddball with severe personality problems and a pronounced gloating taste for the horrific and bizarre. Born of a misalliance between a British officer and a young Greek girl, Hearn passed a classically miserable childhood, until fleeing to America at nineteen. As a free-lance journalist and part-time translator, penniless, shabby,declasse’ and half-blind, Hearn knocked around all over for years—Cincinnati, New Orleans, the Caribbean—until ending up in Japan in 1890.
There Hearn made the gratifying discovery that the Japanese could not
tell that he was a weirdo. At home Hearn was alien; in Japan, he was merely foreign. The Meiji-era Japanese respectfully regarded the junketing Hearn asan influential man of letters, an intellectual, a poet and philosopher, and they gave him a University position teaching literature to the rising new generation.” Google Bruce Sterling Shinkansen for the full article
Kurt9 added these pithy words on 18 Apr 08 at 4:49 amOccasionally while I was living in Japan, I asked myself “What is America?”. Is it a people, a government, a particular system (e.g. “corporate America”, the American business culture), OR is it an idea. I came to the conclusion that America is an idea.
You see, in every other place in the world, there is a set-piece culture. Everyone is required to fit in and be a part of the set pattern. Japan, France, Russia, you name it, it is the same for all of these places. Of course, a libertarian-transhumanist kind of guy like myself finds this to be quite confining. Where are all of the dreamers and other misfits supposed to go? What about the “great spirits” (in the Einstein poster) who want to accomplish great feats that cannot fit within the cultural constraints of their homelands?
This vision of American being an idea grew and grew in my mind during my 10 years in Asia. America is supposed to be the open, pioneering-oriented society composed of the dreamers, achievers and entrepreneurs. We’re not supposed to have crap like socialism, religion, or any of the other crapolla that so infests the rest of the world.
On one of the neo-con sites (NRO?, Townhall?), I read of a discussion between a Russian immigrant, who was an entrepreneur, and a native-born U.S. person about this exact same issue. The Russian immigrant clearly “got it” about what America was about (his concept was identical to mine). The native-born U.S. person made it clear that he had his head so far up his arse it was unbelievable.
The problem that I am having with most native-born American people is that they think too much like the guy with his head up his arse rather than the Russian immigrant. This is real serious problem.
Kurt9 added these pithy words on 18 Apr 08 at 4:57 amAbout the argument between the Russian immigrant and American I mentioned before:
If you define an American as someone who believes in the American value system of self-reliance, free-thinking, and entreprenuership (this is the only definition that makes any sense at all to me), then the Russian immigrant in the argument was clearly more “American” than the U.S. born person he was arguing with.
I had a Taiwanese friend around 1990 who spent half of his childhood in Dominican Republic. We said he was illiterate in 4 languages because he spoke English, Mandarin, and Spanish fluently and was learning Japanese, but could not write well in any of these languages. Anyways, he made the comment that America (its technology and other accomplishments) was realized by a very small percentage of the populace and that the rest was just along for the ride.
I will never forget this because this is most certainly true.
kende added these pithy words on 18 Apr 08 at 6:40 amMy experiences very much reflect the same. I’d say it’s been the tension between that relatively small number of people who hold those American values and the vast majority simply along for the ride that has actually created most of America’s success. The passive (at best) portion of the population which doesn’t appreciate those values which have inspired the best of America’s accomplishments serve as a constant reminder to those that strive for the sake of striving that success is not just possible for those who take American values to heart, it’s damn near impossible for them to fail.
But enough pithy comments for me at the moment. Back to work, study, and the making of a better life…
Michael added these pithy words on 21 Apr 08 at 12:56 amI have to agree, too, Kurt9.
I wonder, though. Is the USA truly unique in this fashion? Where do other post-colonial countries like Canada, Chile, South Africa, etc, fit in? If you break these countries up into their components, do you find smaller pieces where a set-piece culture predominates?
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