Post
by Roger_udon » November 27, 2009, 6:39 pm
Reckon I’ll supply the “bookend” to this topic before it slides down the forum and off the page into the history of UM topics. (Although this post will pop it back up temporarily, I suppose.)
I didn’t realize I’d generate such a wide range and intensity of responses from my observations of a shirtless Westerner in the Charoen Sri Complex. But this forum has a wide variety of members and users, so I probably shouldn’t be all that surprised. After all, that’s what makes it an interesting place to browse from time to time, for me anyway.
In the end, I don’t think it was the shirtless bloke that provoked some folks so much, as much as someone else’s “take” on a cross-cultural “event”. The responses would have most likely been pretty much the same if I’d commented on someone smelling a jasmine garland before hanging it on the altar, or closing a door with their foot.
We’re all pretty strong-willed, independent-minded persons who’ve chosen to make our home here, and we all develop our own personal cultural coping mechanisms, cultural and behavioral analyses, and hard-earned attitudes towards our host culture and its people. Obviously, these are very important to us; in fact, they're critical to our day-to-day survival here.
So when someone comes along and expresses a reaction or viewpoint different from our own, we instinctively react, or even recoil. 'Wait a minute - that doesn’t jibe with my personal experience! That’s not the way it really is.'
Perfectly understandable, and I’m not offended by most of the negative reactions. I appreciate all the different opinions, the agreements and disagreements, the defenses and explanations. It just goes to show that we’re also a pretty darn thoughtful lot, and enjoy lively debate and discussion.
Given that we’re a virtual group that would probably never have come together in one place outside of cyberspace, it’s actually rather amazing we don’t clash – or show it! – more than we do. Red & Blue, Labour (or Liberal) & Conservative, rich & poor, clothed & shirtless, all enjoying a beer and a chat together. Where else but here could such a group possibly exist?
Finally, I would humbly submit that the proof is in the pudding. Really not meaning to be contentious, but at the ever-present risk of being so (unwittingly) nonetheless, I suggest: Why not pop over to the nearest mall or shopping center yourself, and simply take off your shirt and walk around for a bit.
Or if maybe you, like me, are too embarrassed to do so yourself, have a more presentable young man accompany you and do so. Observe the folks’ reactions – if any – and report back on how the experiment went. It may turn out that I’m a prude after all. And a dummy. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
sad
