If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Options
Is there such a thing as 'culture'?
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
On the 'British or not????' thread, most posters do not seem to successfully identify a 'British Culture' and because this post would then have taken it off-topic, I ask this :
We query what makes British culture .. but for that matter, what is any country's culture?
If we don't know what makes the British, 'British', what therefore makes the French 'French', Spanish 'Spanish', Italians 'Italian', Indians 'Indian' etc apart from a different language?
Is a national 'culture' a non-starter really?
Is there no such thing as 'culture' except a division of language?
We query what makes British culture .. but for that matter, what is any country's culture?
If we don't know what makes the British, 'British', what therefore makes the French 'French', Spanish 'Spanish', Italians 'Italian', Indians 'Indian' etc apart from a different language?
Is a national 'culture' a non-starter really?
Is there no such thing as 'culture' except a division of language?
0
Comments
There are many things that define culture rather than just differences in language. Look at the socities values, 'norms', institutions, objects etc. If you're looking at it from an anthropological perspective, look at the processes that give certain things meaning.
"Culture or civilization, taken in its wide ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society."
Arnold, Matthew. 1869. Culture and Anarchy. New York: Macmillan. Third edition, 1882, available online.
Certainly there is a culture e.g. Christian culture, or Socialism etc that may define a certain broad set of values but large nations encapture all of these.
There is no one thing that binds me to all other British people other than the fact that we are recognised by the current govt as subject to the laws of that govt, that is it.
You can certainly make broad inferences but only with the utmost care as they are so often misleading.
For example I might say that the US has a culture of eating unhealthy food. That would be backed up by the fact that the US has a higher percentage of obese people than anyother country. However there are tens of millions of Americans who are eat perfectly healthily, distributed probably quite evenly across the US so saying that the US has a culture of unhealthy eating seems largely meaningless to me......
Its a bit complex, like.
If you were brought up in a culture where kissing was the cultural norm, you'd probably be OK with it though. Things that we're brought up with usually seem "normal" to us.
holding the door open for people behind us- is this a britishism?
clapping when it's anyone's birthday in a restaurant.
inviting people over for cups of tea, and having a special china set for special people.
My gran certainly used to have "a special china set for special people.", but I don't know anyone of my generation who does.
Looks funny
Second generation what?
Immigrants from where?
I wouldn't necessarily say it's exclusive to British culture (despite the fact that I'm second generation and am training to be a doc - that's just because I'm a geek ).
So all second generation immigrants from all former colonies, regardless of influences such as class, aim to be doctors and lawyers etc?
Not really true, is it?
Well I was trying to find out which immigrants you were talking about. It may be true for middle class Indian immigrants (for example), but to claim its true for everyone? Well, its just nonsense really. It completely ignores differences in culture, class, access to education, money etc.
rise of the mobile phone- love afairs and dumpages by text message?
The balti? Chicken korma? Jungle? Drum'n'bass? Grime? Dubstep?
ffs - ignore what I'd posted in the rest of this, got the wrong thread :grump:
Yeah, I already made that point.