tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post6273751940947843191..comments2023-08-23T10:49:27.027-05:00Comments on From Tanzania With Love: americanness.Michael Leenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15642651093909685811noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-63500772547836482882014-06-26T18:07:30.659-05:002014-06-26T18:07:30.659-05:00Couldn't agree more :)Couldn't agree more :)Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14620240974866887790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-55549671563371824412014-06-23T01:57:28.645-05:002014-06-23T01:57:28.645-05:00Hi Michael, thanks for your comment. Your point ab...Hi Michael, thanks for your comment. Your point about certain values transcending cultural boundaries is well taken and I agree with it. Of course, there are many issues we hope go beyond being an American or a Tanzanian or anything else: human rights, non-violence, full educational opportunities for girls and boys. There are many. Yet still, living abroad will teach you so much, more than you want to know, about how conditioned you are by your culture. That's what Michael and I are experiencing now, as we watch our "Americanness" astound and confuse the locals! Ashley McLaughlin Leenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12713204318331124559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159877872803713077.post-18061385850870945772014-06-21T23:13:41.287-05:002014-06-21T23:13:41.287-05:00Hmmm, that seems like a very charitable way of int...Hmmm, that seems like a very charitable way of interpreting your landlady's behavior. Are you sure that this comes down to an American vs. Tanzanian cultural difference? Salesmanship does have certain characteristics that transcend cultures... <br /><br />I confess though, I'm somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to using the cultural explanation for everything, as though every fact of human nature loses relevance at cultural boundaries, and there as many human natures as there are cultures, or maybe countries. You wouldn't say, for instance, that your strong opinions on equality between the sexes are merely an American way of looking at things, would you? I think rather you would say that gender equality is a universal principle that, if it isn't valued yet by a culture, needs to be introduced. And I would agree. But then, of course we know that some ways of looking at things, some things we value quite strongly, are relative to our own culture. It's just a matter of determining where that boundary is...Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14620240974866887790noreply@blogger.com