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Weird is good. Apparently, the author of this book also believes that weird is good. What surprises me is the NY Times (a once great newspaper) saw fit to promote his book. Now, that's really weird!
Why Are We in the West So Weird? A Theory
Posted from nytimes.com
Reading
Psychology
Humor
Posted 4 y ago
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Ha Ha! Not at all what I expected... good post.
I've been a human (and a Westerner) all my life, so I think I'm qualified to an opinion. When I was in Afghanistan, I got my first "long look" at the East, and "third world" societies. I went into that experience generally believing that the only real "barrier" was the language. I presumed that could I speak perfectly fluent Pashtun... or they fluent English, we'd soon find that we were very much alike, and had very similar ways we processed information. That was thanks in no small part to my education in the West, to Western standards of inclusion and diversity.
What I discovered was very, very different.
No, I'm not suggesting in any way, shape or form that my Afghan counterparts were "inferior" to us... that's simply not true. There were even ways they may have been "superior". They were however, very different in the way they measured value, their individuality, and the way the world "works" in general.
To the Afghan tribesman, "value" was expressed in terms of status, not functionality. A colonel simply couldn't be a "good" colonel if he had a smaller desk than a captain. An AK-47 will always be inferior to an M4 because it's what the Western soldiers use. Two trucks with identical engines, mileage, cargo capacity and durability are NOT equal... not if one is covered in brass trinkets, ribbons, and brightly painted flowers. The "halal" MRE's made (at great cost no doubt) specifically for the ANA... were clearly "inferior" to ours; so they rejected them.
Individuality was something they both prized... and seemed to have no understanding of. Every one of them had their own individual reasons for doing (or not doing) anything... but they expected, without fail, to be respected by their group association.
Perhaps the most surprising (and at times, profound) differences could be found in their unique world view. There was no "Afghanistan"... only their village and tribe. The entire region's motto ought to be "YOLO!" because they often appeared to have literally zero thought to anything beyond the moment. I'm still not sure if I respected or loathed them for that. Their loyalties are probably best described by family ties... by blood, by history; not by necessity their ideology.
In the end, I think Western philosophy is based on a sincere belief in aspiration. We want freedom because we have long-term ambitions. We want wealth because we prize security. We accept structure because it leads to both... if managed correctly. Again, I wouldn't say these things are "superior"... let alone, "weird"; but they are distinctly different.
I've been a human (and a Westerner) all my life, so I think I'm qualified to an opinion. When I was in Afghanistan, I got my first "long look" at the East, and "third world" societies. I went into that experience generally believing that the only real "barrier" was the language. I presumed that could I speak perfectly fluent Pashtun... or they fluent English, we'd soon find that we were very much alike, and had very similar ways we processed information. That was thanks in no small part to my education in the West, to Western standards of inclusion and diversity.
What I discovered was very, very different.
No, I'm not suggesting in any way, shape or form that my Afghan counterparts were "inferior" to us... that's simply not true. There were even ways they may have been "superior". They were however, very different in the way they measured value, their individuality, and the way the world "works" in general.
To the Afghan tribesman, "value" was expressed in terms of status, not functionality. A colonel simply couldn't be a "good" colonel if he had a smaller desk than a captain. An AK-47 will always be inferior to an M4 because it's what the Western soldiers use. Two trucks with identical engines, mileage, cargo capacity and durability are NOT equal... not if one is covered in brass trinkets, ribbons, and brightly painted flowers. The "halal" MRE's made (at great cost no doubt) specifically for the ANA... were clearly "inferior" to ours; so they rejected them.
Individuality was something they both prized... and seemed to have no understanding of. Every one of them had their own individual reasons for doing (or not doing) anything... but they expected, without fail, to be respected by their group association.
Perhaps the most surprising (and at times, profound) differences could be found in their unique world view. There was no "Afghanistan"... only their village and tribe. The entire region's motto ought to be "YOLO!" because they often appeared to have literally zero thought to anything beyond the moment. I'm still not sure if I respected or loathed them for that. Their loyalties are probably best described by family ties... by blood, by history; not by necessity their ideology.
In the end, I think Western philosophy is based on a sincere belief in aspiration. We want freedom because we have long-term ambitions. We want wealth because we prize security. We accept structure because it leads to both... if managed correctly. Again, I wouldn't say these things are "superior"... let alone, "weird"; but they are distinctly different.
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LCDR Joshua Gillespie
CPT Jack Durish - We were strongly encouraged to view Lawrence as an example of "going native"... and to not emulate him in that regard. I'll admit that there were times when it was difficult. There was one village we routinely passed though where (according to RUMINT) the State Dept. had promised to build an airport in exchange for the locals' cooperation... the airport never materialized, but the residents did build a mud and brick "terminal", complete with a twelve foot, hand-made jet liner model on top in anticipation of this "promise".
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SPC John Tacetta
Too many cultures believe their path leads to the one truth and seek to impress it upon others. There are many ways to live and look at the world. We need to respect our differences if we're to coexist.
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SPC John Tacetta
LCDR Joshua Gillespie - That's... disheartening. Too often we are revealed by our lies.
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