^duga, glad you like the thread
I agree with basically everything you've written as well.
Hehe, after reading Neapolitan's post the last time I dropped by this thread, I couldn't be arsed writing a reply because I didn't want to spend all my time correcting misconceptions about my opening post as I feel having to do that takes so much fun out of discussions, but ..
I have some left over energy now, so I will give it a try.
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Originally Posted by neapolitan
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Originally Posted by tore
A few of us members here live in countries where English is not the first language. Something that our countries are likely to have in common is that they probably recieve a lot more culture from English speaking nations than they give back.
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But you have admit English speaking countries recieve cultural influence from
other countries. I can't really agree that Norway had no influence, even though it might seem they do not contribute to world culture now, Norway had in the past an effect on countries like Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, and Russian to name a few. America has many regional accents, the rhotic American accents found in the Mid-Western and Mid-Atlantic can be trace back to Scandinavian influences, as opposed to the non-rhotic Southern and New England accents.
I'm always supprised and fascinated by two things, one is when I see something that is fimilar from non-English speaking country, and another is when I see something unfimilar from an English speaking country. Sometimes I'm impress that Scandinavian bands sing in English but sometimes I really wish they sang in their own lagnuage. I love watching programs and movies from the UK or Australia because it's so different from what I see in America. |
Of course I admit that Norway and other countries where english is not the first language also have influence on the world. Read the sentence you quoted from me, you'll see it says "recieve a lot more culture than they give back". That means there is a trading of culture both ways, but that it's uneven.
Lots of norwegian bands and artists sing in norwegian, but that music only extremely rarely makes it's way out of the country - it doesn't sell abroad. To sell our culture, it helps to englishifize it somewhat first.
It's really part of the problem the thread is about.
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Originally Posted by Neapolitan
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Originally Posted by Tore
For example - because english is a world language, you get english speaking TV shows here like CSI, Cops, Keeping Up Appearances, Allo Allo and many, many more. These shows are mainly from USA, England and Australia. Most of them give us some kind of picture on what life is like in these countrues and they have an effect on culture in Norway. However, norwegian is not a world language so while we recieve a lot of influences from outside, we don't really export it. Culture and media wise, it's almost like a one-way communication where we recieve influence and give none.
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One way communication is called "simplex."
And what do you mean give none? What about ABBA and Death Metal??  |
Before "give none", I wrote "it's almost like" .. Almost like we give none, but not quite. Seriously man, you got to learn to pay more attention to what words are actually included in sentences and what they mean.
ABBA were swedish and you're probably thinking of Black Metal?
Black Metal is probably our number 1 cultural export. However, selling points aside, it's a part of our culture which has little to no bearing on the everyday lives of 99,9 and something percent of the population here .. It's influence is also largely regarded as negative, but at least it's something!
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Originally Posted by Tore
I think here, it has had a profound effect, even over a short period like the last decade. Although it's not exactly something that keeps me up at night, I do worry somewhat about negative cultural influences. Note that negative doesn't have to mean that they are negative in the english speaking countries they come from, but that I think they would be negative here It can be little things, like the excess people recieve from Extreme Home Makeover. Families recieve charity houses that are bigger than what most norwegian millionaires have. Where America might have a culture where bigger and better is cool, we have a culture where down to earth and modesty has traditionally been cool. Many such things are changing now and will in the future as young people growing up are influenced by events, ideals and thoughts from outside our nation's borders. |
There are a lot of Americans who have a down-to-Earth attitude; and there are a lot of snobbish pompous Americans too. There is no generalization of America that can be entirely true because in America you can find both extremes.
Hollywood doesn't accurately protrait America anyway, its main purpose is to present a highly polished commercial product. I heard a guy had to sell his house after he had a make over because he could afford the taxes, those shows aren't always a perfect fairy tale. American don't all live like kings in giant castles. Some American live in Trailor Parks, some live in their RVs some are trainsient that live inner cities and abandon house and tents in the woods, and parks. But if you take those who live in RVs some of them can cost up to a million dollars.[/quote]
You have to remember that I'm comparing american culture as it is presented to me via the telly, movies, video games and so on to norwegian culture. We are influenced by the culture you export. The culture which is
real but which we never see has little relevance to this discussion.
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Originally Posted by Neapolitan
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Originally Posted by Tore
Is it much the same where you're from or do you perhaps recieve culture from nations speaking a different language? Do you think stuff like this can over time homogenize the western world until it's culturally basically the same? What do you think about it?
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I can't imagine a homogenize Western world when there is so much difference within America let alone between America and the UK, Canada, or Australia.
I would hate to see a culturally homogenize West. I love the differences in all the European countries, I hate to see Europe become some sanitized PC world where a countries looses it's own cultural identity. |
Agreed!