People's Perceptions

So I've noticed an interesting phenomenon while I'm here in Europe from talking to people here. My Romanian friend here does not like the United States government, at all. Through much of our conversations it has become clear to me that he has nothing but disdain for the U.S. politics. He even believes that the United States was responsible for the attacks on 9/11, as a prelude to the invasion of Iraq, as mentioned in my previous blog about Zeitgeist. Yet at the same time I have never met anyone that has bought into American culture as much as he has. Everything from his clothes to his movie and music choices scream America. One of my American friends remarked that he's never met anyone who both loved and hated America as much as this young Romanian guy.

It's interesting to see how in our world we can perceive differences but at the same time buy into a homogeneous culture. People want to have a certain amount of separation in our world, that is a clear backlash from globalization, but that just tells me globalization has worked. We can go to every corner of this earth and still feel connected to people continents away. Therefore, its seems only logical that people might want to distinguish themselves within a "world culture." People want to almost delude themselves into thinking that there own culture is better, more unique, or somehow different from what most people assume. But in the end we all want the same thing, a share in this culture we've created.

It's merely an interesting observation I have made while I have been over here. To be honest I can't say I'm completely surprised by it, because from what I've learned globalization is simply a fact. It's a great feeling to be able to put things you have learned in a classroom setting and applying them to a practical situation. Don't be afraid to go out and explore this world of ours.