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I hate the americanification of culture, I hate anglicized naming conventions, I hate that I can’t go by “Sasha” at work because it “confuses people”, I hate English equivalents of other language-specific names, I hate removing special symbols from names, I hate the universally accepted unwillingness to learn from linguistuc difference instead of erazing it for the sake of commodity, I hate the overwhelming influence English has on virtual cross-cultural communication, I don’t know how to end this post, I should be shot
Already getting some American responses on this and honestly, you guys could use some culture demystification. Like, “learning about other cultures” is such a vague, uniquely American thing to say. It’s good intent, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t take a sacrifice to watch a foreign movie or try a foreign dish. “Culture” is not as closed-off and ethereal as many of you seem to think, it’s just a collection of common beliefs, values, and behaviors among certain groups of people.
If you want some genuine nobody-asked-for advice, “learning about cultures” is easy if you don’t make it weird on purpose. Keep in mind that not every non-american is your free encyclopedia of cultural knowledge. If they tell you something unique about their cultural experience – listen, if you want to part-take – ask. Just. Be normal about it, for chrissakes.
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