Culture Be Shocking

2008-08-14

Recently, I have moved to New Zealand. Yes, New Zealand. You know - that place where they filmed Lord of the Rings? Next to Australia? To see modern, real life New Zealanders (or kiwis as they are sometimes called) in action, simply tune in to the Olympics and find the most obscure sport being covered. There is a high, mathematically guaranteed probability that Kiwis will be present.

It is a lovely place, full of rolling hills and stunning vistas. It is also decidedly western, boasting a convoluted origin resulting from multiple cultural influences. Of course, this diversity of influence would be more impressive were they not all some shade of European. But diversity is diversity, and who is to say that five shades of white don't have just a valid a claim on diversity as five other, unrelated colors? (no doubt you would say that, wouldn't you? Jerk.)

So, belligerent opening paragraphs aside, one would assume that, coming as I am from a largely white culture (USA) to a even more largely white culture (NZ), I would fit in like custard with homogenized cream, right? Well, yes. True. One makes a good point. But the devil is in the details, and I have found myself shocked at how shocking this culture is to my American sensibilities.

It's subtle, i'll admit.  No one walks exclusively on one leg instead of two (unless, you know, they have only one leg) or screams every other sentence or anything so extreme. But the first time I said "thank you!" to someone and got a taciturn, half-muttered "it's okay" in response, I was more than a little miffed.  It's okay? I...know? Thanks for the update?

The reason is that culture is only superficially attached to race or even language. Culture is a social construction, as seen through the eyes of its members and as manifested through behaviour. So, while both a Kiwi and I speak the same language, wear almost the same clothes, and share largely the same idealology, one of us has a culture of extreme humility (i.e. someone says thank you and you say "it's okay" because, good lord, are they trying to embarrass you or something?) and the other comes from a culture where individuality and achievement are praised (i.e. someone says thank you and you say "I KNOW, RIGHT?? I SO HELPED YOU OUT THERE!!" or simply "you're welcome.")

These observations tie in to larger, deeper, and generally fatter cultural truths, like the relativism of culture, the inapplicability of judgement from one culture to the next, and the degree to which we rely on cultural systems for our feeling of stability. Remove even one such convention, even one as tiny as the appropriate response to "thank you," and a feeling of shock and dismay will follow. Humans are culture, you see, but equally humans create culture.

Which begs the questions: what culture should we be creating?

Thank you for your time.