Occupied Deutschland wrote:Divitaen wrote:
Because the impression everyone around you gets is that the Cossacks are just this cool exotic "other" culture that we can use for fantastical and simple entertainment. I don't think cultures should ever be viewed from that kind of standpoint. Cross-cultural exchange happens when you view other cultures as complex and multi-faceted and genuinely want to learn about them.
Something oft, perhaps even always, beginning with the noticing of aesthetic differences in clothing, architecture, and other visible signs of cultural difference.
People notice and may try on cowboy hats before they're even capable of noticing other aspects of ranching/Western culture. People notice and try Oktoberfest and bratwurst before knowing the reason for Oktoberfest or how bratwurst was/is made. People notice and try kimonos (or any other clothing item--kilts, hats, boots, top hats, tuxedos, etc.) before noticing the reasons they are what they are or the whys of how they are/were used. Cross-cultural exchange is, at least partially, built on aesthetic differences leading to appreciations for deeper reasons for those differences.
I grew up on a cattle ranch and am mortally offended when non-ranch hands wear cowboy boots and hats!
(For the record...real cowboys don't wear that crap just wannabe rednecks lol)