Posted by sigismund on July 24, 2013, at 19:57:46
In reply to Re: I unfriend FB 'friends' b/c of their politics » sleepygirl2, posted by sigismund on July 22, 2013, at 19:37:45
In Australia, with the people I know, there is an emphasis on being right, and politics is a good place to start with this. One evening was completely wrecked because I remarked that I yet to remember to use the green bag in my car, rather than use the plastic bags from Woolworths. In Peru, highland Peru anyway, no one cared at all what my political opinions were. When I asked them they more or less uniformly said that all politicians were corrupt. "Can you think of any you like?" I would ask, and never did I get a positive response, although when pressed one replied that he liked Obama. It is something we do here......fight about what is right.....maybe because we do not have real/in your face problems (like dying of hunger)? Uniformly they held opinions that might put them on the left here, but after Fujimori and The Shining Path, they do not place much hope in practical politics. I felt, in Peru, that people were more concerned with actual signs of respect, but it was hard to tell because of some Asian type reticence/restraint and their idea of good manners precluding too much self assertion. And yet I had the best conversations, deep conversations from my heart, intense and romantic (at least) in tone, all in Spanish, where the expression of such thoughts feels like such an achievement.
My friend here, from the previous post, remarked on the coldness of our culture. I mentioned that in a sink or swim culture, there must be some who find the sight of someone drowning salutory, if not enjoyable.
poster:sigismund
thread:1047548
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20120327/msgs/1047767.html