Culture in the Blender

It was recently suggested to me that a large part of my annoyance with a recent power struggle stems not only from the situation per se but also from the fact that the other persons involved are at a very beginning level of understanding cross-cultural life, despite extensive experience. I’ve realized that’s absolutely right. I’m [...]

I strongly recommend What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives won the Heart of America to anyone who is as confused as I am over how the political situation can be what it is. Today’s dose of reading was very explanatory again, and I’m starting to realize that a lot of things have happened domestically [...]

“In regions in crisis, nostalgia for the past and religious fundamentalism appear as shelters from the storm. In a globalized world, not paying attention to this is tantamount to paving the way for the clash of civilizations.” -Jaques Chirac in the Globalist, 01/13/05 If nostalgia for the past is a major divider of American society [...]

Inspired by smittenbyu’s courage to reveal herself, I decided to take a little leap of my own. I posted a question asking if others had been thrown out of or rejected by a home… and I got almost an immediate response. I am not alone at all. The part of me that I have always [...]

Something even expats seem to have trouble grasping sometimes is that every place on Earth is real. Rather, I’m not saying that people think that some places are made up, but it does seem like many don’t understand that everything they hear about, the news they see, it’s right in front of someone. If they [...]

I just finished reading a book called How Race Is Lived In America, a complication of an article series in the NYT. It was very interesting and well-written, and of course prompted thinking on my part. However, I realized something tangential as well: for me, the elephant in the room isn’t race as much as [...]