chlamor
10-22-2007, 05:13 PM
Joe Hillshoist wrote:
Why would Chavez, an indigenous south american, not stand up against cultural imperialism. He is spot on with that, especially given halloween has lost all connection to its original meaning when it was an indigenous European event.
Sepka responds:
Because people should be free to choose for themselves what customs they'll follow. Because a culture so feeble that it needs the government to help protect its purity against outside influences probably isn't meeting people's needs very well to begin with.
I'm skeptical of the idea of 'cultural imperialism' anyway, precisely because of things like Halloween. As you note, what we celebrate here bears little resemblance to the European custom. We kept the parts that suited us, and made up new bits to meet our needs. That's the way these things work. I like sushi, but my favourite is California rolls. I've got an aluminum Christmas tree, which bears only a passing resemblance to the custom that came over from Germany.
Given time, and the freedom to choose for themselves, without pressure from the government, I'm sure that Venezuelans would make Halloween into a holiday of their own, with their own traditions. It's a shame that they can't make that choice for themselves.
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewt ... 8&start=30 (http://rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewtopic.php?t=13678&start=30)
http://banggigay.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/bong-cawed.jpg
Why would Chavez, an indigenous south american, not stand up against cultural imperialism. He is spot on with that, especially given halloween has lost all connection to its original meaning when it was an indigenous European event.
Sepka responds:
Because people should be free to choose for themselves what customs they'll follow. Because a culture so feeble that it needs the government to help protect its purity against outside influences probably isn't meeting people's needs very well to begin with.
I'm skeptical of the idea of 'cultural imperialism' anyway, precisely because of things like Halloween. As you note, what we celebrate here bears little resemblance to the European custom. We kept the parts that suited us, and made up new bits to meet our needs. That's the way these things work. I like sushi, but my favourite is California rolls. I've got an aluminum Christmas tree, which bears only a passing resemblance to the custom that came over from Germany.
Given time, and the freedom to choose for themselves, without pressure from the government, I'm sure that Venezuelans would make Halloween into a holiday of their own, with their own traditions. It's a shame that they can't make that choice for themselves.
http://rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewt ... 8&start=30 (http://rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewtopic.php?t=13678&start=30)
http://banggigay.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/bong-cawed.jpg