Leverage.

March 23, 2001

Dear Mallon, For reasons I am not sure

about, talking about cultural differences is very rarely

welcome. It maybe because we just like to take our own

culture for granted. So here goes: We

perceive by making distinctions. A common distinction

in your culture is between being sincere or being

phoney. The corresponding distinction in my culture is being

amusing or being boring. This cultural difference

leads to constant misunderstanding. So for you

to call me honest is high praise in your culture but

it calls forth a cynical response in my

culture. To call me witty is an act of generosity and

understanding in your culture but to respond in a witty way is

genuine praise in mine. I think I understand now

why it is difficult, almost rude to talk about

cultural differences. It's because these distinctions

actually say what is good or bad in private behaviour. And

we don't like to say when we think the other person

is being bad. And of course they are not

being bad, they are being good according to a different

distinction. So we perceive by making distinctions and we like to

take our perceptions for granted. So when we meet

people who make different distinctions, our very

perceptions are called into question. This is very

uncomfortable for everybody. So just as those who take

thinking seriously must accept that cognitive dissonance

makes everyone uncomfortable, so those who communicate

across cultures must accept that different cultural

distinctions make everyone uncomfortable. The advantage

in doing this is we stop, covertly, blaming the

other person. The second advantage is that we start

examining our own distinctions which we take for granted.

The third advantage is comparative advantage: you can

do some things well that I struggle to do and vice

versa. This is important for the raw food movement because a

lever that stretches from Taxas to Canberra, gives a

lot of leverage. Victor.

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