30/1/2013
Democracy is hard. It
is hard to implement in an effective, balanced way. The balance between discussion, and taking
the opinion of everyone, and making decisions that get things done is very
sensitive. Americans are often more on
the side of getting things done quickly, rather than discussing small issues
for days on end. And this can be our
downfall sometimes. Rash action can get
us into tough situations. And efficiency
can hurt peoples’ feelings. Sometimes,
the decision which is come to is not going to be liked by everyone. But at some point, that will always be the
case, and a continued discussion about this is not going to go anywhere.
On the other hand, democracy is taught from a very young
age. How we make rules for schools and
classrooms in the US often involve the students (or at least pretend to let the
students feel some power and input).
This helps them learn how to deliberately deliberate about what is
needed in a classroom or social structure, critically think about necessary
guidelines, and effectively implement the rules and consequences for
infractions. In actuality, by involving
students in the rule making and writing process, they are learning how to
operate in a democratic society in a thoughtful way.
Teaching a class on Art and Culture is interesting, because
it makes me think critically about what Americans value. Like when we are in
school, we are taught to ask why things are the way they are. In fact, and maybe this is just a personal
learning technique, when I know more about why things happen the way do, and
there is justification for the reasons, I know them better. I like knowing the
background. But here, what the teacher says
should be believed and not questioned. Holy major cultural differences, batman!
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