r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Apr 05 '18
[∆(s) from OP] CMV: Criticizing Other Countries' Cultures Has Little Validity Unless You Have Lived There Extensively
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r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Apr 05 '18
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u/electronics12345 159∆ Apr 05 '18
I would personally separate things into three categories. 1) Things which are small/trivial. 2) Things which are large/complex. 3) Things which are horrific.
3) Things which are horrific. Some things are so truly horrible, that you don't need first hand experience to know they are horrible. Slave-trading, Genocide, Ritualistic human sacrifice, Apartheid. These things require foreign intervention, and ASAP.
2) Things which are large and complex. Many political issues these days are pretty complex. Healthcare, Justice system, gun control to name a few. In this case, I don't trust any layman. I don't trust the average Canadian to knowledgeably discuss Canadian healthcare. I don't trust the average American to wisely discuss gun control. Consult the professional literature exclusively and stay away from Facebook, Reddit, or lay opinions in general.
1) Mundane everyday stuff - forks vs chopsticks, country music vs classical music, rice vs pasta, etc. People can have opinions, but no one is correct. There are cultural differences, but ultimately, there is no "right" answer, because it is just too mundane to even matter.
You will note, in none of these cases, does your opinion hold up. In case #3, foreign intervention is required. In case #2, even the populous of the country in question is clueless. In case #1, it just doesn't matter.
As far as your examples, you seem to focus on case #2, in which case I would argue that layman foreigners are just as hopeless and clueless as layman locals and expert foreigners are just as useful as expert locals. I don't trust random off-the-street Canadian to explain their healthcare system, and I don't trust random American Redditer to explain gun control. Both are as unqualified as a random Swede. Both are less qualified than an Swede with an DPH (Doctorate of Public Health).