I had a conversation with my Mexican friend Mari recently about housecleaning. I made the point that she (as other Mexicanas I know) has a much higher standard for cleanliness than I do. She said she would feel ashamed if her house were not kept straight, and then she repeated a line I hear often in Mexico: "it is the culture."
I never hear anyone in the US explain their actions by saying, "it is the culture." People explain they do what they do because of their parents, family background, genetics, part of the country they're from, gender, birth order-- but never culture.
I don't usually think of my everyday habits as the result of my culture. It never occurred to me that having, a relaxed attitude toward the standard of organization in my home, could be a reflection on the culture I'm a part of. Maybe what it points to is that American culture is very diverse, and there is lots of freedom to be straight, messy, clean, dirty, obsessive, etc. without shame or judgment.
I never hear anyone in the US explain their actions by saying, "it is the culture." People explain they do what they do because of their parents, family background, genetics, part of the country they're from, gender, birth order-- but never culture.
I don't usually think of my everyday habits as the result of my culture. It never occurred to me that having, a relaxed attitude toward the standard of organization in my home, could be a reflection on the culture I'm a part of. Maybe what it points to is that American culture is very diverse, and there is lots of freedom to be straight, messy, clean, dirty, obsessive, etc. without shame or judgment.
posted by Louisa at 4:14 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Louisa,
Welcome back! This is Martha Roberts. Enjoyed your blog. It was a breath of fresh air.
I hope your blog will change the view that many people may have about Guanajuato, "Gringolandia" and "our culture."
By the way, the term "it´s our culture" is like saying in the US "that´s just the way we do it here" when you explain to a foreign vistor why something has to be done in a certain way. You know? We go by the book - in most cases.
In the US, if you run a red light, you get a ticket. You do not bribe the police officer, you do not beg to be forgiven, you do not give him or her a good excuse why you are running late. You get a ticket, you get points off you driver´s license and it will cost you a pretty penny. "That´s the culture (and the law) in the US."
I suppose that in Mexico, we use that expression, mostly with our foreign guests or neighbors to explain why we do things the way we do them.
Many of our actions are simply traditional. I remember babies being wrapped like "taquitos" simply because that´s the way our great-great-great-grandmothers told us to do it. We did not argue, we simply did it. "It´s our culture."
Anyway, it is good to hear from you. Keep up the good work. Also, have you signed up with our number ONE Gto FORUM? Please join, many of us are there now: www.gtolist.com
Best regards to you and Barrie.
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