Thread: Western culture! How fortunate we are!

That's better

Tow the line, billy!

I'm happy to live in a culture that, for the most part, I can put on our country's uniform and not have people shrink in fear in our own country of what we might do to them.
That some (thankfully not all) feel quite safe in their disagreement with what I do for a profession, some even going so far as to ad lib their version of what they think that is.
I am allowed to own property as are other citizens.
People are even allowed to voice their protests in public (as well as on public forums) without secret police making them "disappear". Thanks to the successes of Western culture it has become desireable to emulate in other nations also; I have friends from all over the world, some online admittedly, and others in person, from not only my own country and Western countries, but Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Hungary and even Iraq and one from Iran. This would have never happened 20 years ago I think, not to mention, I think the openness has much to do with the example our culture (if not we in particular) have set.
Sure there's lots of bad I could point out, too, but overall I think we have it good.


I just hope we aren't in the process of throwing it away; it's seemed to work so far, and not just for our country. Let's not throw it out in exchange for any of the systems other countries are already throwing out in favor of one like this one.

John P.

I'm happy to live in a culture where I can have a weekend like the one I just did and not worry about a damn thing. I'll lay it all out for everyone so it's a little more clear.


Saturday: SWMBO and I cuddled until about 11:00 AM, then drove 100 miles to have lunch with my family and do some shopping.

Sunday: SWMBO and I didn't do a thing but read together almost the entire day. I made lunch and a leisurely dinner. I finished a fantastic book, and she did too.

Monday: Another late day, we cuddled for a long time. I performed a much needed repair on my truck, but otherwise lazed about for most of the day.

Besides being the epitome of lazy, it was a great weekend. How many people in China can enjoy what I did?

Dang! That's a whole lot of cuddlin'. I'm jealous.

I reckon the Chinese cuddle too. All weekend if they want. Or should I say, if they have the privilege, in terms of being able to take the weekend off work, which plenty of people in Western Society can't afford to either.

China is going through an explosive growth of class-based society right now. The new middle class is affluent, able to travel abroad at will (as the hoardes of mainland Chinese tourists in Europe demonstrate), and has many of the trappings of Western Society. The Cultural Revolution is hard to discern now. Maybe China wasn't such a good example?

Originally Posted by majurey

Dang! That's a whole lot of cuddlin'. I'm jealous.

I reckon the Chinese cuddle too. All weekend if they want. Or should I say, if they have the privilege, in terms of being able to take the weekend off work, which plenty of people in Western Society can't afford to either.

China is going through an explosive growth of class-based society right now. The new middle class is affluent, able to travel abroad at will (as the hoardes of mainland Chinese tourists in Europe demonstrate), and has many of the trappings of Western Society. The Cultural Revolution is hard to discern now. Maybe China wasn't such a good example?

As far as cuddling goes, they more than likely have not been married that long. Itll pass. As far as the Chinese traveling abroad goes, you can bet its the affluent party members and not the average joe, or is that average lee/chin/po or whatever. Isnt it amazing how the classless proletariat of the people are now so materialistic and status oriented?

Yeah trust me on the cuddling.
After 6 years of marriage and 2 little kids, You'll do less cuddling than that in a month.

Oh and about China: politically you have to pay lip service to the communist party.
But economically, china is like europe during the industrial revolution. Anything goes if you are rich, and you have to bribe local officials to get anything done. And as long as industry is bringing in new money, all will be forgiven.

China atm is just like Europe, a hundred years ago, but with a different political system.

What do I like most of the freedoms granted me by when & where I was born? I am proud of being British & incandescently proud of being a Welshman in Wales.

Healthcare: I would not be here if it were not for our National Health Service. It is free to all at the point of delivery & gives you what you need to live a comfortable, if not healthy life. Subject to budget of course.

Freedom of Religion: Some of my ancestors were executed for their nonchristian beliefs. The most trouble I will ever encounter is an overzealous evangelist. It is not really bothersome, because I am free to tell said evangelical nutter that I believe him/her to be wrong as I have my own gods.

Freedom of Association & Intercourse: Subject to distance & diposition, I am free to talk to any other person I want, about whatever we wish to converse

Finally, although this has slipped slightly in recent years (cheers Tony & George): Being treated as a civilised, rational & repected person whenever I travel abroad. Our Empire is still remembered kindly

How is that Mark?

I would say we are very fortunate to be able to cuddle with whomever we want, as long as it's by mutual consent... The unmarried and newly married, of course...

And for the free market too - QuickOrange, do you rent out your wife for heterosexual cuddling - I think I could use some and she must be very good!

We don't get to spend very much time together, hence the overload on cuddling. Gugi, I don't know if you could handle her. She costs me plenty as it is

I think if you compared relative social classes between me (technically poverty) and the poverty Chinese, you won't find them taking 3 days off. It's true, the city folk are moving up in the world. Maybe I should have said North Korean or Peruvian or something like that.

EDIT: Bruno, that's why we don't have kids. Not that either of us will die without lazy days together, we just like to have that option available if wanted/needed

I find this to be extremely relevant to your conversation: somehow I doubt most will take the time to listen to it.
Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy?