The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #41837   Message #606853
Posted By: weepiper
09-Dec-01 - 05:08 PM
Thread Name: BS: Cultural losses
Subject: RE: BS: Cultural losses
Several people here need to get down off their high horses.
As I read it, no-one has suggested "Anglo" culture should be "rammed down" anyone's throat, rather there have been expressions of sadness that kids are missing out on good stories that the adults posting enjoyed when they were young.
I find the idea of knowledge having to be stuffed into unwilling kids depressing. What I also find depressing is the view some posters above have that this sort of passing on of personal cultural heritage should be solely the job of schools. If you found it interesting and stimulating and meaningful and inspiring when you were young, tell your kids about it. Where's the harm in that? So long as you make sure they realise yours is not the ONLY culture worth knowing. I think we should credit kids with more intelligence. Teach them how to find out about other cultures, of course. But as Bert said above, it's not cultural arrogance to want to pass on what we know.