How to measure cosmopolitanism?

[Juan Gonzalez]

From my post "the utmost global citizen" I'm interested in knowing what you think about how to calculate the degree of cosmopolitanism. Should one consider all the places a given person has visited, factoring how many days they stayed in each one? Should one take into account cultural knowledge such as language, history, current affairs? Does the Internet allow one to be cosmopolitan without ever leaving your home?

These questions will lead the way to a new phase of the Global Culture project, so I hope you have plenty of ideas.

[Globalistgirl]

With the exception of the last statement, I think those suggestions (while easy to make) address parts of something that's holistic. Just places visited is somewhat naive in my opinion. I've seen people live somewhere for years and be seemingly blind and deaf when it comes to cultural understanding. (For example, Anglo "ladies" in China who, after five years there, still haven't caught on to what a spectacularly bad idea wearing diamond rings and earrings when you're going to the market is. Umm... hello?) I think the answer to both the last statement and a more general response to the other statements is that how cosmopolitan one ends up being depends in part on how one perceives of one's identity - in that if one reacts to difference with clinging to what one already knows, one has already decided what is Self and Other in nationalistic terms - and in part on the quality and depth of multiple cultural environments. Sometimes I've wondered if non-TCKs can be truly cosmopolitan at all. But then some unusual individual will come along and thankfully prove me wrong. I've also noticed that among fellow TCKs, those whose parents told them where they were from have a much more clear national components of their identity, but they may still be very cosmopolitan. Perhaps you could become cosmopolitan over the Internet in theory, but I doubt this is likely in practice. In any given cultural setting, even if you know other ones, you see events in the world through the 'haze' of the culture around you. (I've had moments where some event triggers another culture to 'pop up' as the filter, because the event is uncommon where I am but was common somewhere else, and the difference in what I say, how I say it, and how I think about it is striking.) What you read online is filtered, and if one has no previous experience with global living, then any difference that comes up won't have a very big impact.

One factor here is ethnicity. If your ethnicity nails down where your genes are from and/or one of your cultures is one of those 'either you're in or you're out' cultures, belonging to multiple cultures strikes people easily as 'weird.' You're always going to fail some 'requirement' or other to be in the in-group. If you're broadcasting your multiple allegiances by what you look like, what you speak and where you are, then it's going to be awful hard not to seek out the cosmopolitan. What choice do you have? On the other hand, if you can pull off the chameleon stunt, it may be easier to try to keep the 'secret' than to deal with the issues that the insider/outsider status can bring. I'm sure we're all familiar with that it's sometimes very hard to never belong, when you watch others belong without a question every day.

Qualitatively, I think the most important thing is how much one *feels* several cultures. Of course, the major failing of this is that it's very difficult to quantify. But when I code-switch from one culture to the other, I feel like I'm moving from one figurative pool to another - I can swim in them all, naturally and organically. I don't need to learn how to swim all over again, I don't have to think about swimming, I just get in and move around. Do a handstand and maybe an underwater somersault. Watching expats is sometimes like teaching an adult to swim for the first time. Some just are too scared to leave the shallow end, and they're not going to be part of another culture, no matter how long they stay in the pool. Some dive off into the deep end, and they might have learned more in a few hours than the expats on the shallow end will in weeks. Part of being able to 'swin' in several cultures is being able to speak several languages very well, to the point where you can see the world in more than one language. Language and culture go hand in hand, and if you cannot feel the implications of different words in different languages, that will stop you from really being part of more than one culture. I think we all know words f

[Globalistgirl]

(continued from above) for cultural concepts that are very hard to translate because the cultural concept doesn't exist in other languages.

In practice, I watch how people react to me as a TCK and how the connect with others who are superficially different. I also consider how someone conceives of their identity. The reasons people stay in the 'shallow' end of a culture are the same reasons they have a nationalistic identity. They seem to decline the opportunity to really become part of another culture for fear of losing themselves. The reasons people become cosmopolitan are the same reasons they have a non-territorial or global identity.

[Juan Gonzalez]

Thanks for such insightful comments. I don't mean to be naive, just to start the debate with simple ideas and elaborate from there. I buy your argument about your own perception of identity acts as a catalyzer for allowing other cultures to permeate into your own way of life. I can relate to the notion that TCK have a great advantage having abandoned (or being abandoned by) any nationalistic pride, already lowering the threshold for cultural adoption.

I had considered ethnicity as a factor too. Thanks for confirming. In fact I had assumed that not only your own ethnicity is critical in defining what cultures you're capable of adopting, but also the ethnicity of those close to you.

Keep the ideas flowing... this is really good stuff.

[Paul Dougherty]

In a global context, I may be one of the least cosmopolitans in existence. I have never visited another country. I live in San Francisco, which is considered to be quite a diverse city, but my exposure to other cultures is certainly limited.

That said, I believe that what is most important is the attitude one takes when faced with cultural differences that makes them cosmopolitan or not. No one can learn all of the languages, or cultures and therefore there will always be differences people will face. How one responds to those differences and interacts with the culture and people within can either build or tear down relationship.

I believe the goal is to create an environment where people can interact positively despite cultural differences. This positive interaction, in my opinion, is cosomolitan. A person who is afraid to leave the shallow end is not.

It is true that identity gets in the way of understanding differences, this happens among people in the same culture. A true global culture will depend on each individual choosing to become part of that global culture and being willing to analyze themselves and their perceptions. Accepting that one does not know everything is a fundamental ingrediant in growing as an individual, culturally or otherwise.

Nationalism is a difficult barrier. A successful global culture will be percieved as better for the individual, their country, and the world. By creating this environment, we can replace nationlistic pride with world pride. It is similar, I think, to spirituality. At some point, it becomes useless to preach your views to others trying to convince them. Simply following your beliefs and offering them when asked, is the real way to attract others. They are able to see your hapiness and desire it for themselves. Their viewpoint changes as they witness your interactions and the sucess you achieve. It is contagious.

As stated previously, I have no experience in trying to adapt to a different culture; however, I believe I would be successful based on my desire to understand people and my willingness to be happy. I think every culture shares the desire to be happy. Of course, I would only be successful if the culture around me was willing to accept me into it. I would imagine that all cultures have folks that are accepting, just as they all have folks who are not accepting. The trick is associating with and building the community of acceptors.

[Juan Gonzalez]

Attitude is everything. I've seen people migrate thousands of miles just to give up after two months because the stars are not aligned. On the other side, I've seen people struggle against prejudice, lack of resources, poor jobs and even not being accepted and still flourish over time. You are quite right.

[Globalistgirl]

It's interesting that you say this despite lacking personal experience. I'm pretty sure I've met people like you as The Foreigner, and it's those people that are indeed the key to get as 'in' as you can. May I ask what leads you to think this way? I've been trying to figure out what, generally and globally speaking, causes some people to think like this and others to close themselves off when faced with difference. Picking the brain of someone who's interested in talking about it might help :)

[Paul Dougherty]

That is a good question. I cannot say I have thought about it before. This was the way I was raised. My folks were very spiritual (in belief, if not in practice) although not in the traditional or specific to one religious way. My sister and I were taught that being in relationship with everyone and everything was the key to happiness. We were also taught to question norms, and that no one way was necessarily the right way. So I believe that the way folks are raised has much to do with their openess to difference. We also are influenced by those who we surround ourselves with and often mimmick those folks and their reactions. Call it the group psyche.

Too much emphasis in (American at least) culture is placed on the individual and that individuals acceptance by others. Of course, we all want to be accepted by others, but few look at who is doing the accepting, and whether or not that group is a desirable group. Often, I think being accepted by ANY group is the goal for many people so they attain their sense of belonging and seldom venture further out. This acceptance also enables them to "overlook" issues they may feel are naturally wrong.

Personally, I feel that the US is in particularly bad shape concerning its Global awareness/attitude, so I am interested in exposure to other sources. So that is why I joined and am interested in Global culture...I have as much to learn as any.

[Globalistgirl]

My sister and I were taught that being in relationship with everyone and everything was the key to happiness.

That's a very nice way of putting it. I think that's true. No person is an island, and studies have shown we're not happy being islands. Being too individualistic leads to isolation. Markus & Kitayama have done a nice study of models of constructing a self, and they noted that people with a very individualistic self-construction can feel lonely and isolated. (Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2003). Models of Agency: Sociocultural Diversity in the Construction of Action. In V. Murphy-Berman and J. J. Berman (Eds.), Cross-Cultural Differences in Perspectives on the Self: Volume 49 of the Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (pp. 1-57). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.) I think Americans are intreresting in that in some ways, they are extremely individualistic, yet many consider blind faith or allegiance and obesiance virtues.

People like you can really help the US. I think if people like you can make their voices heard, the US and the whole world will be better off for it. I'm glad you exist, not only for my own sake, but for the sake of this country as well. The US is one of my homes, and subjectively I'd like to to do well. Your appreciation for being connected to others is, in my opinion, much more in the service of your country than anything else 'nationalistic' going around at the moment.

[Paul Dougherty]

Thank You. It is nice to hear you appreciate this as well.

"I think Americans are intreresting in that in some ways, they are extremely individualistic, yet many consider blind faith or allegiance and obesiance virtues."

Interesting is one way to put it, most of the time I find it annoying, but am trying to learn tolerance. I guess having blind faith offsets the individualism. Something has to. Regardless of where the uderlying need for companionship comes from (some say animalistic survival, some say evolution of spirit), I do believe that it is necessary to lead a fulfilling, happy life. I could be wrong about this, it may in fact be that we are seperate entities whose only real need of companionship stems from the inherited intuition to procreate. My blind faith (don't we all have it in something?), however, has me believe that we are (still) evolving and can only do this by giving up on the individual. I also believe this is the only way towards a solid Global community.