Mmm holla,
I read a book recently, which I've mentioned before, called "The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can't be Jammed" and really enjoyed it. It is quite all-encompassing, and is guaranteed to make you think, if anything. As I am right now living in a culture that can only be described as a complete 180 from western culture, it especially made me think. Basically, it's main thesis opines that "counterculture" is a myth; instead of effectively damaging "The Man" or "The System" aka our western culture that is based on capitalism and consumerism, it actively perpetuates and drives exactly what it is supposedly rebelling against. For example, the magazine Adbusters is supposedly a magazine/organization created by people driven to advance anti-consumerist ideals. Several years ago, Adbusters came out with its own subversive sneaker, which was created with the intention of "uncooling" Nike and providing a market for anti-consumers. What? Vans and Adidas and Converse and every other shoe brand have been attempting to "uncool" Nike for years. In fact, it is the whole point of capitalism. And, if this "subversive" brand becomes cool, more and more people will buy it, thus increasing consumption.
In the process of explaining the ephemeral nature of "coolness", as well as culture and counterculture, and their interdependent relationships with eachother, the authors spent a significant amount of time examining culture itself. I found these parts especially interesting, even if it wasn't really the main crux of the book. I guess culture isn't really something I've spent alot of time thinking specifically about, even though one of the main reasons I've always wanted to travel is to experience new cultures and meet people from other walks of life. I suppose, very generally, culture can be defined as the behaviours and beliefs of a group of people. It manifests itself in the way people dress, what they eat, what music they listen to, how they can and can't act in public, etc... and how all these facets interact with each other. As we were born and raised in our society, we don't think of the subtleties inherent to our culture and how we act, eat, dress, etc... We finally do begin to think about these things when we are placed in a culture that is so confounding and different that we are forced to wonder what the fuck is going on. This, of course, is culture shock. And if I could choose one word to describe culture shock, I would have to pick "Asia".
The extension of this idea brings me to the point that the subtleties of cultures, ie. the unspoken social code that governs society and prevents chaos, are so firmly grasped, accepted and used that anger, confusion, and trouble ensue whenever they aren't followed. For example, what would you think if a person walked down the street and made eye contact with everyone who they walked past or if they walked into an elevator and stood facing backwards towards everyone else? What if they double-dipped a chip? Are they batshit fuckin loco? Well, obviously, why else would they do such a thing, right? Actually, isn't it interesting that elsewhere in the world this may be completely acceptable socially. In North America, if 2 men walked down the street holding hands, they would immediately be labeled as gay, and in some places, ostracized or targeted for abuse. In Africa I saw men holding hands all the time, where it is a sign of love and respect for a good friend. In North America we don't eat every single part of an animal (with our knowledge anyways), whereas in Asia I have seen some animal body parts laid out for consideration that I didn't even know existed. Furthermore, in Asia, Bryan Adams is a god, whereas in Canada, we just think "Summer of '69" is a pretty sweet song. And finally, whereas you are a hick everywhere else in the world if you wear all jean, in Canada, it is a tuxedo....OK well maybe not. Anyways, due to the accepted subtleties of our culture ie. socially acceptable behavior, we obviously think that there is something wrong with a person who doesn't follow by the rules.
The other extension of this thinking that came to mind, was that it actually explains the genius of shows like Seinfeld. all that show did was poke fun at situations in which someone didnt quite follow the social code; for example, they double dipped a chip, peed in the locker room shower or carry a european carryall. add a few outrageous characters who care too much about the people who make the social mistakes, and hilarity ensues. see, this showbiz shit isn't too hard... anyways, just some stuff that has been on my mind a bit.
so, chalk up another few scooter accidents to the tally. as dave said, i am surprised there are still people alive here to ride these fucking things. we were walking home the other day and saw a guy careen into a parked hummer near our house. since we have already determined that it must be a drug dealer who owns this car, we werent surprised to see the dazed rider pick himself up, glance at the car he had hit, gasp, and flee the scene like he's never fleed the scene before. also, new names of people i'm teaching: misty, young, jojo, and my new favorite, momo. oy, i can see her future. "so, what can you add to the dairy queen family, uhhh...momo?"
we've discovered that the best way to have a great experience here is to just pick a direction and start walking, as "asia is in the alleys." it's amazing what you can find. the other day was some sort of national peace day, and we had the day off, so we picked a direction and just started walking. it was really one of the best things i've done in taiwan yet. pretty near our apartment we found a food market, and a cool little clothes market as well. after that, we decided to walk towards a mountain we could see on the edge of the city. it took us awhile, and on the way we came across an indoor fishing place, where you are able to catch very very small fish and then fry them up yourself. while i dont speak chinese, i am almost certain i understood one girl's body language as saying, "way to give me the worst first fucking date on earth ever." to her new boyfriend. when we finally made it to the top of the small mountain, we were only partially surprised to hear off-key singing emanating from a small entrance. we ventured inside, and were greeted by many overjoyed middle aged asians doing what they do best: karaoke and getting very drunk off very little alcohol. only in asia, could you hike up a small mountain only to find a cave with a karaoke machine and a group of people willing to use it. despite our thinly veiled desire to join them, we were sadly not invited. sigh. we settled for buying beers from them and stumbled to the lookout in the dark. a very beautiful spot with the whole city lit up. unfortunately, it was not quite as romantic as it sounds, and while dave and i both agreed that we could probably think of some people we would rather have been up there with, it was a pretty great find. so, let me know if you ever come to taipei, as i know a beautiful spot for you and a loved one, complete with booze from a cave, a view of the city, and non-optional serenading from a group of wasted asians.
speaking of drunk asian people, one of the funnest things to do near our place is to go wait outside the hotel bar. this hotel bar somehow manages to produce the drunkest people i have ever seen. these people are so drunk that the guy with his own vomit and blood all over himself is the one holding up his friend, who is comatose. there is almost always a few people splayed all over the sidewalk, it's like flanders taipei field over there.
last nite we decided to just walk around another night market and have a few beers, since i for some reason had to work on sunday. this was because there was a holiday on saturday and for some reason they just switched, really rendering the idea of a holiday useless. anyways, it was a pretty lowkey nite, until we found a kids game where you bounce pingpong balls into tubes for points. it didnt take long for the two white idiots to attract a small crowd of wellwishers, fans, and other idiots. the bad news is that there are now most likely a number of pictures of me slamming beers while bouncing ping pong balls into a tube on the internet. the good news is that we won prizes in the form of more plastic suction cup guns than we can ever hope to have a use for. check out the new pics below, with hawaii ones to come soon,
talk soon.
MVP: Allan Ottaway
OK, Lev isn't coming, but I just really like this picture.
