Cutthroat White Man

Well, my Board and I are close to being ready to set a date for the commencement of a short term missionary assignment for me in Brazil, so I imagine I will soon have lots of more interesting stories for this blog about Culture Clashing! But for now, here is a funny one from Ghana in 2002.

I was with my Team touring the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in downtown Accra, which has fountains, a museum, and the masoleum of Ghana's first President and the man who led them to independence from British colonization in 1957. Very interesting man whom I am trying to write a movie about, but that's a story for another time.

As we made our way back to our car, we were being bothered by various street vendors who see white people and think "MONEY, MONEY, MONEY" (sing Apprentice theme song for effect). One was particularly aggressive and kept bothering our team and we were dealing with a problem with our van, which had broken down. I tried to shoo off this vendor and finally he left. Another vendor moved in to take his place. Without thinking, I cut him off mid-sentence with a finger pulled horizontally across my upper chest as if to say: "NOT A WORD." He got a terrified look and moved off. Soon I noticed a crowd on the street gathering and talking and pointing my way.

My Ghanaian host, and dear friend, Lydia, asked me what had happened. I explained and she started laughing. "You just threatened to slit his throat. He is afraid of you." I felt terrible. Lydia said it was no big deal, just a cultural misunderstanding and seem very amused. Soon our driver fixed the van, and we left. But I have never forgot the fearful look on that poor man's face. Or the way the crowd stared and gossipped at the cutthroat white man and his friends.

Hope this gives you a chuckle. Just an example of how even our body language can cause culture clashing!

Fighting a Culture of Hate

I often think a lot these days about something I see developing around the world. It has been developing over the course of years, I am sure, but I have really began to take notice in the last three years. That is a culture of hate. Brazilians, for example, often slam America for its' President and his policies, lumping Americans in general with the government. Africans do the same, lumping Americans in with Europeans. And Democrats and Republicans seem hateful toward each other today. We seem to have lot any sense of commonality and instead see only the differences that divide us. I stuggle myself with this, because the lies and exaggerations I so often hear spreading make me angry and resentful. They are distortions of the facts and used to reflect badly on honest people like me who have firm convictions and are highly educated but also deeply passionate about our views and our compassion for others. And more and more this has me wondering: are we building for tomorrow a culture of hate?

I firmly believe there is nothing we could do to more aid the spread of terrorism than allow a culture of hate to develop in our countries. If good, decent people who work hard to love their families and provide for them cannot see past the ideological differences to the fact that they have the same ultimate goals as each other despite this, then how can we hope to help our children have the same goals? They will get lost in the angry ideology and this is what breeds terrorism. Angry ideology with no roots in goals of family, work, and a better life. All they want is to destroy those who do not share their views. Insane ideologists like Osama Bin-Laden feed on this kind of thing and they use it to create terrorist bombers. Think I am wrong? Look at the reactions of the families of young men involved in the July 7 London bombings. Surprise. Dismay. Denial. They never imagined they were raising a terrorist. Never saw their own child headed for this distruction. But look what happened.

Brazil and America have large media infrastructure. In Brazil, there seems to be no sense of the ethical restraints we have so often believe American journalists operate with. But as we are seeing from recent incidents involving Time Magazine, CBS News and more, those ethical restraints are failing even here, and worse, open bias in reporting has become the norm, not the exception. This just feeds the anger of those with a different ideology from those reporting the news and feeds their frustration. It makes them want to fight back to spread their own ideology, and the cycle continues. The culture of hatred gets more ammunition and moves further and further into reality.

In Brazil, and to some degree this is becoming more and more true in the U.S., there is increased deadening of reaction to violence. In Brazil there are more murders per capita in Rio De Janeiro, the second largest city, than in whole countries have in several years. That is just one city. Brazilians killing each other, robbing each other, is a common reality. Though I did meet one Brazilian teenager who denied such things ever occurred. In America, with violence in movies, television, even news outlets, more and more we are not shocked or saddened any more. We just react with resolve: "This is how the world is today." Maybe that is why the problem just gets worse and worse. If we were actually shocked and aghast, maybe we would fight harder to change things.

Some of you may think I am being alarmist, but just pay attention. I would love nothing more than to be wrong about this, but I fear that my predictions will prove true. If that is the case, America must be concerned about homegrown terrorists in its midst. Look at the young Muslims already arrested fighting AGAINST U.S. troops in Afghanistan! What if what happened in London, happens here? We are closer than we know and we all need to take action to reverse the dangerous course.

Future so bright.....

Well, my Board just let me know that they think I can plan on going to Brazil in August or so of next year to begin full time work, on an initial six month approval, training the musicians, worship leaders, and
congregants of First Presbyterian Church, Varginha, Brazil! YAY! I have been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time, and I think my blog will be much richer, and written in much more often as I am more involved in cultural interaction. First, though, I have to review the first 10 and do the last 30 lessons of the Portuguese CD course I spent $80 on which claims to be equal to two years of college study. It sure helped me a lot when I tried it before, so I am sure it will now. I want to complete that by January so I can work with a private tutor for the six months or so before I head to Brazil. HA HA WISH ME LUCK!

Anyway, I am learning more and more how each of us live in a bit of our own culture. I, for example, have what they call TDAH in Brazil or ADHD in America. And I am constantly "culturally challenged" in dealing with others, my Board of Directors, for example. The big challenge is that people who have not lived with ADHD or around it much, just don't realize that at a certain point it is just WHO YOU ARE, and so the problems inherent with it just have to be worked through and dealt with, from the approach that this is how life is for you. Because those problems so often involve the ADHD person's interpersonal interactions, it is a particularly difficult area for people without personal experience with ADHD to accept without thinking: "you can work on this so these problems don't happen." I used to buy into that. And while I have made progress, I have found the progress is not in how others percieve me but how I react to their perceptions and how I handle it when issues arise. There will always be issues like that in my life. There have been for 26 years since I was diagnosed and there always will be no matter how much medication, therapy or life experience I have.

Some on my Board seemed to have the attitude that if I just work a little longer and harder I can work through that and eliminate the issue. Or at least get to the point where it is a minor issue in my life. Personally, I think I am already at the point where it is minor, because incidents of it over the past two years are very few. But it is always something I will struggle with. My best way to deal with it has been to confront it head on: be honest with the key people in my life who will interact with me and explain ADHD, how it effects me, then ask for patience and grace when situations arise. That has worked great at my present jobs since October 2003, so I feel like that is the only way I can face the future. Not that I have not been studying and working on coping skills with a counselor and such, because I have. But there comes a point where only in living one's life as one feels called and desires, can a person truly know and learn how they will be in those situations. And there comes a point where one can only learn to handle situations in those situations themselves.

Anyway, things look good for going. I am very excited. I have prayed for a longer term mission opportunity for seven years. So please pray for me. I think it will go well, and I will learn a lot. With success there is always failure, but if we learn from them and grow, there is no real failure in those situations, in my opinion. If things go as well as I expect, I will be able to continue my work in Varginha for several years. Who knows how much better able to lead Anchored Music Ministries and provide cross culturally relevant leadership development training I will be after such an experience! Anyway, that's a little bit about my own "culture clashing."

By the way, we can do pictures now, so here is one of me at the Zoo in Rio, taken by my girlfriend, Bianca Sousa. We are two BSes. Bryan Schmidt and Bianca Sousa. Tell me God doesn't have a sense of humor.

The Evangelical Culture Divide

Okay, today I decided to blog on something that may not seem in the scope of what this blog is about, but it is bothering me a lot, so I am going to address it. That is what I call the Evangelical Culture Divide.

Recently, as we face the nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice, I heard news reports that evangelicals said they deserve the nominee of their choice because they helped decide the election. I want to say that I have no words for how sick this makes me. I AM AN EVANGELICAL. I VOTED. I am glad to feel my vote counted, but the facts show that most evangelicals had not voted in years. They love to complain about where the culture is going and what the government is doing but they did nothing to exercise their right to have a voice in it. This is like one of the churches criticized in Revelation. They love to complain, but they don't do anything positive about it. Now that they have acted and voted, they want all the power. How does that work? One of the things that Democrats and others offended by the evangelical lobby complain about which is valid (so many are not but really reflect instead the different values they have) is the fact the so many evangelicals mistakenly think they have the duty and obligation to shove their beliefs down other peoples' throats. This has created a huge cultural divide between Evangelicals and everyone else.

Now I should say that there should be a divide based on values and lifestyle. If there was not, there would be something wrong. But the problem is that an attitude of superiority or moral defenders has taken over many evangelical circles and now they label anyone who doesn't agree with them as non-Christian or unsaved, which is very arrogant and unloving, not to mention unbiblical. Who are these people to determine who are saved? And where is the love of Christ in what they are saying? No wonder the world mocks our hipocrisy and misses our witness. It is a shame.

The United States of America was founded on a system of government that changed the world. And it has worked for over 200 years in spite of naysayers because it allows protection for people to speak what they believe, and especially those possessing unpopular opinions. It provides for equal representation for all citizens, and it achieves this as best any system can, I believe. The reality is that our culture is becoming liberal and watered down. If we feel our representation is watered down and liberal, that doesn't mean they are not representing our culture accurately. And while I would like to see this change, it will never change if a small minority demands the power to force their views on everyone else. Evangelicals, unlike some places in the world, are still a minority in the U.S.A. so while we should expect representation from evangelicals in congress like Senator Jim Talent and Senator Rick Santorum, we should neither ask nor expect that we have a right to pick our choice over everyone else's. We have to win fair and square by putting up good candidates who are honorable, decent, and trustworthy, and fight hard to do the right things in spite of the imperfect system in which they work. That is the only way we can effectively hope to impact culture and government. Not by demanding our own way.

I am ashamed that some of those who call themselves evangelicals, some of whom are even influential like James Dobson, have lost the sense of this and are making us all look bad. They are intelligent and successful and richly blessed of God, and yet in their anger and frustration, they have lost their way. We all need to pray for them. And we need to ask God to guard our hearts so that we don't become like them. Then we need to work hard to make sure they don't rule the day and cooler heads prevail. Otherwise, evangelicals will never be taken seriously again.

Pedestrian v. Car

I was in Rio in April and just thought of an interesting cultural difference worth writing about here. There are probably more but life has been a whirlwind since I got back, so I will have to catch them as they come to me. This phenomenon involves the difference in attitude toward pedestrians v. cars on streets in Brazil from America. What is even more interesting is that the attitude varies from city to city in Brazil.

In Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Belo Horizonte, Brazil's three largest cities, you cross the street at your own risk. Even when you are on a crosswalk with a light. Basically pedestrians are regarded as obstacles and nothing else. If you get hit, it is your fault for being there, not the drivers' fault for hitting you. And I am told it would be unlikely someone would be convicted for vehicular homicide for pedestrians struck by his or her car in this manner and killed. Now, in the U.S., of course, pedestrians have the right of way -- as long as they cross in a lawful manner -- even though most drivers tend to forget this from the quick read of the driving laws booklet given to them by the DMV. I mean, after all, we all skimmed it just enough to pass the test. The only time reading it was even partially serious was in high school drivers' ed. And even then, how many really read it thoroughly? But definately, in the U.S., if you hit someone with your car you would be sued and could lose your license. And if they died, you could go to prison for murder, voluntary or involuntary, depending on circumstances. Pretty much if you danced around with glee afterwards, you would likely get voluntary.

Anyway, in Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a smaller city in the interior, I found the attitude was much different. While Brazilian drivers there were as reckless as ever, crossing the street mid-sidewalk was generally much easier and safer than in the larger cities, and required less running for your life. Locals also told me, unlike those in big cities, that pedestrians were much more respected there. And I certainly felt that as I walked around. I will still never forget my first time in belo Horizonte when pedestrians in a crosswalk with a green walking light scattered in all directions as a car came racing blindly up a steep hill and plowed through the middle of them without applying brakes.

All of this points to the difference different cultures place on the value of human life and of personal responsibility. In the U.S., human life is quite valuable and the drivers' are held responsible. In Brazil, the car wins and you were stupid to be there. I am not passing judgement on which is better, but I certainly think drivers do stupid things, too. Some kind of mutual responsibility seems more equitable to me. Maybe that's why I liked Varginha's attitude better. But in the dog eat dog world of cities like Rio, I doubt this will change any time soon. After all, Rio De Janeiro has more murders per capita than any city in the U.S. People are regularly subjected to a level of death and violence that most Americanos cannot imagine. Maybe this in itself desensitizes people to death and thus decreases the value of human life. Maybe death by such a manner is just more accepted as natural and part of the reality of existence because of it. I don't know. I do know I will never casually cross the street in Brazil like I do at home.

Continent-AL Divide

I recently got into an argument with my girlfriend from Rio because their country teaches that the two Americas, South America and North America, are one continent. My geography is a bit rusty, but I remember being taught they are separate continents, and looking at them on a map or globe, this seems clear to me. Yes, Central America runs as a trail down connecting them, but then the Panama Canal completely divides Central America in two (and Panama, too). So, I still think they are not the same continent. They look like landmasses that are totally different in shape and form. And culturally, there is little connection, other than the fact that American cultural influence (North America I mean) is so predominant the world over.

I know this seems like a silly thing to argue about and be concerned with. But then again, what happens if I marry her and we have kids and then my kids start learning this stuff. Do I want them to feel stupid around their friends at school or be mocked because they are learning different truths about geology than their friends? I guess it would depend on where we live. But these kinds of issues can be important to think about, and the truth is, it has me wondering how crosscultural couples deal with it. I also wonder how the world came to have such division in science. Why, for example, does my country still use miles and inches and yards when the rest of the world uses kilometers and centemeters and meters? Why do we use gallons when the rest of the world uses liters? And why are we learning a different system of continents than the rest of the world? How does this help our children be competitive on the world stage and how does it help us understand and communicate in a world which increasingly requires cross-cultural interaction in business and daily living?

I mean, I still have a hard time with Bianca's argument. To me there is Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Antartica and Australia. To her North and South America are combined and Australia is part of Oceana with New Zealand and other islands clearly not connected to it by any land mass if you just use common sense and look at a map. Does it matter for our relationship? Probably not. But it is something we can continue to argue about. She hates when I tell her she is on a different continent. And that cracks me up. But what about children? How will they handle such confusing information? They will be born into a world that increasingly will require them to know how to talk across cultures with people who have learned something that is supposedly scientific yet may be completely different from what they know and have come to believe. How will they do it? Will they become frustrated and angry? Science, as I was taught to believe, is not perfect, and is full of theories, but there are certain indisputable facts, and I guess I thought the continents was one of them. Certainly it ought to be something we can all agree on. I mean, how much is there to debate about? But what about our children? How will they function in such confusion?

Not that I personally put too much stock in science. As a Christian, I don't believe in a lot of scientific theories. A lot of it is just plain bunk based on false pretenses that come from lack of faith in God. Nothing founded without belief in that, in my opinion, is worth much. But a lot of people live their lives that way. And the confusion that is resulting could be very harmful. Don't you think so?

MISTAKEN LOAN

My friend Gerhard from Australia shared an interesting story I want to share with you:

One experience I had was when I was working with a guy who was a Samoan part time Pastor of the Samoan church and who was also doing studies to become a Pastor, and since I was a Christian we had the same interests so I offered him a lend of my most favorite books and audio tapes. But little did I know that if you lend anything to a Samoan it’s just like giving it to him.

So I never saw any of my books and tapes again until about 4 years later when he was sitting in the canteen reading a book, and when I sat next to him he said: Garry this book is really good, you should read it. So I told him to look behind the front cover and when he did he just looked and never said anything, and now 22 years later I’m still waiting for them.

One good thing about it was that the book looked like the whole Australian Samoan community had a lend of it, which makes me think that maybe the idea is that if the person that has the book keeps lending it to the next person it will eventually come back to you, if there are any Samoans here you might be able to tell me if that’s true. One thing though, it might be hard sometimes to adjust to different customs or cultures but don’t you think that when a person is in Rome he should at least try to do what the Romans do. I would be interested to hear if any one else had a similar experience.

God bless you all.

I actually experienced this in Africa. I tried to loan something to one of my students but when I went to get it back, he had written his name on it and incorporated it as his own. I just let him keep it because I didn't want to cause offense, but I have been VERY careful about this in future visits, believe me!

Cross Cultural Love

Okay, well, I guess I am not a very good blogger, because it takes me FOREVER to write these days! I just have not been thinking about Cultures Clashing the way I used to. But I should be, because I am preparing to marry a Brazilian and move to Brazil, so I will be dealing with Culture Clashing as a way of life!

Some people have asked me: Why are you so attracted to Foreign women? Why not an American girl? The answer, to be honest, is that most American women I have dated or wanted to date have been difficult. Either they lied, cheated, or were arrogant. OR they were rude and not ready to be in a relationship with someone who is so dedicated to his work with other cultures. Either way, they were not for me. And it turned me off. American women, in my experience do not appreciate men like me the way that foreign women do. Foreign women see my intelligence and success and work as a positive, not a negative. They want to be involved in it with me, and they are excited about the unique possibilities it brings for life -- travel, cross cultural encounters, constant new experiences and learning. To be honest, I have just had better experiences with the three foreign women I dated than the Americans. There were less games and more opportunities to have honest, open relationship. Obviously, I am not still with two of them, so there were problems. And in both cases, some were cultural. But they were more related to the character and maturity of the other person (and perhaps me as well) than to anything overwhelmingly cultural.

Anyway, I think it does take dedication to date cross culturally and a generosity to remember that you see the world differently and it will take work to sort these differences out and make the relationship work. You also have to compromise a lot. And you have to be willing to accept and appreciate the other person culturally. In some ways, I think being open to compromise is easier in cross cultural dating because there is less expectation that the other person will do things by cultural norms and standards you are used to. So you go into each situation with the expectation that it may be a cultural difference and looking to understand and find compromise. With a person from the same culture, we often just expect them to do things a certain way, and when they don't, that can create frustration and irritation.

Anyway, that is my experience. My present relationship with Bianca is one in a million because we have found acceptance and love that overcomes barriers. I can say anything to her without shame. And she is always there working to sort it out. Even when I am being a pain or foolish, she still is ready to accept and love me through it. I try to do the same with her (though I honestly think she is better at it than I am). And it has been easy to do this with each other in a way I never experienced in other relationships. Cultural issues have not been a big deal. Helpful is the fact Bianca speaks English very well and has spent a year living in America. Additionally, most of the cultural issues we have faced have related to my interacting with her family or other people (or them reacting to me) not our own interaction. We are lucky, I know.

But anyway, that is my thoughts on Cross Cultural Love. At least for now! As the Brazilians say, BEIJOS!

Worship Wars Part 2

Well, I just resolved an interesting issue that actually ties to my last post. There were some accusations made about me from a mission trip in January 2003. Considering how many mission trips I take, that I work in music (which is always a sensitive and touches people to the core), and the degree of differences between my culture and the cultures in which I most often work, this in and of itself is not surprising. It was not pleasant and disappointing, because I did not expect it, because people love to gossip and make more of accusations than they need to, and because I never wanted to do anything but bless the people I was there to serve. Also, the issue came up 2.5 years after the fact and I had been in touch with the people involved a number of times since then. So, it seemed a bit late. But anyway, at core, the elders of a church I visited at this man's invitation iun Goiania, Brasil were upset and felt I was insensitive to their traditional style of worship and cultural situation. Because of a contemporary concert I was brought in and asked to do. But by someone else, not them.

I realized when I got there that the church was more traditional than I expected and I had prepared musical material that might prove challenging. But I also had rehearsed a program with musicians paid to work with me, and it was hard to just switch it around last minute. As I recall, it is hard to remember something 2 years ago, I did adjust my performance style and tone it down a little bit. BUT nonetheless, my host felt he tried to ask me to be more sensitive and I failed to do so. To be fair to myself, he admits he used a subtler way of telling me, and expected, as Brazilians do, that I would fill in the blanks. I did not to his satisfaction, though he says that he himself thought the concert was fabulous and the majority of those in attendance enjoyed it very much. It is just church elders and leaders who later made it an issue. This is most unfortunate as my host was put through the fire. And I had nothing but the best of intentions. Additionally, a local school they sponsor loved me and wants me back, but it is difficult to return given this controversy.

So you see, even in my own work, I have lots to learn. Of course, my awareness of Brazilian culture and even traditional worship culture has grown a lot from my 1.5 years working at a very traditional church recently as well as studying Brazilian culture, interacting with Brazilians, and travelling there more often. So I have grown, and my host in meeting with me agreed that things now would probably be very different. It certainly gives me things to think about and work through as I seek to grow into a better, more sensitive worship leader and trainer.

WORSHIP WARS: Modern v. Old School

Okay, so I am writing twice in a month, hoping to get back on track to doing this at least once a week. We'll see what happens. Today, I am going to take up the topic I hinted at two entries back. There is a conflict I get involved in on a regular basis in my work with Anchored Music Ministries. We in Christendom call it: "The Worship Wars." And it is all too common around the world. In Italy, where my friends have asked us to teach at pastors' conferences about the importance of traditional church music and liturgy and maintaining recognition of the ties to the past. In Brazil and Africa, where churches fight between either being all contemporary music or all traditional, and even refuse to use most musical styles common to their own culture. And in America, where churches sometimes resort to dividing their congregations in two for two distinctive services because both sides cannot agree on how they want to do worship.

Wherever and however it occurs, it saddens me, and I believe it grieves the heart of God. And it is very much CULTURE CLASHING. The heart of the matter, sadly, is failure of people to have generosity of spirit toward one another. And in Christians who claim to follow Christ and model their lives after Him, this is very destructive and, quite frankly, unacceptable. But the battle rages on. We all want to fly in worship. We all want to achieve the high that allows us to feel God's presence most distinctly and fills us with His Spirit so we feel like we can fly. We all want it. The problem is, we all think we should have it every moment and anything that interferes we want outta there! Wouldn't it be great if there was a worship service for a congregation where everyone achieved that high at least at some point throughout the gathering? To me, that is the ideal, but without generosity of spirit it will never happen.

Contemporary music fans can't stand to be bored by the classics, even though there are rich lyrics full of well presented and deep theology. They can't get past the "Thees" and "Thous" and musical style. They see connection between it and their daily lives either, so how can it help them live a life of following Christ in that world? Traditional fans can't stand the contemporary music which is often symplistic and repetitive. They can't stand that it ties to the world outside, either. After all, the church is supposed to be not of this world, isn't it? And it is only complicated in countries like Ghana and Brazil where there is a rich cultural history of musical styles and development deeply connected to people's communities and daily lives, but the church -- both contemporary and traditional -- doesn't use it because they are afraid it has too many sinful connotations with secular life. Even worse, sometimes they think the styles themselves are sinful instead of recognizing it was how they were used that was the real issue.

So here we are, in the midst of a war. And it is frustrating and painful, especially for those who try to bridge the gap like myself and my Board members. At the church where two of us served in that past (and one still does) the pastor thought contemporary music was anything 1960s and beyond and he liked the old stuff. But what the congregation craved was clearly the more modern stuff. He just didn't get it. At the church where I now serve with another Board member, the senior pastor is an old traditional Southern preacher and he likes things tight and traditional. He doesn't connect his own style to contemporary music. My feeling is that we are often so handtied by time limitations and his last minute planning style that we don't get the time to develop really good material. We need to search out the stuff that is well written and has a certain lyrical complexity to more readily match his style and approach. Then I think it would bother him less, but reality intrudes.

This is an issue on which we have gone back and forth many times. My Board member and the pastor are often at complete odds about it and deeply frustrated with one another. I try and surf the middle, which is like walking a tightrope with no balance. But anyway, my head is above water. What saddens me is the pastor really longs to grow the church and give people a deeper experience and the Music Director, my Board member, is immensely talented and he brings such high quality even working under challenging circumstances with limited prep time that if they would just compromise and work together just a little bit more, things could be incredible! It would also help a congregation of upper middle class to wealthy Angl0-Saxons more readily apply their faith to their daily living and business activities, and they need it. I know, I grew up in that world. The challenges of the poort are different from the challenges of the rich, but that doesn't make them any less challenging. Sometimes it is harder to surrender when you have it all.

In any case, this culture clashing really gets in the way of relationships and successful worship in a big way and it is sad. Because truthfully all sides seem to be genuinely seeking a deeper faith experience and communion with God. And they lose out in that because of the Worship Wars. I will think more on this and write more about it later, but it is something to pray about for sure. And it definately fits the topic at hand -- CULTURE CLASHING.

Linguistic curiosities

Hey! Okay, so I don't know that very many people read this enough to miss it, but my last post was well over a month ago! How terrible of me! I never did write about the other issue I was going to bring up, but I will try and post on that next week. Life has just been busy! BUT I will write about an experience I had with my girlfriend Bianca, who is Brazilian, the other night.

In America we have a silly version of the Birthday song that goes like this:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, YOU LIVE IN A SHOE,
YOU LOOK LIKE A MONKEY, AND YOU SMELL LIKE ONE TOO.

Okay, so Bianca was asking me what I said to a friend of mine about her. Jokingly, I said: "I tell him you look like a monkey, and you smell like a monkey, but I like monkeys, so it's perfect." I thought this was so ridiculous as to be amusing, but Bianca was kind of concerned. She said: "But I am not a monkey. And this person doesn't know me." We had some more discussion. Finally, it came out: In Brazil, the term "Monkey" is used this way in the same way people use the term "nigger" in the U.S. Okay, forgive me for using this deplorable word here. But these kinds of misunderstandings happen a lot crossculturally, so I thought it would be useful to examine it a little here, as it is very on topic for this blog.

So in Brazil, black people are called "monkeys" and it is very degrading. She said she knew that I knew she was not black and so she did not take offense, but she did not want me to joke like that around Brazilians because I might make a lot of trouble for myself. And she would appreciate if I not call her that because, even though she knew I was joking and meant no insult, culturally it is not a good thing to hear said about you. No problem. I, of course, apologized, and we moved on. And of course, Bianca missed the joke. I later explained about the birthday song. But she had not heard that in her time living in Miami, Florida. So the humorousness kinda bombed. Oh well. I hate when that happens. But see this is one way I make trouble for myself in Africa and in other places.

I remember doing a similar thing with a friend in Ghana once and people got upset that I was insulting him. They apparently have heard Africans called "monkeys" by whites in a degrading sense. Funny how I forgot all about that until now. BUT truthfully, because I simply adore Bianca, and she knows it, and we have a very playful relationship, I doubt I would have thought anything of it anyway. I would have thought she might get the culture reference and said it. So I am lucky she is patient and forgiving enough to allow me the error, but this kind of error is very important for those of us working cross culturally to note and try and not repeat.

Another example is when we were in Ghana and one of those street vendors so common in Third World countries kept bothering us to buy his wares. I made a sound and ran my finger across my throat to say "silence." A lot of people do this in the U.S. in my experience. Well, he looked very shocked and walked away and told friends and they all stared at me horrified. When I explained to my Ghanaian friend and hostess, she laughed and told me I had just threatened to cut his throat, so he probably thought I was an evil spirit now -- the scarey juju man, Bryan Thomas, bane to innocent Ghanaian street vendors. She and my companions found this quite amusing. I was horrified. That certainly is not the reputation I want in Ghana.

In Brazil the sign we often use for "ok" of the first finger curled back to the thumb with other fingers extended is the same as flipping the bird (middle finger alone extended) in the U.S. My first two trips to Brazil I really struggled to remember that, as sign language was an easy way around the language barrier. I did this several times without thinking. Luckily my Christian friends in Brazil were not only gracious but aware of the American use of this, so they did not take offense. But anyway linguistic curiosities, whether verbal or body language, do matter in this type of work. Please write of any other incidents or issues you have discovered, so we all can learn from them.

Be blessed!

Crowds and Culture

Okay, I have been very bad at blogging this year. Part of it is just my general busyness, and part is the desire to actually have something to write about. Today, I can think of two things, but I will save one for next week and hope it helps me get back on track.

I just went last Friday night to a Carnaval Party at Panama Reds, a local bar/club which hosts Samba Bom, St. Louis and Chicago's own Brazilian samba specialists, once a month. Usually it is on a Saturday night, so, because of my work at the church early Sunday, I don't get to stay, but this time, I was there until 3 a.m. when things wound down. That took a while. The band stopped at 2:25 and I assumed we would all head to our cars, but people just started talking and mingling all over again. I was irritated because my host wanted to leave like 1:30 and so I got my coat and the coat of our Brazilian friend ready, because I figured we would soon be leaving. My Brazilian friend saw me with the two coats and ignored me, while others looked at me as if I was some fool who couldn't enjoy himself. Then the host who wanted to leave sat there and did nothing to gather up the rest of our group. Finally, at 2:15, I told our mutual friend that the host was waiting to leave and waiting on her. My Brazilian friend said: "She needs to tell me that, not you." And went back to partying. More annoying, when it finally was time to leave, she walked past and told me she was riding with someone else but our host was waiting for me. I went back to our host, who was really the Brazilian friends' friend and hardly new me, and she acted surprised I needed a ride, because she thought I was going with my Brazilian friend. So I just gave up and caught a ride with other friends who were headed my way. To say I was annoyed was a bit of an understatement. I considered the behavior of both of them to be inconsiderate of me. And I don't think it is necessarily a cultural thing. I personally think rudeness like this transcends culture. I mean, I have thought about it a lot since then, and I can't imagine that anyone else wouldn't be offended by it in any culture. What do you guys think?

Another interesting thing I noticed was that the place was almost twice as crowded as it has been past samba nights I have attended. And people were acting very Brazilian about it. What do I mean? When I rode the public buses in Belo Horizonte this past August, I found that at crowded times people walked around and pushed their way through as if it wasn't. Sitting practically on top of you or shoving past you. No "excuse me" or "please let me through" like we are accustomed to in the U.S. (Except rude, mostly urban teenagers who act that way on public transportation along with obnoxious laughter, talking, cussing, and berating anyone who looks at them funny!) They just pushed through and went where they needed to. When the doors opened, no matter how many got off (always at the back) or how crowded the bus clearly was, people boarded (at the front). It was crazy. I would have waited for the next one myself, except I was already on it and pushing my way out along with the three or four others with me, did not seem to be something I could easily accomplish so I stayed put. At the club, people brushed past me, walked through, etc. in the same way.

Now, I can admit, I am not big on the club scene. I don't go out partying a lot or stay up late drinking. Just not who I am at 36 years old (this coming Sunday) and never something I was that fond of. I will dance with someone whose company I enjoy and enjoy the music, which I very much did on Friday night from a bar stool. In fact, I spent a lot of time listening to the rhythms and instrumental arrangements and words to see how it all comes together, as a musician. I did try dancing but found my clumsiness and the fast pace challenged each other. But I honestly was not drawn to the dance floor to rub up against complete strangers, many drunk and disorderly. It just wasn't appealing to me. I did dance off the side with friends and move to the rhythms where I was. I did chat with some interesting people and make some potentially useful contacts. I met more Brazilians from Belo and from Ouro Preto and other places I had been. But trying to get to the bathrooms was a nightmare and someone would see you coming and just move in the opposite direction as if they owned the right of way. Another time, I tried to just go with the flow and move past people, not worried about bumping and such. But was accosted by a drunk accusing me of being rude and arrogant. So again, I am confused about how to navigate this cultural phenomenon comfortably.

I have noticed similar crowding on public transportation in Ghana, West Africa also. Perhaps the rest of the world is just more comfortable with body contact that we are in American culture. Perhaps the realities of cost of living negate such concerns. Perhaps you do get used to it. I think the bombardment of noise and smells and shifting bodies is not at all something I could get used to, but if I live with it for a while, who knows. I do recognize it as startlingly different from what I am used to, though, and also in a setting that I am not commonly accustomed to. I did ride the Metrolink for six months, daily, last year, so I have some idea of the realities of public transportation and some of the manners and customs/etiquette do indeed seem cultural. I also noticed that in Ghana, when I rode the tro tros (minivans and such acting as taxis always stuffed to the brim with people) I was offered the front seat frequently, presumably to allow me not to be crushed in amongst the Africans in the back. At the time, I kind of felt like they were denying me the full experience, now I guess I am not so reticent about it.

Anyway, how people in America and Africa and Brazil deal with crowds is certainly interesting. Perhaps I have not provided a very deep insight on the topic here, but it is something to think about as we all live and move and observe this aspect of our cultures and other cultures as well.

Immaturity Worldwide

More and more I am becoming aware of one thing that all countries seem to have in common, and it is really sad, a proliferation of immature people, who mistake themselves for intellectuals, thinking they have the need and obligation to comment on anything and everything. They do so in blogs, newspapers, chat rooms, etc. And their comments are usually rants full of insults, demeaning remarks and such which clearly demonstrate not only their own immaturity but their ignorance of the topics under discussion. From foreigners, these rants are often anti-Americans in general. From Liberals, they are anti-conservative. From conservative, anti-Liberal. No one among them wants to look hard at themselves and the world around them and see that we all really have much more in common than different these days. No one among them wants to build on that foundation to build a better world. No, that would actually require intellectual thought and hard work, something they avoid like the plague. It is more fun to just hurl insult after insulting, wasting whatever mental capacity they have, to come up with what they think are clever plays on words or new ways of saying the same old insults.

Think I am being harsh? I know, Christians are supposed to have the love of God for everyone. But even Jesus got angry in the temple at ignorant people who were abusing God's house solely to benefit themselves. I get annoyed by ignorant people who abuse the gift of breath and a brain to be generally unpleasant and attempt over and over again to prove their superiority over everyone else. It never works. They always show how ignorant they really are. But they are the only ones who don't see it, them and others like them. And so the rest of us are stuck wading through this garbage to find the gold or the nuggets of truth and real information we can learn and grow from. I guess, what I am ranting about really, is the large number of aimless people who just aren't doing anything with themselves to make a difference in anything they complain about.

I know life is busy. I work two jobs, 55 hours a week, neither of which I am all that passionate about, to pay for student loans for a degree neither requires me to use, but which keep me from pursuing my real passion -- full time missionary work. I make sacrifices of my time, money and energy to find every opportunity to use my gifts and indulge my passion and help people. I guess I work too hard for those other people. But I feel like we can complain until we are blue in the face, but if nobody ever stops complaining and starts working, what will ever get done?

Anyway, that's one reason I started this blog. And now I started a CULTURE CLASHING community in Orkut to help further the dialog, get stories to tell here, let people know what I am doing, and above all, learn from other people. I want to be culturally sensitive. I want to have as broad of a cultural awareness as I possibly can. I want to be culturally educated. And I need other people's perspectives to accomplish it. So far, no one reading this blog has taken me up on it, but I challenge you this year -- put your experiences to good use and post them here in comments, in your own blog (but be sure and let me know about it so I can read and learn from it), or -- for my friends on Orkut -- please feel free to post them in the CULTURE CLASHING community there.

Let's be honest, we all have experiences where despite our best intentions we end up having misunderstandings with others. Usually these are the results of different world views, coming together. Sometimes, they are the result of our own or others' misinterpretations of what we or others say and do. Sometimes they are just what happens when two different people try and come together. It's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to be sad that they happened. It's okay to be embarrassed, but I think it's important to also let others benefit from the wisdom of your experience, so, if nothing else, they can learn and grow from your mistakes. If we all can talk about these things, I think people from the Middle East reading what Americans say here, might actually come to understand us better and be able to respect and relate to us more effectively. And Americans reading what Brazilians say here can actually learn to respect and relate more effectively to Brazilians. Etc, etc. That's my goal for this blog and the Orkut community. I can't succeed without your help. So welcome aboard, and please, let me know you're out there! It'll only make this better and more helpful to all of us!

Don't worry, if you want to remain anonymous, I will let you. Please don't let that keep you from sharing your wisdom. I, for one, want you to help me grow. Happy blogging!

Feliz Ano Novo!

Happy New Year! Well, I have not even visited for a while. So I guess I am behind, but what a crazy two weeks, I have had! I hope all are well and wish you the best success in 2005!

I will have a new experience this year visiting Italy for the first of two trips in November to teach at two conferences, one in Milan, the other in Sicily. It should be an interesting time. Will be hosted by and staying with, in between, my friends Joel and Jessica Rinn in Ferrara, Italy. I hope to get their thoughts on culture sometime featured here. But it will be my first chance to teach in Europe, my first visit to Italy, and my first time in Italy other than airport connections in 20 years! So, I am looking forward to it! I also am actively searching for a job that can pay enough for me to continue paying off my student loans while living and working elsewhere. Brazil has been my main focus, but I would be open to other possibilities if they arose.

For me, who writes about and thinks about crosscultural life, and who interacts crossculturally on a regular basis both online and in daily life, to finally live full time in another culture is a learning experience I have long awaited. Think how much richer this blog will be! Plus, I really feel I will grow in my ability to function crossculturally, as well as my understanding. And this will prepare me for the future I desire and missionary and researcher. So we will see what happens. I have already had one woman who owns an English school in Brazil respond to my mention of it in my Orkut.com profile. So we will see where that leads.

Anyway, I will write again soon about something more on topic. But for now, Happy New Year and may God richly bless you in the days and weeks to come!

Feliz Natal!

Oi, todos! Tudo bem? Hoje estou com saudade para meus amigos e minhas familias no Brasil. Estou achando sobre Natal para eles. Eu fiquei triste porque eles sao muito especial para mim, mas eu nao posso emborar ai.

Hello, everyone! How are you? Today, I am missing my friends and my family (adopted) in Brazil. I am think about Christmas for them. I became sad because they are very special to me, but I cannot be there. So, maybe we could talk a little about Christmas in Brazil. The tradition of my host family is that they will go to Christmas Eve service at 8 or 9 p.m. and return home around 11 to have their midnight feast, open presents, etc. late into the night.

My American family will be attending church at my parents' church, where we grew up, perhaps for the last time, as Dad is retiring and they are planning to build a house in another town closer to the grandkid. After our candlelight service, around 7:30 p.m. it starts, we will return home and perhaps watch a movie or read, then go to bed, get up and open presents on Christmas morn, but usually we have breakfast first. My mother insists. When we were younger, forget about it. We woke them up early and tore into those presents. But my Mom has trained the grandkid to wait. And so, unless it's under the tree and unwrapped, he does. Breakfast will be Swedish tearing (from Mom's cultural background), a sausage and egg caserole which is fabulous, and eggnog or orange juice. Sometimes we also have a frozen fruit salad as well.

Then it's time for the greed! HEH HEH HEH. I am having a hard time getting enthusiastic about Christmas this year. It has been so hard for me. I lost my second fiance in five years. And this time, she broke it off, and I have no idea why, except, by the way she did it, I know she is not for me. Very selfish person. I am so in debt from the seminary degree that I am not even using, that I can't fulfill my dream and hit the mission field. I feel like I have not accomplished much at 35, and yet I have been to Africa 4 times, Brazil twice, Europe several times, and taught and performed music, I had a national Christian single that was in the top 200 Christian radio stations and still gets airplay. I have released two albums, written songs that are sung in churches around the world in several languages. But I am not where I wanna be. And I am alone without children. And I just am losing hope about that. I am frustrated that God gave me the desire for these things yet He keeps allowing me to fail in these areas. It just doesn't seem loving to me. So I guess, if you pray, you can pray for me about that. Because I am really angry about it. And I don't know what to do.

Anyway, I didn't plan on writing about this here, but oh well, holiday nostalgia. Hey, I'm not even sure that many people read my rantings on here anyway. Just know of one or two. So, I hope your Holidays are blessed and great! May God richly bless you in the year to come! Mawu nayra wo ka ka ka!

Cultures Clashing: Brasil v. Estados Unidos (USA)

Talk about Cultures Clashing! Since I have taken an interest in Brazil, and visited twice, I have realized how similar the United States and Brazil are in many aspects. So it makes me sad to see our countries seemingly so diametrically opposed.

While the U.S. dominates North America, Brazil dominates South America. It is the largest economy in Latin America. The US economy is the largest in the world. And while the US shares the continent with only Mexico and Canada, Brazil shares with Peru, Columbia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and several other lesser known countries as well. And it is surrounded by countries that speak Spanish, while Brazilians speak Portuguese. At least the US has the advantage that English, as a language, dominates the world. Sure, not everyone speaks it, but it is studied in school systems all over the world and remains regarded as a key language for those in international business and government to learn.

Brazil has rich natural resources, as does the U.S. And it has mountains, prairie, savannahs, and also jungle (unlike the U.S.). Brazil has a polyglot of people of different ethnic backgrounds from Germany, Italy, Japan, the Middle East, and Africa, among other places. And each of these peoples have brought elements of their culture into the Brazilian landscape, creating a cultural polyglot. In fact, I would dare say that their original cultural ideas have been more largely adopted by larger Brazilian society than that of similar immigrants to the U.S. Like the U.S., Brazilian cities have German or Italian or Japanese neighborhoods and cuisine.

In geographic size, the two countries are very similar. And there are citizens of Brazil whose own personal wealth could easily compete with the U.S.' Donald Trumps and others. But the degree of separation between rich and poor and virtual lack of a middle class is something that distinguishes Brazil from the U.S. One study in 1995 showed that around 60% of the land was owned by 10% of the population, while 10% of the population had 90% of the wealth.

Like the U.S., Brazilians have a well developed media and entertainment industry with standards for television and film and music comparable and competitive world wide with U.S. product, unusual for a Third World country. You can say the same about advertising and marketing and fast approaching, telecommunications. Brazilians have one of the largest percentage of online users in the world. And cell phones are rampant. The consumer mentality of Brazilians in the upper classes is also very much like that of most Americans. But the economy has products that range in price from more expensive to comparable to very less expensive than the same products in the U.S. I like shopping in Brazil because I can often get a lot more for my money. Products like DVDs and electronics, though, can be more expensive, so I am selective in what I buy. But clothes, CDs, some books, food, handcrafted items, art, and many things are great deals. Even film developing and film itself. Whereas in Africa I can get 4 times what I could here for these items, in Brazil, I at least double, if not triple my money.

But a lot of Brazilians resent America. Why? 1) We call ourselves America. And they are in America, too. How pompous of us! (A lot of other Central and South American countries feel this way, as well as, Canada, too. We should really be more sensitive.) 2) We dominate the world economically and militarily in many ways. 3) Our culture permeates the world. Everywhere in the world people lust after American music, television, movies, clothing, electronics, etc. And often to the detriment of their own traditions and cultures. Truth is, when you travel around a lot and see how it is, it is not hard to understand the resentment. But often I feel the resentment of a lot of Brazilians is particularly sad, because their country often acts economically like the U.S. and has begun doing so militarily. It dominates its economic spectrum very much like we do.

I and many Brazilian friends were all excited when Lulu became Brazil's President and we all agreed that if he could only have an honest term, he could change Brazilian politics forever by showing them a new way is possible. He has tried. Though some key advisors have tried to screw it up. And the scariest part is Lulu is befriending diehard communists like Castro and moving Brazil in that direction. Brazilians may only be beginning to see the dangers of that. If they think they should have more and be more, just wait until they see the cost of communism. And Lulu frequently badmouths the American administration and makes it difficult for the U.S. to work with him. He makes strong demands that the U.S. often denies because they are only in Brazil's best interest, not the interests of the U.S. Because of this, though, many Brazilians say America is bullying them and trying to control them. But in reality, their President and ours are both putting their countries first. Isn't that what they were hired to do?

A lot of the anger comes from the war situation. Because the American economy was heavily impact and thus America's involvement all over the world lessened and it hurt every other economy that depends on us, including Brazil. Furthermore, U.S. interference in the government of other nations is regarded as more U.S. bullying into other people's interests. So a lot of people really resent it. But Brazil has its own similar history of bullying, though perhaps on a smaller scale, its neighbors economically and physically. And I think Brazilians tend to forget that and miss the reality of how much positive effect the U.S. work in Afghanistan and Iraq can have for the whole world in the long run. Yes, we are waiting to see. But dictators like the Taliban and Sadaam are never good for the world. Brazilians should remember more of their own history, with the military dictatorship and Vargas, among others. Were they as extreme as Sadaam? In silencing their critics with prison terms and torture, yes. In other ways, perhaps not. But nonetheless, I am surprised more Brazilians do not seem to recognize the parallels.

As Brazil continues to stretch her wings, acting as a peacemaker for the U.N. in Haiti and building its economic block, it will be interesting to see how many more parallels develop. I for one, hope Brazil can become more like the U.S. in equity between poor and rich. The U.S. is far from perfect, but there is a lot Brazil could immulate. I would like to see Brazil parallel the U.S. in education and jobs training programs. I would like to see Brazil become considered no longer Third World. But I hope Brazilians can see through their frustrations and distaste to find what is good to learn from us, as I hope we can do the same and learn from them. I think we both have a lot to contribute to each other. And I think the world would be a better place if we did.

Blogging

Okay, as I've been doing this now for a couple of months, I feel it's time to comment a bit on the experience. I am a bit disappointed, I confess that I have not had much response. But the other day I got an email from Adalton Nascimento, who is a Brazilian brother, working with World Vision on Los Angeles, my old home. He is having, as he describes it, my opposite experience. But he felt my blog was fair to Brazil and a balanced view, for an American. So I appreciate that. It is what I have been trying for. Here is a link to his blog. It is in Portuguese, so don't go there if you can't speak the lingua:

http://palhacinho.blogspot.com

Thanks, Adalton. I look forward to dialoging with you about your experiences and invite you to interact with me here. You wrote me in Portuguese, but I am assuming you can speak English, as life in L.A. without it would be very challenging!

I hope there are others of you out there. I really would like to hear from you. I want to dialogue about your impressions of your own culture, of life, and of my opinions. I want to learn and grow from you, and I hope you can learn and grow from me. I have travelled a lot more, than most people. I have been overseas 7 times since the year 2000. And I have interacted with people from a lot of different cultures who come to St. Louis and whom I meet at other places. And I also interact with lots of cross cultural folks on the web as well. I have strong opinions, but I hope I am as fair and accurate as I try to be in representing other peoples' cultures, even when I disagree with them.

That being said, I will try and post more later this week, when I get inspired. But I need to hear from you here for this to work. Make comments. Let's dialogue with one another. There's so much to learn!

Thanks. Deus te abencoe, Mawu nayra mi ka ka ka, God Bless You!

Animals, Cable and Excesses

Okay, today's post may sound a bit arrogant. I do not intend it that way. I am not looking down on anyone. Nor in any of these posts, though I always feel free to express my strong opinions. I mean, it is my blog. You can get your own and do the same thing. But that being said, there is a phenomenon that I want to comment on.

What is it with poor families having an abnormally large number of animals? My friend V. in Brazil is in a family of 7. They are poor. They have 4 dogs, 25+ chickens, 12 monkeys, and 1 cat. My friend A. in Missouri is poor with two boys. She has 7 cats. My friend C. in Africa has 4 kids, her husband and various nephews and nieces living with her, and 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 goats, and several chickens. These are people who have trouble supporting their families. They have told me so. So why do they spend money feeding all these animals? I mean, yes, they eat the chickens and their eggs. Yes, they get milk from the goats, and occassionally use them for meat. But the dogs and cats? And why so many? This is a phenomenon that I just don't understand.

I have one cat. I have no wife, no kids. And my budget is always barely squeezing by. I love animals. I would love to have a lot more. I cannot afford it. In fact, if I was this poor when I heard of her, I probably wouldn't have Lucy either. But thank God I do, as the companionship is important. But I notice more and more people who are poor with multiple animals. That just doesn't make sense to me. As I said, I love animals, but when it comes to buying Lucy food and my own, I win. I buy her food, but she doesn't eat as well as I do sometimes.

There are a lot of these kinds of choices made by people living on or below the poverty line that puzzle me. For example, a recent study I saw showed that 90 percent of them pay $50 or more per month for cable. Yet they cannot afford dental care, and have rotting teeth. They cannot afford doctors, and have medical problems. They cannot afford food and are malnourished. I just don't understand that. You can get 10 channels with just an antenna. I pay $11.80 a month and get 25 channels. Is that not enough? Is it not more sensible to buy a VCR one month and rent movies? I mean, that would be a LOT less money in the long run.

I think the consumer culture is very addictive and escapism is becoming a normal way of life around the world. When you investigate, you find that one reason so many poor place a high value on entertainment is to escape from the depressing realities of their lives. And they seem to need a lot of options to do it, so they all get satellite dishes or HBO and Expanded Basic.

I was in Brazil staring up at these amazing favellas. Shanty after shanty built of scraps on slanting hillsides. Barely room to walk between them. No plumbing. No public power. And poking out from rooftops and windows were satellite dishes!!! It blows my mind! They ran their own power lines, siphoned off electric poles (at great personal risk) to run them, too! It is mind boggling! Sure, poor people deserve entertainment, too. Absolutely. But I think priorities are a bit screwed up. I would choose sanitary conditions first. I mean, not all of these are legal setups and neither are the power lines running them, but nonetheless, it seems confused.

I think our consumer culture has many of us thinking we are entitled to things that are luxuries and nonnecessities. I make those choices every day, but I am more and more conscious of them. Some people, I honestly believe, don't see things the same way. To them, cable or satellite is actually more of an essential than getting a dental filling!

The sad thing is that many governments think the same way. In African nations, money is blown on all kinds of perks for the poiliticians while roads are washing away with the rain and infrastructure and basic necessities are pipe dreams for a majority of the people. And while citizens complain, they often don't do so on the basis that it is irresponsible government. They just complain that they are denied such luxuries. I mean, who needs roads and power and water? They steal what they need. Why shouldn't they? The government is stealing from their tax dollars to live in luxury?

In Brazil 10 percent of the population has 90 percent of the wealth. These people have lifestyles beyond belief, yet people across the street are starving. There are numerous examples around the world. Even in the U.S. I think we really need to reexamine the cultural values and ideas that allow such inequalities to exist and create such distorted priorities! I think the God given right argument is much more applicable to the right to have good access to hospitals, doctors, and schools than it is to any right to MTV and HBO. I guess I kinda wish a lot more people felt the same way. Maybe we could change things.

The Arrogance of Javally

One of my favorite sites www.brazzil.com was hacked yesterday by some character calling himself Javally and claiming he was a Brazilian hacker and superior intellect. The irony is this character complained of anti-Brazil Americans and expressed the usual anti-Bush/anti-American dominance sentiments on a website founded by Brazilians living in America and that features articles where Brazil is most often viewed positively. In fact, a large number of articles are written by Brazilians or people presently living in Brazil. In fact, some of them even criticize America and its foreign policies in a similar vein to this Javally character. Apparently the superior intellect doesn't bother to read the sites he hacks, or he would have known that.

To me, this arrogance of the hacker types is amazing. They invade people's lives and do destructive things and then act as if it is all in good fun. What a sad statement on where morality is going if young people think criminal acts against others are all fun and games. I feel the same way about those recently convicted for spamming. The perpetrators' made statements to the effect of "nothing we did hurt anyone" or "we did nothing bad." I for one hope they throw them in jail for a number of years. Because I am sick and tired of the 100+ spams I have to clean out of my email daily. It is ridiculous. But this attitude, to me, in indicative of a moral failure in society. And not just American society, either, but worldwide.

Mutual respect and understanding is a fundamental value necessary to any civilized society. Yet somehow we seem to have lost that along then way. There was the old saying in America: "My rights stop where yours begin." The idea is that you have freedom to be who you want to do, do what you want to do, say what you want to say, until it encroaches on the same freedoms which are someone else's. So we have a point where we all need to compromise in order to live civilly with one another. This is a hallmark of all civilized societies. I have seen it in Europe, in Brazil, in Africa. But there seems to be a lot of people in my generation and younger who just don't get it. People like this Javally, lost in their arrogance and overinflated sense of self-importance. And they bite the hand that feeds them -- trampling on the rights of people who
even agree with their core ideas.

While I have no problem with folks like this being thrown in jail, as they need to be awakened to reality, I often wonder what good it serves. Will they become more jaded? More criminal? What we really need is to reeducate their values so they can use their gifts and intellect (no one can deny they have talent and brains) to positive, constructive purposes. Imagine what they could to then? I have noticed this attitude creeping into American dialogue more and more. This past election, Americans adamantly disagreed and could not find any common ground or areas or compromise. Families were divided, friendships destroyed. In Ghana and Brazil, I have often been dismayed by the negativity of the politicking. How they slam one another with incredible statements daily. How they assassinate each others' character. How they always find the negative slant on everything the other candidate or party does. Yet they get together after and laugh and have a beer or a meal together like it's nothing. It always seemed very strange to me. But now I am thinking we have something to learn from them. Maybe we need thicker skins.

To me, the answer to these two delimmas must lie somewhere between improved moral character and willingness to accept differences. I pray that our country can move in this direction, and I pray that other countries will as well. This is not a culture specific issue -- it is of interest to all civilized humanity.

Public Perceptions

It is interesting to me how many discussions I've had with foreigners who think that only they get the truth from the press. Generally, they argue that our press (American) lies to us and tells us only what the President wants us to hear, while their press shows the real truth. This from people in countries like Brazil, whose President Da Silva recently suggested censorship of the press and the Middle East where the press are virtually arms of the local government and heavily controlled. We think we have press bias!

Anyone who looks at the facts can see that the press in America is biased today. They report stories negative to people they favor and barely touch on the positives. There are numerous examples. During the recent Presidential campaign, they were very quick to downplay positive aspects of the Iraq War than the negative stories of prison scandal and death tolls. This negatively impacted the President. There are other examples. Stories even get promoted more because they negatively impact the competition -- repeated stories about Fox News' conservative bias from all other more liberal news organizations. The slamming of the Dan Rather story by everyone but CBS News, where he works. Tell me that doesn't show bias of its own! The sad thing is it wasn't always this way.

As recently as the 1970s, Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America. He served CBS News for decades! He was renowned for his fairness and impartiality. Newspapers went out of their way to edit out biases in reporters' stories and to assure the public got both sides, well presented, of every issue. So what happened? My opinion is that this is the result of a general watering down of our values. I think that is something European countries went through several decades ago. But now it is happening here.

The election of John Kerry would have brought support for a number of policies that would change the American identity, because they would negate long standing morals and beliefs on which this country was founded, and on which our traditional American character has been built. The artistic community and press have cried out about Bush's reelection because he has the opposite agenda. Somehow artists and press today have become smitten with their own knowledge and influence. They have bought into the old lie that they are better or higher beings and therefore deserve to tell other lesser beings how to vote and how to think. By way of contrast, when you study history and look at people like William Shakespeare, Rembrandt, George F. Handel, J.S. Bach, Leonardo Da Vinci and others, they have one common strain -- respect for their own human limitations and expectation that there remain things all around us that were created by a being higher than ourselves. It is evident all over their work. Yet it is not so evident in the work of arrogant artists like Michael Moore or Tim Robbins today.

This is sad for all of us. Because this nation was founded on Christian principles "under God, indivisible." Yet now there is a growing divide. And at the root of it is a lack of respect for those of other ideologies and beliefs than our own. It is disturbing that the nation of freedom is becoming a nation of freedom to only be honest with those who agree with you. If we continue in this direction, America will lose its world influence and solidarity with drastic consequences. How can we stand up as examples to the whole world of liberty and compassion, when we can't stand to let our neighbor speak his mind? How can we stand up as example to the world of unity despite differences, when those who don't get their way would rather immigrate to Canada than stay and examine how we got to a place where this land might not be the place we want to live? I think now, more than ever, America needs self-examination. We need to figure out what we've lost and discover how to bring it back. It begins with reexamining our own biases and demanding of ourselves that we not force our opinions on those around us. But the problem is, far too many Americans could never even agree on that.