Me or We? Cultural Difference between East and West

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athompson

Joined: Mar 2024
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Me or We? Cultural Difference between East and West


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How does your culture dictate your views on family, individuality, and even sharing food? Explore cultural differences in this animated short.

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40 Comments

  1. TY for this information. This video was made before the COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak of wars in Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and Israel-Palestine. I don't think there clearly exists a demarcation between "me" and "we" societies anymore. Our world has become so geopolitically and environmentally unstable that the "we" philosophy is becoming more dominant in all parts of the world.

    While we, Americans, still pride ourselves in our individualism, we are adopting many aspects of the "we". Large group gatherings are often seen in parks and restaurants where I live. The concept of "family" is broader than it used to be. Our Immediate families are considered anyone who is in our circle of life, i.e.parents, siblings, close friends, neighbors, and trusted work colleagues are our "family" these days. We're not to the same level of "we" as our Asian counterparts, but we aren't too far behind coming out of the pandemic.

    I think the hardest part for me is remembering that there are significant cultural differences that are still in place. I traveled to several countries in the past and enjoyed most of the cultures I experienced (i.e. all except for Italy). I've been to the UK, Germany, France, China, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Belize, Canada, and Australia, My business took me to many places across the USA. In each place, I found elements of both the "me" and "we" philosophies at the same time. I haven't traveled since the pandemic, but I don't think this duality is as rigid as shown here since the global disease forced many people to change how they live their lives. There's more of a philosophical blending.of the two extremes that's taking place today. And as climate change and politics make the world more volatile and immigration increases, 'we" societies will become the only way to survive.

    Again, TY for this discussion. It's an important one needing more of my own understanding. I sometimes forget that there are cultural differences that must be acknowledged and respected. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿค”

  2. Even collectivist cultures do allow some degree of individualism. There is just a more emphasis on societal cohesion. Collective cultures are not usually totalitarian and they should not be perceived as such. I actually find individualism more totalitarian than collectivism because although we have freedom we receive little to no support from others and we are pressured to adapt to the dominant culture just in order to survive and live a normal life.

  3. Thanks for this concise explanation of such an important dynamic I will make a video with an elaboration and my speculation on a main cause of that

  4. ไธป่ง‚๏ผŒๅฎข่ง‚๏ผ›ๆ„Ÿๆ€ง๏ผŒ็†ๆ€ง๏ผ›็›ด่ง‰๏ผŒ้€ป่พ‘๏ผ›
    ็ป้ชŒ๏ผŒๅˆ†ๆž๏ผ›ไธœๆ–น๏ผŒ่ฅฟๆ–น๏ผ›ๅณ่„‘๏ผŒๅทฆ่„‘๏ผ›
    ๅทฆๆ‰‹๏ผŒๅณๆ‰‹๏ผ›ๅฅณไบบ๏ผŒ็”ทไบบ๏ผ›ๅฉ‰่ฝฌ๏ผŒ็›ดๆŽฅ๏ผ›
    ่Œถ้“๏ผŒๅฏไน๏ผ›้Ÿณไน๏ผŒๆ•ฐๅญฆ๏ผ›ๆฑ‰ๅญ—๏ผŒๅญ—ๆฏ๏ผ›
    ๅฎ่ง‚๏ผŒๅพฎ่ง‚๏ผ›ๅœฐ็ƒ๏ผŒๅŽŸๅญ๏ผ›ๅ…‰็บฟ๏ผŒ็”ตๅญ๏ผ›
    ้›†ไฝ“๏ผŒไธชไบบ๏ผ›้›†ๆƒ๏ผŒๆฐ‘ไธป๏ผ›ไธญๅบธ๏ผŒ็œŸ็†๏ผ›

  5. Western life is so much easier than the East. With larger population and limited resources, life is hyper-competitive in the East Asia. In the US and Europe you can learn trades and start small businesses and be able to make comfortable living, but the in East Asia without prestigious education life is a nightmare. Achievement standards for everything are extremely high and nearly impossible for achieve for most of the population. Work hours are extremely long. Highest real estate prices in the world.

  6. Is American culture for real me me me me me or instead is it strength based during the belief that each member's contribution to the team is what makes that team work well together. When each person on a team is earning as much recognition as possible from the people at the top instead of competing with themselves to grow how is that necessarily automatic going to be benefiting the whole of that community? For example a person from any kind of American background would be competing with themselves when it comes to honing their own listening skills to be looking for the best in others.

  7. There is problem in each systemโ€ฆ

    Having lived in eastern culture for most of my life, I can see those flaws closelyโ€ฆ There is always a pressure to conform to a certain role in the society which limits your potential and creativityโ€ฆ This also results in controlling behavior from the elders towards the younger.

  8. I am a strong collectivist living in an individualist selfish country. Itโ€™s hard, because I am useless as an individual and much stronger disappearing into a collective.

  9. ME culture is like the Rabbit and WE Culture is like the Tortoise. In modern human history ME has brought so much perceived benefits to the human civilization through innovation resulting in material comfort, medical advances where as WE has trudged along slowly always behind and trying to catch up to ME to shine its value set but never has up until now. MEs societal problems are snowballing to become almost apocalyptic and the problems run deep. At the core of deep malaise that has set in the world and mostly in western world – failing family nucleus and relationships leading to broken families, leading to substance abuse, infidelity, mental health crisis, gun violence, suicides. Hyper individualism has led to insane wokeism about gender identity, political correctnes, narcissim and constant political infighting. In these crazy times the ME has society rotting away rapidly and finally the shining light is on the WEs who are now looked up to for the stability, peacefulness, selflessness and harmony they bring to the table which longterm is more beneficial for humanity IMO.

  10. In every culture, no matter their gender, creed, or etc., their are good and bad. Sad that those that are bad try to trick others in believing they (the bad) are really good, which is a form of hype.

  11. Brazil is seen as a collectivist society, but it really depends on who and where you are, I'm an individualist, and many people I know are also individualists, especially in big cities.

  12. its a great myth that the Indian culture is collectivist, the religion of Hinduism the dominant religion of my country is a rugged individualist one and is based on the idea that only the individual has a chance as well as the responsibility of realizing god

  13. In America every ethnic group believes in their group has the same stereotypes lol so many people have told me their group is always late, lazy, cheap, etc but we all eat hamburgers and hotdogs.
    American mainstream culture should be protected and promoted โ˜บ๏ธ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‘โค๏ธ