Saturday, April 2, 2011

Book Reading #28: Coming of Age in Samoa

Chapter 9

Summary:

The Samoan people have a sense of fatalism ingrained in their culture about the way people are in such a way that they tend to merely accept someone for the way they are and not have a great level of curiosity as to what the reasons behind it are. They do not have great differentiating in their comparative language as is found in other languages.

In their descriptions of each other, the information provided tends to revolve around descriptions of the individual as to gender, age, and other traits and to some of their activities. Judgments about why the way they are and negativity over it doesn't enter in unless the individual is perceived to be stuck up.

Discussion:

It seems that other languages and cultures provide a richer vocabulary when it comes to description of individuals. However, I think that it may also lead to worse gossiping and possibly more hurtful things being said and portrayed of others. My hope is that with this larger range of expressiveness we can learn as people to treat each other better and more honorably.

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