privacy; culture clash

da_blissmachine: The concepts of privacy, personal space/time, "none of your damn business" and "its MY life" seem to be taken for granted by most white Americans whereas they don't exist in my upbringing. It never really caused a problem until college now with a roommate... anyone with thoughts or similar experiences?

prepstudinsc: I think it's an American ideal that has been spread throughout the Western world by our society. I think we all need private space and time, but we can be just plain rude about it.

da_blissmachine: it's considered rude in Indian culture not to touch someone... its considered rude in American culture to touch someone.... damn confusing!

prepstudinsc: It's only rude in America when someone doesn't want you to touch them, however, you have to use ESP to figure out if they want it or don't want it. Then there's the kind of people who dress up like sluts and get pissed off if someone makes advances. We have a pretty screwed up society.

da_blissmachine: yeah I was often called sexist for bringing up modest dressing and dignity in HS. I'm like, and being expected to dress like THAT isn't sexist...

prepstudinsc: There's never anything wrong with a little modesty...we'd all be better off for it if people respected themselves a little more.

da_blissmachine: As I've gotten to the ripe old age of 19 I've realised that a lot of these "freedoms" are opressive in themselves.. .Of coure it may just be my "Third Generation Syndrome"

prepstudinsc: People just don't realize that they are opressing themselves through their so called freedoms.

[quote author=da_blissmachine link=board=meetgreet;num=1067654975;start=0#2 date=10/31/03 at 18:46:34]it's considered rude in Indian culture not to touch someone... its considered rude in American culture to touch someone.... damn confusing! Â*[/quote]
It's pop psychology, Bliss. American culture's full of it.

da_blissmachine: pop psychology? Do explain.

H8Monga: *calling Dr. Phil*

prepstudinsc: Pop-psychology is anything the latest crackpot author/psychologist can come up with to write a book and make a couple of million dollars, all the while laughing on the way to the bank, while the millions of daytime TV watching people march out to their local Barnes and Noble, Borders, or hop on the internet and log onto Amazon go ahead and buy the book, that doesn't say anything enlightening or interesting, or even anything new, for that matter. Ok, that is a major run-on sentence, but I think you all get my drift.....

Tender: [quote author=da_blissmachine link=board=meetgreet;num=1067654975;start=0#6 date=10/31/03 at 18:56:25]As I've gotten to the ripe old age of 19 I've realised that a lot of these "freedoms" are opressive in themselves.. .Of coure it may just be my "Third Generation Syndrome"[/quote]


Well Bliss, it seems at 19 you already are far ahead of the multitudes...
so very true...
**********************

now as for the original Q.

DONT touch ME! :D
and you'd best not look at me either!!
now buzz off,
get off my porch.
thats MINE.
privacy fencing ;D
**********************

speaking of, i wonder how much of this has to do with land ownership? you know in the old days, the important squabbles were over "my cow, or yours?" and this is MY fence....
MY LAND.

well of course now we dont most of us own *land* persay, so perhaps some of that personal *MINE* feeling is transferred to owning *body space*.
ok i have a lousy way of wording things sometimes...but you get the idea...

Tender

longtimelurker: I'd say that this is one of those tags that is usually applied to us as well. I doubt that this is that recent a phenomenon, and I wouldn't be suprised if it didn't stem from the original European immigrants.

I know for a fact that I'm not a touchy-feely person. Some times, some people but generally it just makes me uncomfortable.

In fact, I'd have thought that a more logical cause would be the urbanisation during the industrial revolution. People just wouldn't have lived in such close quarters before and the feel of need for space may well stem from that. In addition, this would link very well with the old Victorian notions of hygiene and cleanliness.

Of course, just my opinion...