(no subject)
May. 14th, 2005 11:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forsythThere are many parts of "Western" culture I like. What with, y'know, living in it and all.
But I think one of the ones I appreciate the most, especially in American culture, is this. We don't bow. Nobody bows to other people when meeting, the closest you get is a nod. Mostly, we shake hands. The only people who bow regularly are entertainers, to their crowds, a long held-over tradition. And diplomats, when dealing with cultures where bowing's important.
Why do I think this is good? Partly because I think bowing's stupid. But also because bowing is a show of servility, and of lower status, and that kind of thing. It's formalized cringing, a civilized showing of the throat to acknowledge the alpha. It's the manifested version of animal traditions going back millions of years. And I'm glad it's gone, forget that.
"All men are created equal," remember that bit? As not-literal as it may be, as misused and ignored as it's been, it's still one of the greatest gifts from people like Jefferson. And by eliminating bowing, we've managed to make it an ingrained part of the culture, to an extent. Yeah, sure, the CEO has a fancy car, and admirers and flunkies and everything else, but the janitor doesn't have to grovel as he goes past. When he meets an employee, they greet each other as equals, not as part of ancient dominance rituals.
Yes, it's a little thing. And yes, it's largely meaningless, or seems that way to us. But fish don't notice water. You may say it has no practical matter, and it probably doesn't. The rich still have their money and all the other levers of power available to them. They don't need their staff to bow to them to reinforce it. But it's a subtle, mostly background thing. The CEO's just a man. The President's just a man (until, I suppose, we have a woman, or robot, or something). It's constant, visual proof that they're just people. The ancient genetic programming of dominance doesn't get triggered by pointless display. It's an amazing bit of propaganda, when you think about it. And effective! Nobody even notices it any more.
Maybe it doesn't matter in the long run, and the "alphas" still get whatever they want. And maybe I'm just oversensitive since I wanna be a writer. But sometimes, it's the smallest background clues that tell you the most.
And if you want to ever make a character seem petty and unlikable, make him insist on anybody "below" him bowing. And make a big deal out of it. (appropriate period drama notwithstanding, though it'd be hard to convince a modern Western audience that it matters that much.)
Tags: Mindscribbles, Language, Life, The Universe, and Everything
But I think one of the ones I appreciate the most, especially in American culture, is this. We don't bow. Nobody bows to other people when meeting, the closest you get is a nod. Mostly, we shake hands. The only people who bow regularly are entertainers, to their crowds, a long held-over tradition. And diplomats, when dealing with cultures where bowing's important.
Why do I think this is good? Partly because I think bowing's stupid. But also because bowing is a show of servility, and of lower status, and that kind of thing. It's formalized cringing, a civilized showing of the throat to acknowledge the alpha. It's the manifested version of animal traditions going back millions of years. And I'm glad it's gone, forget that.
"All men are created equal," remember that bit? As not-literal as it may be, as misused and ignored as it's been, it's still one of the greatest gifts from people like Jefferson. And by eliminating bowing, we've managed to make it an ingrained part of the culture, to an extent. Yeah, sure, the CEO has a fancy car, and admirers and flunkies and everything else, but the janitor doesn't have to grovel as he goes past. When he meets an employee, they greet each other as equals, not as part of ancient dominance rituals.
Yes, it's a little thing. And yes, it's largely meaningless, or seems that way to us. But fish don't notice water. You may say it has no practical matter, and it probably doesn't. The rich still have their money and all the other levers of power available to them. They don't need their staff to bow to them to reinforce it. But it's a subtle, mostly background thing. The CEO's just a man. The President's just a man (until, I suppose, we have a woman, or robot, or something). It's constant, visual proof that they're just people. The ancient genetic programming of dominance doesn't get triggered by pointless display. It's an amazing bit of propaganda, when you think about it. And effective! Nobody even notices it any more.
Maybe it doesn't matter in the long run, and the "alphas" still get whatever they want. And maybe I'm just oversensitive since I wanna be a writer. But sometimes, it's the smallest background clues that tell you the most.
And if you want to ever make a character seem petty and unlikable, make him insist on anybody "below" him bowing. And make a big deal out of it. (appropriate period drama notwithstanding, though it'd be hard to convince a modern Western audience that it matters that much.)
Tags: Mindscribbles, Language, Life, The Universe, and Everything
