![[F]](../_images/site.gif) New York Times on the Web Forums  Science
Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans
for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be
limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI
all over again?
    (1095 previous messages)
rshowalter
- 04:58pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1096
of 1107) 
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu
again, rshowalter
3/16/01 4:08pm
lunarchick
- 05:04pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1097
of 1107)
lunarchick@www.com
Back awhile (above) there was discussion re taking down Missiles.
In respect of this parties were encouraged to state their 'ideal'
and then work to compromise.
Were the compromises to involve cultural pulls on the USA in
relation to cross-cultural Education and Professional Training ..
would the USA public be suitably impressed ?
For example if the Bush daughters went respectively to Moscow or
Beijing for a cultural year in a University .. would this assist
world peace.
[I could visualise Chelsea Clinton enjoying a foreign experience
]
almarst-2001
- 05:10pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1098
of 1107)
rshowalter
3/16/01 4:42pm
You are right about cultural differences. However, the perception
is, while each side may view its culture as superior, only America,
due to its economic power, is able to actively promote its via for
example, the Holliwood. Same applies to the brain-drain and
sports-talent-drain. That creates the resentment and depression on
one side and filling of superiority and arrogance on another.
It is quite some time, I came to conclusion that whatewer someone
gains in one area, it loses somewhere else. Nothing is perfect. What
is more buetifull or better - the bird in a sky, the flower on the
ground or the fish in the water?
It all depends on a current situation and level of adaptation to
the environment. The bird or flower in the water will be dead and
not looking so good, as well as a fish on the ground.
The Russia today is that fish on the ground. They can't possibly
adupt to such a drustic change, the West insisted on. And I won't
blame them to have a feeling the bird is waiting for it die and be
eaten.
rshowalter
- 05:16pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1099
of 1107)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu
I think cultural exchanges with differences faced rather
than "swept under the rug" would be terribly important. But only if
both sides were willing to say, not
"isn't it wonderful how alike we are?"
but instead
"we are fundamentally different, and proud to be
different, for these essential reasons -- and we have to
understand these reasons, not so we can become more like each
other (neither side really wants to, or can, on some basics) but
so we can cooperate with each other.
lunarchick
- 05:16pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1100
of 1107)
lunarchick@www.com
Demmings statistical approach (1948 Japan Industry) lead on to
the Qualitative Improvement approach adopted in the modern
workplace.
Perhaps with Russia a Qualitative Approach might be developed in
respect of improving upwards all the aspects in which they feel
deficient. This might include cultural exchanges worldwide to gather
an understanding as to how to implement improvements.
Ultimately no ONE Power (USA) wants to be too far ahead of the
rest of the world ... in that the products they wish to export need
to find a place .. and all countries have to move upwards for the
trade of state of the art goods and services to find their place.
lunarchick
- 05:18pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1101
of 1107)
lunarchick@www.com
On films:
We are exposed to non-American productions, often with
sub-titles. What a breath of fresh air films from a range of
cultures and countries are, in comparison to the USA product which
is so 'predictable' in format and ending.
rshowalter
- 05:22pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1102
of 1107)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu
Aesthetics, which is the basis of our preferences, is a big part
of it. We have systematically different preferences.
Here's how it looks to me.
. Americans look incredibly messy and ugly to
Russians, often enough, for good Russian reasons.
. We're sloppy an insensitive about things
Russians would almost never be sloppy and insensitive about.
********
. Russians look incredibly messy and ugly to
Americans, often enough, for good American reasons.
. Russians are sloppy and insensitive about
things Americans would almost never be sloppy and insensitive
about.
***
"obvious" American mistakes (to Russians) aren't obvious to the
Americans themselves --- and vice versa. We're good at checking each
other, and at seeing the worst failings in each other.
We're almost mirror images - in the world, it often happens that
to get one category of logical function "free and easy" you have to
carefully constrain the levels around it.
So, often, there are alternative layers of constrained and
unconstrained categories.
If U is "unconstrained" and C is "constrained", we're often like
UCUCUCUCUCUC (Russian)
CUCUCUCUCUCU (American)
each side takes the opposite decision on "constrained or free" at
a particular logical level.
That means Russians and Americans do a lot of things very
differently. And when they try to imagine, on the fly - what the
other nationality will do, they get things perversely wrong.
And at the level of aesthetics, and preference, we often feel
VERY differently about things.
That makes it hard for us to work together, and easy for us to be
unfair to each other. And easy for us to hate each other (and trick
each other, too.)
 (5 following messages)
  
 
New York Times on the Web Forums Science
Missile Defense
| 
