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While the above sayings are, of course, a joke at the expense of many, perhaps there is some level of truth that mindsets can be broadly summarized, and to some degree, some countries may have a greater percentage of certain ways of thinking, or at least or perceived as a certain way by others. In my own interactions as part of a corporation that spanned the globe, it was indicated that Americans were often viewed as "cowboys" - unpredictable, undisciplined, and so forth. Likewise, a discussion of different styles of engineering may end with some indicating that German engineering places a great deal of importance on thinking of everything, efficiency, etc. whereas American engineering may use the 80/20 rule - good is good enough! Somewhere I once read that the whole notion that generalizing was bad was from the idea of one man, and this idea spread like wildfire, like a mental virus. Perhaps it is true that we can't over generalize, but that doesn't mean that we CAN'T generalize either! Perhaps what this means is finding that perhaps each way of thinking tends to have some thing about it that is unseen by that way of thinking. | While the above sayings are, of course, a joke at the expense of many, perhaps there is some level of truth that mindsets can be broadly summarized, and to some degree, some countries may have a greater percentage of certain ways of thinking, or at least or perceived as a certain way by others. In my own interactions as part of a corporation that spanned the globe, it was indicated that Americans were often viewed as "cowboys" - unpredictable, undisciplined, and so forth. Likewise, a discussion of different styles of engineering may end with some indicating that German engineering places a great deal of importance on thinking of everything, efficiency, etc. whereas American engineering may use the 80/20 rule - good is good enough! Somewhere I once read that the whole notion that generalizing was bad was from the idea of one man, and this idea spread like wildfire, like a mental virus. Perhaps it is true that we can't over generalize, but that doesn't mean that we CAN'T generalize either! Perhaps what this means is finding that perhaps each way of thinking tends to have some thing about it that is [[Strengths and Weaknesses of Various Ideologies|unseen by that way of thinking,]] like having a sign on your forehead that everyone else is able to read except for yourself. | ||
Latest revision as of 06:22, 20 April 2017
Each country could be said to have a particular group mindset - a certain way of thinking that defines the whole country.
Of course, each of us is unique, but we also have things that are shared across all of humanity or whatever group mind our mind finds itself immersed in. To illustrate this point by way of humor, a joke from one of the greats follows:
"ALERTS TO THREATS IN 2011 EUROPE : BY JOHN CLEESE
- The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Libya and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.
- The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.
- The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.
- Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."
- The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose."
- Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.
- The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
- Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is canceled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.
John Cleese - British writer, actor and tall person"
While the above sayings are, of course, a joke at the expense of many, perhaps there is some level of truth that mindsets can be broadly summarized, and to some degree, some countries may have a greater percentage of certain ways of thinking, or at least or perceived as a certain way by others. In my own interactions as part of a corporation that spanned the globe, it was indicated that Americans were often viewed as "cowboys" - unpredictable, undisciplined, and so forth. Likewise, a discussion of different styles of engineering may end with some indicating that German engineering places a great deal of importance on thinking of everything, efficiency, etc. whereas American engineering may use the 80/20 rule - good is good enough! Somewhere I once read that the whole notion that generalizing was bad was from the idea of one man, and this idea spread like wildfire, like a mental virus. Perhaps it is true that we can't over generalize, but that doesn't mean that we CAN'T generalize either! Perhaps what this means is finding that perhaps each way of thinking tends to have some thing about it that is unseen by that way of thinking, like having a sign on your forehead that everyone else is able to read except for yourself.