Re:Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, ho...
by keiferski on Wednesday March 10, 2021 @09:43AM
(#26411688)
You are projecting your own biases and worldview on to my comment, which says more about you than me. Nowhere did I fetishize foreign cultures or put down America in general.
And yes, decaying industrial town is an exact description, not self-flagellation.
Re:Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, ho...
by slibhb on Wednesday March 10, 2021 @10:18AM
(#26412089)
> Nowhere did I [...] put down America in general.
> As an American, I’ve noticed that this attitude of disinterest toward the outside world is common, even encouraged. It’s not a good thing and frankly it’s the source of a lot of problems with the country today.
Re:Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, ho...
by keiferski on Wednesday March 10, 2021 @10:25AM
(#26412179)
In no way does that indicate I’m anti-American or engaging in self-flagellation.
Having a minor criticism of one’s country is a healthy, normal thing.
Re:Ask HN: Those who quit their jobs to travel the world, ho...
by slibhb on Wednesday March 10, 2021 @11:04AM
(#26412643)
We've established that you did "put down America in general". We can disagree over whether that constitutes self-flagellation. Moving on, I didn't say you are "anti-American" nor did I say that there's anything wrong with "criticizing one's country". I will say that criticizing a culture is hard because cultures are not uniform, which was my point ("decayed industrial town in the Midwest" and "bastion of liberal globalism" are very different in terms of "disinterest in the outside world").
I don't question your experiences, I only pointed out that they are yours, and I doubt they can be universalized. The kind of meaning that you're talking about just isn't one-size-fits-all.
As an American, I've noticed that self-flagellation of the kind exhibited in this comment is extremely common, as is fetishization of travel/other cultures. This difference in our perspectives may have to do with where we grew up "decayed industrial town in the Midwest" (you) vs. "bastion of liberal globalism" (me).
Anyway, the reason people are pushing back against your comments here is because they have a "I have attained enlightenment and you can too" vibe. I just don't associate enlightenment with hanging around on hackernews arguing about whether traveling has led you to enlightenment.
Anyway, I don't question that seeing the world up close and personal has been important part of your life. I only doubt that it is universalizable. I think your experiences have to do with your unique personality and circumstances and can't be generalized.