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How can two completely opposite cultures ever get along?

The West believes in gay rights. Certain other cultures don't.

It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.

A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.

Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.

I could go on really.
(edited 6 years ago)

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Let's start with me. I have been brought up with strict Muslim ideology but I get along really good with friends who are Christians and other religions. Reason is that I respect their views and don't try to argue with their beliefs and they don't the same to me. Even though I don't drink, I still hang out with my friends who drink right in front of me. I even have friends who are girls and I am really close to them so I guess it's kinda you adapting to your surroundings. I think you need to be tolerant and respect other people's views and you will be fine and get along with them.
Reply 2
It only works if i) people accept cultural relativism and allow others to have their own views and hope the others respect their views too, or ii) if both parties compromise on issues.

But of course that doesn't work when it comes to issues like gay rights, or rights for women, or freedom of speech etc. because you can't have a 'middle ground' on those issues, so in that case the dominant culture gets priority (well... should get priority).
Original post by Sarahsez
The West believes in gay rights.


Historically, yes. Currently, it can be argued that it doesn't.

Original post by Sarahsez
It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.


Fun is relative. There are plenty of Westerners who don't drink. Are you suggesting they don't have fun?

Original post by Sarahsez
A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.


Not really free then is she?

Original post by Sarahsez
Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.


Yes, but social consequences are abundant. It's not necessarily a Western right to leave a religion.
Original post by Sarahsez
The West believes in gay rights. Certain other cultures don't.

It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.

A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.

Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.


Wow looks like someone was home schooled and/or has no social interactions :frown:((
Clearly, if you went to a primary school, or any school in fact, you would meet Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Christians and general atheists.

The great thing about living in the U.K is all we needed was a game of football and I still talk with my diverse friendship circle to this day. Furthermore, my mates invite round for a bit of pool whilst they drink. I don't care, they don't care, as long as I'm not drinking.

There you go. Opposite cultures CAN get along. Stop living in the clouds, go outside for once and socialise with your neighbour. Chances are, there is a person of opposite culture and ethnicity living on your street!
Reply 5
Original post by Sarahsez
The West believes in gay rights. Certain other cultures don't.

It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.

A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.

Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.


I'd like to think people that come to the UK from repressed societies are here to also enjoy the freedoms the UK offers. I think we all know which religion you are alluding to and i'd like to make three points.

1) A Majority of Muslims do not support Gay Marriage, but remember 175 British MPs in 2013 voted against Gay Marriage.

2) I agree that some Muslim women are not free to wear what they want. But I find it annoying in instances where the Muslim women who wear the hijab out of choice are called repressed by a vast swathe of individuals.

3) I believe that most Muslims believe in freedom of religion for everyone except themselves. Alot of people that leave the religion are treated poorly.

I think over time, assimilation is only natural. I mean in one generation, my parents who were raised as devout muslims have 4 children who are now all atheists.
It's got more to do with the fact that people are so bigoted and arrogant that they think their way is the best way, and everything else is completely wrong.

If you feel the urge to impose your beliefs on someone else involuntarily or get involved, then you're not welcome in 'open society'.
Regardless of cultures
Original post by Sarahsez
The West believes in gay rights. Certain other cultures don't.

It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.

A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.

Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.


Not everyone in the West is supportive of gay rights.

Not everyone in the West is supportive of alcohol or alcohol culture.

Not everyone in the West is supportive of women wearing what they like.

That all said, are there really any cultures of any particular significance in this country that truly are the polar opposite to our own? There's more to life than gay rights, alcohol and clothing.
Reply 8
Original post by mc_miah
Wow looks like someone was home schooled and/or has no social interactions :frown:((
Clearly, if you went to a primary school, or any school in fact, you would meet Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Christians and general atheists.

The great thing about living in the U.K is all we needed was a game of football and I still talk with my diverse friendship circle to this day. Furthermore, my mates invite round for a bit of pool whilst they drink. I don't care, they don't care, as long as I'm not drinking.

There you go. Opposite cultures CAN get along. Stop living in the clouds, go outside for once and socialise with your neighbour. Chances are, there is a person of opposite culture and ethnicity living on your street!


How many Muslim girls would be allowed to bring home a non Muslim guy?
Reply 9
Original post by te159311
I'd like to think people that come to the UK from repressed societies are here to also enjoy the freedoms the UK offers. I think we all know which religion you are alluding to and i'd like to make three points.

1) A Majority of Muslims do not support Gay Marriage, but remember 175 British MPs in 2013 voted against Gay Marriage.

2) I agree that some Muslim women are not free to wear what they want. But I find it annoying in instances where the Muslim women who wear the hijab out of choice are called repressed by a vast swathe of individuals.

3) I believe that most Muslims believe in freedom of religion for everyone except themselves. Alot of people that leave the religion are treated poorly.

I think over time, assimilation is only natural. I mean in one generation, my parents who were raised as devout muslims have 4 children who are now all atheists.


Gay rights for me has nothing to do with marriage. It's the fact that many believe and if they had it their own way that homosexuality should be made illegal or in extreme circumstances even homosexuals should be executed.

Over 50 percent of Muslims in the Uk believe it should be made illegal according to a channel 4 poll.
Reply 10
Original post by y.u.mad.bro?
Let's start with me. I have been brought up with strict Muslim ideology but I get along really good with friends who are Christians and other religions. Reason is that I respect their views and don't try to argue with their beliefs and they don't the same to me. Even though I don't drink, I still hang out with my friends who drink right in front of me. I even have friends who are girls and I am really close to them so I guess it's kinda you adapting to your surroundings. I think you need to be tolerant and respect other people's views and you will be fine and get along with them.


May I ask you how would you honestly feel about your sister being "really close" to her guy friends?
Reply 11
Original post by SHallowvale
Not everyone in the West is supportive of gay rights.

Not everyone in the West is supportive of alcohol or alcohol culture.

Not everyone in the West is supportive of women wearing what they like.

That all said, are there really any cultures of any particular significance in this country that truly are the polar opposite to our own? There's more to life than gay rights, alcohol and clothing.


Yes. Conservative Arab culture and parts of Pakistani culture.
Original post by Sarahsez
May I ask you how would you honestly feel about your sister being "really close" to her guy friends?


I wouldn't find tbh because I know she isn't the type of person to engage in activities which are deemed improper by religion. Again though it depends but i'm just saying. I personally wouldn't engage in any wrong activities either. It's just you need to adapt sometimes and can't always be like 'I can't be close to a women because it's haram'. As long as its professional, I think it's okay.
Original post by Sarahsez
Gay rights for me has nothing to do with marriage. It's the fact that many believe and if they had it their own way that homosexuality should be made illegal or in extreme circumstances even homosexuals should be executed.

Over 50 percent of Muslims in the Uk believe it should be made illegal according to a channel 4 poll.


I'm surprised it's that low. But you are failing to understand the argument I'm making about assimilation, people bring elements of their culture (good or bad) from their own countries, eventually they will assimilate with western values through the next generation. I'd bet if the same poll was taken on Foreign Born Muslims, 1st Generation, 2nd generation ... nth generation, you will see that the percentage of people that believe homosexuality should be illegal converges on the baseline population level.

On some level if you asked very religious individuals from Abrahamic religions whether homosexuality is a sin, you would get a resounding yes.

I think the worst thing you can do, is alienate these individuals by refering to them as "others", when you alienate people they tend to shift their world views to either the far left or the far right.

Examples include; British Born Jihadists, Far Right extremists in the US and UK
Original post by Sarahsez
The West believes in gay rights. Certain other cultures don't.

It's popular to drink alcohol in western culture and have a good time.

A woman is free to wear what she wants as long as she's not naked.

Here, you are free to leave or join any religion you want.

I could go on really.


You say this as if these aren't things that have only developed in recent decades (alcohol being a partial exception). They aren't something long-rooted in "the West" historically.

Posted from TSR Mobile
You sound like a racist. I like you.
Not all people in one culture believe in the same things you know. Everyone is different that is why 2 cultures of totally different opinions can get along. Like me and my friend, we have things we both hate and like that the other would think is the opposite.
Reply 17
I'd say Japan and the West get along quite well.
Reply 18
Original post by te159311
I'm surprised it's that low. But you are failing to understand the argument I'm making about assimilation, people bring elements of their culture (good or bad) from their own countries, eventually they will assimilate with western values through the next generation. I'd bet if the same poll was taken on Foreign Born Muslims, 1st Generation, 2nd generation ... nth generation, you will see that the percentage of people that believe homosexuality should be illegal converges on the baseline population level.

On some level if you asked very religious individuals from Abrahamic religions whether homosexuality is a sin, you would get a resounding yes.

I think the worst thing you can do, is alienate these individuals by refering to them as "others", when you alienate people they tend to shift their world views to either the far left or the far right.

Examples include; British Born Jihadists, Far Right extremists in the US and UK


Unfortunately the younger generation of British Muslim are even more extreme so you are wrong there.

For those interested in the details, the percentage of Muslims who want homosexuality to be illegal:
50% of Muslims 55+.
54% of Muslims 45-54.
55% of Muslims 35-44.
65% of Muslims 25-34.
71% of Muslims 16-24.

37% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would prefer sharia law rather than British law, against 17% of those over 55.

A third(36% to be exact) of 16 to 24-year-olds believed that those converting to another religion should be executed, while less than a fifth of those over 55 believed the same.

From channel 4 poll and other reliable sources e.g. Bbc, telegraph and guardian .

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-survey-and-documentary-reveals-what-british-muslims-really-think

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jan/29/thinktanks.religion

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/6309983.stm

What do you have to say about that then?
Original post by mc_miah
Wow looks like someone was home schooled and/or has no social interactions :frown:((
Clearly, if you went to a primary school, or any school in fact, you would meet Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Christians and general atheists.

The great thing about living in the U.K is all we needed was a game of football and I still talk with my diverse friendship circle to this day. Furthermore, my mates invite round for a bit of pool whilst they drink. I don't care, they don't care, as long as I'm not drinking.

There you go. Opposite cultures CAN get along. Stop living in the clouds, go outside for once and socialise with your neighbour. Chances are, there is a person of opposite culture and ethnicity living on your street!


Thanks for the drive-by. I was homeschooled and grew up with a far more diverse set of people than my friends who went to school. Homeschooled kids include those who left school after being bullied for being different, so a lot of my friends were not only unusual (in terms of religion or sexuality) but also understood what it felt like to be singled out for being different.

Homeschooled kids are some of the most tolerant people I've had the pleasure to study with. The OP sounds more like a stereotypical expensive private school kid to me :wink:

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