There are cultural differences I've noticed in emotions. Many English play very rough with sarcasm and think nothing of it. The fact that I, who am well accustomed to sarcasm having been born and raised in downstate New York for 24 years found myself mistaking sarcasm for downright meanness from English people was really unusual.
Another cultural aspect which may tie in with emotion is dismissing a form of lies known to us as BS as acceptable conduct under certain circumstances. I was discussing with someone who is now a professor in a UK University about when s/he lectured and was questioned on a subject where s/he was less than familiar. The answer that was given was that s/he would BS the student(s) rather than reveal any weakness. I was rather put off by what I perceived as a lack of honesty on the part of someone who would be perceived as an authority figure and source of information. I am uncertain how often people of the same caliber would stoop to this behavior under these circumstances in the U.S. Myself, I would hope for an instructor who had the courage to admit the truth: 'I don't know' is quite admirable, coming from someone who is considered a brilliant expert in their field.
I'll click the link and have a look. I've had some personal experiences with the English which were devastating to me and so am less inclined to trust the intellectuals in the UK to do what is more ethical versus what is more strategic and inclined to make money. This may seem cynical to you and others, but it's a long, complex and rather nasty story. One day I'll publish a novel I've been writing over the years. Trust, shattered as it was by the English, has been difficult to recapture. Some damage is larger than time, even when one generally does not hold grudges and tends to forgive more easily than most. I'll attempt to give an objective assessment of this software --- it will be interesting to know who the authors are.
04 Dec 2012, 9:31 pm
