Reecies Yummy Thinkies on Cosmopolitanism Ch. 6-8

Ch. VI: Imaginary Strangers
When Appiah uses the phrase “the imaginary stranger”, he is talking about a stranger whom you have not met and is most likely from another culture. They are imaginary to us because we do not know anything about them. An encounter between yourself and the imaginary stranger would result in this stranger no longer being imaginary. They would become “… real and present, sharing a human social life”. Although you probably might think you have nothing in common with this stranger, the truth you find out that there is a couple of things you do have in common, and that starts a conversation. You then might start talking about things you do not have in common, whether u agree or disagree about it. And if you both want to, this will lead to an understanding between the both of you.
Ch. VII: Cosmopolitan Contamination
In this chapter, Appiah discusses cultural imperialism. The definition of this according to the believers is that places such as the United States and Europe are encouraging consumption of their movies, television, magazines, and other non-media products. And there are people who do take that bate. But what Appiah suggests is that cultural imperialism is indeed condescending untrue. That research shows that most people prefer programming and products that are close to their own culture. They aren’t dupes, and they can resist the American or European culture.
Appiah states of a “golden rule of cosmopolitanism”. “I am human: nothing human is alien to me”. This golden rule basically means that all humans have things in common. Regardless of what culture we come from, we all have basic similarities.
When Appiah writes “Cultural purity is an oxymoron,” it’s basically saying that all cultures have been “contaminated”. A lot of things in our culture, and most cultures, were ideas brought in from other cultures and were molded into our own idea of it. A simple example, that people all wear Levis. Originally not everyone did, but it started somewhere, and was adopted by other cultures. It is molded by individual cultures because some cultures such as our own wear jeans to dress down, to be casual, while other cultures wear jeans to something formal. That is a small example of how other cultures can adopt an idea, or have someone bring it to them, and make it their own.
Ch. VIII: Whose Culture Is It, Anyway?
Appiah’s discussion of art is an example of cosmopolitanism because art is sent from culture to culture, viewed by everyone as art. There really isn’t a cultural view of art, because if you have an appreciation for art, then you are appreciating all art, and not picking and choosing art that only comes from a certain culture to appreciate. Art is also cosmopolitanism because it is paint on a canvas; it has an international language that speaks to everyone in every culture.

I agree with Appiah’s argument that we should make sense of the stranger. It would be best if we tried to talk with strangers and learn about them. Even if we do not agree we should make sense of their ideas. That is what I believe happens when you meet someone new. You should start talking about what you know you might have in common, then you can venture onto other things, and could even find out you have more in common than you originally thought. It could be the opposite where you have nothing else in common, but you can learn about them.

An example of when I have made a connection despite difference would have to be when I was selecting my major. I choose to major in International Studies. I choose this not because I connected through my identity, but because it meant exploring something that was different. It affects my future because I will be studying different cultures and issues. Different as in: different than what I already am aware of. And as I pick my concentration, I will be able to choose a specific culture that I would like to study, and I will then become more familiar with this difference.

Thanks once again :)
-Reecie ^_^