Ignorance Abroad

A weighty tome landed on my desk at work today. It was a copy of "The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas" by Jean-Marc Hachey. As I work in the field of international development, it was delivered for the Director of my unit. Apparently it's regarded as a bit of a bible for Canadians looking to work or study in other countries. I had a flick through it, and there was some pretty interesting content, particularly the chapter on Canadian identity in the international workplace (you can read most of it online, after registering, by going here).

Based on interviews with ex-pats, it made for pretty frank, self-reflective reading. A lot of the material explored the conflicts caused by differences in our working culture and that of some other countries, which can often make Canadians extremely uncomfortable (e.g. the preponderance of bribery, nepotism and other blatant forms of corruption). But what I found most interesting was the section on the perceived North American lack of general cultural knowledge, and how this has a detrimental effect on how foreigners view us:

North Americans are known as culturally ignorant for our common inability to discuss art, literature, politics and history. Unlike other countries where interest in these topics is widespread and encouraged, our work ethic, and in the case of Canadians, fear of treading on controversial ground, often prevents us from enjoying art and appreciating knowledge for its own sake:

"I remember being amazed in France by the level of knowledge of plumbers and other tradesmen. They were far better at discussing politics and literature than I, despite my master's degree. Our education simply does not put enough emphasis on general cultural knowledge."

Our omnipresent concern with work leaves other parts of our lives underdeveloped. Conversation is a rare art in our society. For many of us, our most meaningful exchange of ideas occurs at work. By avoiding discussion of such imprecise subjects as the arts, we deprive ourselves of growth into new fields of knowledge.

I think this is totally true (and applies in equal measure to other countries, including America and possibly also Australia). While living in England, I can't tell you the number of in-depth conversations I had with cab drivers and the like. There, general cultural knowledge is seen as part of a common inheritance. Here, it's largely seen as the preserve of geeky types - dull, earnest people without 'real' lives, or much else to do except read books and newspapers. I've been one of those geeks all my life. It's probably the main reason why I left this country and went to Europe in my early 20s. Intellectually, it felt like home.