Last weekend, the clash of cymbals was overshadowed by a clash of cultures (due, in part, to the perceived denigration of a cultural symbol). It all happened when Princeton University headed to South Carolina for a football game with The Citadel.
The free-wheeling, irreverent style of Princeton’s marching band did not sit well with the steeped-in-tradition manner of the Citadel cadets. They took particular offense to the fact that the Princeton band marched down the “Avenue of Remembrance,” a highly revered area that honors past cadets killed in action. The cadets taunted the band and there were allegations of pushing and shoving.
When the musicians finally took the field for their halftime performance, they were met with a chorus of boos, jeers and epithets.
That noise you hear is the sound of cultures clashing.
Culture is a learned set of attitudes, values and beliefs that are usually passed down from generation to generation. It takes time for culture to evolve. It takes longer for culture to change. Witness the difficulties in finding a lasting solution to the Middle East crisis.
The free-wheeling, irreverent style of Princeton’s marching band did not sit well with the steeped-in-tradition manner of the Citadel cadets. They took particular offense to the fact that the Princeton band marched down the “Avenue of Remembrance,” a highly revered area that honors past cadets killed in action. The cadets taunted the band and there were allegations of pushing and shoving.
When the musicians finally took the field for their halftime performance, they were met with a chorus of boos, jeers and epithets.
That noise you hear is the sound of cultures clashing.
Culture is a learned set of attitudes, values and beliefs that are usually passed down from generation to generation. It takes time for culture to evolve. It takes longer for culture to change. Witness the difficulties in finding a lasting solution to the Middle East crisis.
What any group of people like, dislike, believe and value is engrained deep within them. Instead of trying to change people we would be better suited trying to understand them first.
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