#195: Judging a culture by its covers

Americans are truly strange. At least, that’s what I thought on my first Memorial Day in the USA.

But I had forgotten something very basic about culture. Simplistically, culture is simply the way we do things here. I had forgotten that there is always a reason for the way we do things here.

You see, I thought it completely weird behavior that swimming pool covers come off on Memorial Day and go back on after Labor Day. What about all the other hot days of the year, for Pete’s sake? I asked an American friend.

She politely pointed at some pollen and said, ‘See all that yellow stuff? Gone by Memorial Day. See all those leaves on the trees? They fall after Labor Day. Swimming pools don’t like them.’

It’s very easy to pass judgement on unfamiliar behavior without taking time to understand it. It is also incredibly stupid to do so.

I should have known better than to judge a culture by its covers.


I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
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