Cross-Cultural Interests

[Ernie]

Some time ago I read something like this...

"3% of the world's population enjoys cross-cultural interactions. The remaining 97% like to be with people who think and act like themselves."

But I can't remember where I read this.

Has anyone heard of something like this, and can you point me to a source?



And for the rest of you, feel free to discuss the topic.

[MaxPC]

I do not have the means to verify the hard data RE this assertion. Nevertheless in my experiences, I can say that certainly a goodly number of people prefer familiars who share similar values, hence the desire to attend a particular church or fellowship.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Some time ago I read something like this...

"3% of the world's population enjoys cross-cultural interactions. The remaining 97% like to be with people who think and act like themselves."

But I can't remember where I read this.

Has anyone heard of something like this, and can you point me to a source?



And for the rest of you, feel free to discuss the topic?

I do recall seeing something like this in C. Peter Wagner's "Leading your church to Growth." I do not currently have a copy I can lay my hands on. His contention is that monocultural churches were more likely to grow.

[Pelerin]

Some time ago I read something like this...

"3% of the world's population enjoys cross-cultural interactions. The remaining 97% like to be with people who think and act like themselves."

But I can't remember where I read this.

Has anyone heard of something like this, and can you point me to a source?



And for the rest of you, feel free to discuss the topic?

Hmm. I don’t know about the numbers but maybe across everyone it might average out that way. Everyone has a certain level of cross-cultural interaction they want but it varies across a spectrum. For some people experiencing other cultures is a lot of fun, down to eating chicken feet; for others Taco Bell is pushing it; in between a lot of people like the “Authentic Mexican” restaurant in town.

[Josh]

I have told that factoid to multiple people - but my source was Ernie. I do vaguely recall hearing that fact in college but that was 20 years ago.

[Josh]

Some time ago I read something like this...

"3% of the world's population enjoys cross-cultural interactions. The remaining 97% like to be with people who think and act like themselves."

But I can't remember where I read this.

Has anyone heard of something like this, and can you point me to a source?



And for the rest of you, feel free to discuss the topic?

Hmm. I don’t know about the numbers but maybe across everyone it might average out that way. Everyone has a certain level of cross-cultural interaction they want but it varies across a spectrum. For some people experiencing other cultures is a lot of fun, down to eating chicken feet; for others Taco Bell is pushing it; in between a lot of people like the “Authentic Mexican” restaurant in town.

I used to work for an Israeli company and the entire staff went there once a year.

I quickly learned that a majority of people (most, actually) didn’t enjoy cross cultural experiences. They were not interested in absolutely amazing restaurants, historic scenery and buildings that date 3,000+ years old, or fresh local food. They just wanted to go to their familiar restaurants, which the ones in Akron I don’t consider particularly amazing.

Of course I ended up hanging out with other colleagues who enjoyed novel experiences.

[Sliceitup]

Some time ago I read something like this...

"3% of the world's population enjoys cross-cultural interactions. The remaining 97% like to be with people who think and act like themselves."

But I can't remember where I read this.

Has anyone heard of something like this, and can you point me to a source?



And for the rest of you, feel free to discuss the topic?

I really enjoy talking to people who are different from me. I love to ask them questions and just learn more about worlds that are different from my own. But there’s nothing like the comfort of being among your own people. It’s very mentally taxing to spend hours of time in a group where you don’t understand the nuances.

[Ken]

I think a lot of Americans including Anabaptists are willing to take on cross-cultural experiences as long as they remain in control of the experience. Not so much if they are not. What do I mean by that?

Growing up I spent a lot of time in rural Menno communities in Pennsylvania (Belleville area). Every summer my extended family would host fresh air kids from NYC or Philadelphia. That was a cross-cultural experience of a sort, but it was entirely on their terms. They were introducing a Black kid into their family for the summer but more or less continuing with life as normal. Never in a million years would it have occurred to any of them to send their own kids to experience a cross-cultural summer living in NYC. Living with a Black family, attending a Black church, etc. The cross-cultural exchange was entirely one-sided.

In the 1970s our church sponsored Vietnamese refugee families and invited them in. That was also a cross cultural experience of a sort. But again, on our terms. They were coming to OUR church, not the other way around. The entire relationship was entirely on our terms.

Some people due truly experience cross-cultural experiences that they do not control in that fashion. People who do mission work or other rural development work overseas. People who move into diverse communities such as the inner city or border regions to do various types of mission work or just ordinary work. Or who just live and work or study overseas. But that is frankly not really very common or not a very large percentage of the popuation.

[Ernie]

I think a lot of Americans including Anabaptists are willing to take on cross-cultural experiences as long as they remain in control of the experience. Not so much if they are not. What do I mean by that?

Growing up I spent a lot of time in rural Menno communities in Pennsylvania (Belleville area). Every summer my extended family would host fresh air kids from NYC or Philadelphia. That was a cross-cultural experience of a sort, but it was entirely on their terms. They were introducing a Black kid into their family for the summer but more or less continuing with life as normal. Never in a million years would it have occurred to any of them to send their own kids to experience a cross-cultural summer living in NYC. Living with a Black family, attending a Black church, etc. The cross-cultural exchange was entirely one-sided.

In the 1970s our church sponsored Vietnamese refugee families and invited them in. That was also a cross cultural experience of a sort. But again, on our terms. They were coming to OUR church, not the other way around. The entire relationship was entirely on our terms.

Exactly. And when the black NYC children and the Vietnamese left the valley, most of the Menno's didn't miss anything.

But there are the few that I meet up with periodically who feel like something is missing if they are not interacting cross-culturally at least every week.

[NedFlanders]

I sat down with a good friend last week who is from India, who is a new Christian and he attends with his wife (also from India) and 2 year old son, a mainstream Protestant church. He said the members in his church constantly try to get him to eat beef and think it is important for him to move forward in letting go of the culture where he is from (his Pastor also told me personally recently how important it was for my friend to change away from the culture he came from.) He said because they keep bugging him to eat beef, ultimately he doesn't feel accepted in that church.

I'm thankful for a wife who isn't so ignorant as me, as she asked this Indian family prior to them coming over for a meal what they were comfortable eating. I didn't realize how much they would take the thought and effort to heart. I don't think North American culture is all that great so it is exciting to learn from others what different cultures are like without making them feel like they need to change. My friend told me it is only a misunderstanding that some people in India worship cows or that some of us Westerners think they do. He said there history dates back 5000 years of them believing that eating cows was related to health problems and it had nothing to do with worship. The term "sacred cow" will never sit the same anymore... just another butchering of ones culture through misunderstanding. Pun intended - my Indian friend said when he moved to Canada about three years ago he first worked at a butcher shop cutting up cows - it obviously didn't bother him since he was taught that they are not sacred. I could happily sit down with him weekly and learn more and get to know him better.