'Cosmopolitan'
Definition:
1) Having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing.
2) Having wide international sophistication.
3) Composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world.
Source: Lecture, Merriam-Webster Online. 18 September, 2008.
Challenges:
A) 'Cosmopolitan' as a word in popular culture, has become steeped in sexuality and sexual connotations (ie: Cosmopolitan magazine, Cosmopolitan cocktail) - the preferred drink of HBO's 'Sex and the City' characters). As a word, it has become (perhaps inextricably?) linked with associations of 'jet set' free sexual practise, promiscuity.
B) Knowing a little bit about a wide scope of topics\issues...if this preferable to a deep knowledge on a few select subjects? Knowing a little about something is potentially dangerous.
"A little learning is a dang'rous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:"
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:"
-Alexander Pope.
C) Gaining Cosmopolitan knowledge - is this knowledge to our own purposes, to raise our 'culturally hip' status? Aside from ourselves, does this benefit anyone else?
D) Economically linked: 'the jet set elite' - as described in lecture. It takes a certain amount of wealth to fulfill the image of a 'cosmopolite'. Refugees, for exmaple, while perhaps having experienced life in different parts of the world, are not generally considered 'Cosmopolitan'.
1 comment:
AMS Group (Joao, Lonneke, Olga)
Response to challenge A (sexy cosmopolitans):
Contemptuous cosmopolitans
In Soviet Russian tradition the notion "cosmopolitan" used to have a negative connotation. The "cosmopolitans" were the people who had free viewpoints on the different aspects of life. In fact, their views went far beyond the frames of the authoritarian politicians. They could spread antipatriotic ideas and be oriented towards the foreign, that's why the government put the contemptuous label "cosmopolitan" on them.
Response to challenge B (knowing a little about a lot):
Keeping up appearances
Cosmopolitanism can be seen as an attitude that involves keeping up with the trends in fashion, art and politics from over the world. But this knowledge does not have to be deep or substantiated by personal experiences. A lot of people only travel on ‘city-trips’, where they ‘do’ Milan or Paris. Is it then possible to be cosmopolitan without moving/travelling at all? I think this is possible: with all the media around us, you can adopt a cosmopolitan life-style and mind-set. (And maybe do a city-trip once a year?)
Response to challenge C (who benefits from cosmopolitanism):
Keeping it local is not hip at all
Cultural knowledge can also be a garment. It plays a part on your show-off. So do shoes, lipstick, furniture and your favourite world cuisine. In the globalized era you just can’t afford staying locally-sighted. It is a matter of context that completely overtook the individual sphere.
Does anyone besides me benefit from it?
Yes. If you put it in the visitors/visited perspective it is easy to find economical, social even political benefit. Now to discuss if the benefits are worth the losses is something else and it would require 3 blogs like this one just to have it started.
In the Netherlands, there is a trend of ‘localism’ going on: local foods, goods and traditions are becoming trendy again. This ‘localism’ seems to be complementing ‘cosmopolitanism’, but is it a fashion or a growing connection?
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