Quote:
Originally Posted by MossadConspiracy
I dont know whether a materialist culture has an impact on whether or not people have a positive vision for the future. I suppose it could. It certainly did for "mainstream" Americans through the last 2 centuries. But Arab culture is pretty materialistic too. Actually, i think its a universal thing. If you're talking about American-style consumerism, that has proliferated everywhere and is pretty prominent in the Gulf and other parts of the middle east. And if you mean the American drive to own everything, have the biggest and best of everything, and so on, you guys are probably right after Americans in that regard. Most Bentleys per capita, tallest building, biggest mall, most massive indoor ski mountain, etc etc. I think its really a feature of capitalist cultures in general, some societies just have more resources to pursue these drives. And it isnt necessarily a bad thing, but it can be.
by the way i think we officially wrecked this topic  |
Yeah, we've gone way off topic, but one point to clarify: when I say materialistic, I don't exactly mean what you said. It's the absence of selfless giving and concern for others that stands out. I think even though we're following in the footsteps of Western cultures in terms of affluenza and whatnot, we're still more selfless individuals.
Your priority may be your own self, your family and your career. For the majority of us, it's not exactly that. We tend to have a more Islamic view on things. That's not necessarily negative, you know. A positive outlook may mean a totally different thing for you. That's all.