Ignorance isn’t a problem ... refusing to admit to it is
As an American and Canadian citizen growing up abroad, certain aspects of my life were different from my peers.
Naturally, this attracted the curiosity of others.
When I would return to the U.S. or to Canada, I often had to answer questions such as, “Ecuador is somewhere in Africa, right?” “So, what language do you speak in Ecuador – Ecuadorian?” and “They actually have supermarkets there?”
I always wanted to say, “Yes, of course we have supermarkets. Duh!” or “No, stupid, we speak Spanish. It’s in Latin America. Are you a complete idiot?”
Thankfully, I had enough social graces to keep those thoughts to myself. After all, even though I do expect people to know that much of Latin America speaks Spanish, I can’t expect people to know everything about every single culture out there.
It’s only natural to be curious about cultures different from our own, and the best way to find out about a culture is to talk to someone who has lived in that culture.
A while ago, I found out I really have a lot to learn about European culture. I post regularly on a message board where about half the members are Dutch.
I had certain assumptions about Dutch culture, mainly about the legalization of marijuana.
I was curious about what it was like to live in a society where marijuana was legal.
If we in North America had a legal drinking age, did the Netherlands have a legal pot smoking age? So I asked. I was told was that marijuana isn’t actually legal in the Netherlands; it’s just that their laws about it are different from ours.
I felt a little silly for having had a false assumption about another culture. Here I’d thought I was so smart because I didn’t stereotype all Dutch people as being potheads.
I knew there was much more to Dutch culture than just the coffee houses. I was walking around thinking I was such an enlightened person, only to find out I had been misinformed about their marijuana policy in the first place.
I soon realized, though, that it’s OK not to know everything, and it’s OK to ask questions about other cultures even if it makes you look ignorant at times. If you just assume you know everything and don’t ask questions for fear of looking silly, how else are you going to learn?
There is nothing wrong with simply being ignorant about a subject. Ignorance becomes wrong when you refuse to admit you have very little knowledge about a topic, and then act as if you know everything and won’t allow anyone to tell you otherwise.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum