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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Reasons why western countries are boring

Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:36 pm
I've always felt that western countries are lacking in something, but I couldn't identify exactly what it is until recently when I was looking around Cartagena and Medellin in Colombia and Bangkok on Google Earth street view. I was imagining really being there and what it would feel like. Then I realized what it is about places like that.

1) You never know what's round the corner.

In the UK for example you have what they call the high street where nearly all the shops and businesses are, and then you have residential streets where there's nothing but houses (which mostly look the same), the exceptions being the occasional pub (usually on a corner) or a shop on the corner. The closer you get to central London the more unpredictable it gets and there's more of a mix, but mostly it's predictable. And in the central part of almost every town you get the same large chains. Then you have areas that have a different feel to them. Some are one way, others are another way. You almost always know where you stand. Each area has its own feel (albeit very similar). It's good in one way, because at least you know what to expect and can get what you need regardless of where you are, but it's also very boring and predictable.

In south east Asia, latin america, and probably other places too, you just don't know what's round the corner. You could be walking past a small restaurant and then next door is a hotel, followed by a patch of grass and a bit of rubble, then a bike shop, then someone's house, then a school, then a couple more houses or apartments, then a computer shop, then a bar, etc etc. It doesn't matter if you're in the middle of town or in the outskirts, you never know what's coming up next. Go to google earth and zoom into the middle of Bangkok and look at it. Then look at the outskirts. Whereas if you're in central London, you know it. The architecture and the monuments and the style of the streets tells you. There's not a huge difference. Then you have Manila, a collection of random areas lumped together in any old order. It's mix and match everywhere.

It's a lot more interesting. In London, a big deal is made of anything that is even remotely of any quality, and the rest is boring and average. In these other countries, good quality is the norm, and it's just not a big deal. The architecture doesn't stand out, and there's no sense of grandeur, but when you look closely you can see all sorts of interesting stuff going on.


2) People live their lives on the street.

There's so much action on the streets of south east Asian and Latin American streets. It's nothing spectacular, just normal every day life. but it's really interesting to see it on display. In western countries people don't do that. The only people who do are the scum class, people living in housing estates, the kind of people you'd see on cheap drama-chat shows, and actually it's quite interesting even though people are behaving in a low class way. And when you see a bench in a public place, it's most likely used by bums rather than normal people. In Italy or Spain, a bench in a square is for normal people. In London, unless it's in the central part, a bench is a hangout for bums. And whereas cafe culture is real and genuine in places like Spain, Italy and France, in England it's a pretentious attempt at being cool.

But in these other countries you can see real life. Normal life. Nothing spectacular, just people out on display. And it's so interesting. It's effortless. And I think living in places like that must be more enriching and satisfying than living in a place where everyone is locked away and living in their own bubble.



Whereas western countries try to compensate for their boring lifestyle with monuments, grandeur, tall buildings and hype, non western countries, especially the warm ones, just put ordinary life out on display, and that makes it far more fascinating. You can't predict it. You could be looking for a place and have absolutely no idea what it's going to look like. There are no visual anchors, no familiarity, no pattern. Even the layout of the streets is totally different. Look at London or almost any US city. You've got a small central area, and then the rest is an anonymous sea of suburbs that stretches for mile upon boring mile. But look at Barcelona, Bangkok, Manila, Rome, Medellin etc, it's a random maze with different layouts side by side.

So I think that one big reason why non western countries are more interesting is that they prioritize real life, and let it speak for itself without any hype. It's like living art. It makes life much more interesting and satisfying.
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Contrarian Expatriate
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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Re: Reasons why western countries are boring

Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:57 pm
I find that Westerners (especially those from the Anglosphere) are too focused on their life priorities around work and career more than other cultures.  this makes for VERY boring people.

After living abroad for decades, most of my friends don't really know nor care what I do for a living.  However, Americans, Canucks, and Brits ask me what I do within the first minute of meeting me.  I never disclose it because I prefer to be viewed for me and not my career or income which is all they are looking for, markers of status. 

This tends to make Westerners boring.


Last edited by Contrarian Expatriate on Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Re: Reasons why western countries are boring

Mon Nov 18, 2019 11:45 pm
I guess that's what happens in a live-to-work culture. People define themselves and others by what they do to make money, or what they're studying, which can indirectly amount to the same thing. I think next time someone asks me what I do, I'll tell them my hobbies.
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FailedMan
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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Re: Reasons why western countries are boring

Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:14 am
That's half the reason the French and Irish have always hated England. Anglo and Protestant countries are dull and they export that everywhere they can even when they go overseas to get away from it because it benefits elites who want every neighborhood to be predictable and every shop to be a Subway or Tesco.

There was an excellent ebook circulating around these type of forums in the 2000s written by an Englishman who traveled to Greece in the 70s and compared the party lifestyle there to boring England and he warned capitalism and the pandering to tourists for easy money would destroy what Greece was, it was called "George it's time to wake up now" or "Wake up George" I wish I could find it.


Last edited by FailedMan on Wed Nov 20, 2019 6:24 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Book)
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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Re: Reasons why western countries are boring

Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:06 pm
I was thinking today, western countries are good if you want : 

* Peace (no war, unrest, chaos)
* Good infrastructure and efficiency
* To be left alone

But that's pretty much all you get. 

Whereas in a lot of non western countries, you get less of the above, and more of the things that make life interesting, fun and fulfilling. Sometimes it's a shortage of the above that brings out the best in people. 

I guess there's always a price to pay. I don't think many countries have an abundance of both. You just have to know what price you're willing to pay for what kind of life you want. 
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Reasons why western countries are boring Empty Re: Reasons why western countries are boring

Sun Nov 24, 2019 11:25 pm
I think another part of it is that in a lot of places that some might consider less developed, people actually have an interest in their neighbours and are more willing to help others. Just look at London these days, people will literally step over someone whose just been mugged because they either don't care, don't want to get involved or are scared that they'll be next. No one cares about each other anymore outside of what's in it for me? I'm generalising of course but I don't think I'm exaggerating. No one trusts anyone anymore. Which, in some respects, is a good thing because there are a lot of people out there who will take you for everything you've got given half the chance.
But there are still good people out there, just look at Japan during the rugby world cup. The Japanese people were trying to learn the national anthems of all the teams so they could join in, even if they were playing against Japan. I can't think of another country where the people are so polite and caring of others that they would do that! Again, I know I'm generalising, but I was very impressed by the country from what I could see. I hasten to add I wasn't lucky enough to go there but know a few people who were and they all came back saying the exact same thing, how friendly and helpful everyone was. I think we've lost a lot of that Interest in others in the UK. I can only speak for the UK having spent my life here. Get out of the South East of England and things do change for the better but still not a huge amount.
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