Cultural Clash Class - Religion as a Social Force

Today's class was on Marx and his views on society, economics, and religion.  Communism.  Capitalism is the root of all ills and disenfranchises man from himself promoting the need to find solace in an ideal man, a God-man, with the promise of a more complete and fulfilling existence

It was really interesting and I could appreciate whereMarx was coming from, and how at the time of his writing his interests were so topical and relevant to the world as to be all consuming... he was a major political activist in his own right.

What was super interesting in the class, though, was the different approaches taken towards Marx along the different cultural lines...

The Frenchman, in talking about Marx's theories and how the correspond to Darwin's, said the bourgiesie where who they were because they deserved it, and the proletariat were stuck where they were because they weren't any smarter... that they had each evolved in to their rightful place.

A Czech girl turned the conversation away from communism - with out ever addressing Marx and started rambling about the importance of being lazy, and how without forced capitalism people would be free to be lazy and enjoy themselves...

The Serb responded that it had been taken too far and that Serbians no longer know how to work - the entire nation is lazy, and the people unmotivated...

And then we came to the idea of communism, as an ideal it would lead to utopia - and then a Czech jumped in with how communism has affected the people and created a society that expects to be cared for without knowing how to care for themselves... and that is was never fully communistic but rather socialistic and then the Frenchmen says that France did socialism better than the communists - who failed to fully realize communism, and the Serb was in the conversation too...

And as an American - at that point, they lost me.  I was taught the USSR was communist, not socialist.  I thought the Iron Curtain was the defining line for Communist countries and The Free World.  I didn't know France was ever socialist - all though that sounds familiar...  And Serbia - how long have they been a free country?  I don't know a thing about their history as a PEOPLE as I believe it is a rather new country and no, I don't have a clue about that either.  

What was most interesting for me wasn't so much the words coming out of their mouths, or the revelation of new levels of ignorance, it was watching these people from all over the world relate and how they fit in to little stereotypes I try really hard not to validate.

The Frenchman was arrogant and dismissive.  The Czech girl was flighty and deflecting political commentary on her nation until a nerve was struck and then responded with passion.  The Serb was direct and almost guttural in his speech - in contrast to his facial expressions but in line with his physical interactions, very rigid and tense.  

The Frenchman - he fit the stereotype which you are probably familiar with.  The Czech are supposed to be reluctant to address politics but when they do to be passionate, and the Serb, a nice guy, sounded like he was in an old movie, an old eastern european heavy but directed his anger at his own people rather than at The Free World.

I had stuff to add and was able to participate in other aspects of the conversation - but I found listening and observing to be nearly as important as reason for my presence as the lecture.