Which nationalities feel most at ease on iPeace, and anyone feel uncomfortable for anything they read or see here? Living out of my country, and receiving many international guests, I have experienced many occasions where I myself, or others make, let's call them "mistakes" because I or others don't know the customs of a country. There may be an uncomfortable feeling because one of us says or does something that is not customary. These are just a few of my own personal experiences and others I have never learned exactly what the reasoning behind them was.
l. A Russian guest visiting in Italy, rather than wait for me when I went to say hello to a friend in a cafè, completely disappeared (he walked back silently to his hotel).
2. I, in another country (English speaking) was told that perhaps my (totally innocent) pun offended people and I should probably watch it next time
3. Here, my Chinese friend stopped iPeace after one day, which he and I were sorry about. Even though he was interested in knowing about other nationalities and their thoughts, perhaps the direct mail to him expressed things he didn't feel comfortable in discussing, and that he didn't agree with.
The list goes on, and anyone who has traveled, or lived most their life out of their home country understands this more than others.
If you read the majority of discussions and blogs here, you will see that certain countries do not partecipate actively. This is to be expected.
I am thinking though, that probably some people would even like to comment on things, or bring up discussions, but only observe and learn about the rest of the world through their reading and remain on the "outside".
I am wondering if perhaps, some are scared off by some of the more, let's say, original and provocative writings and photographs. Although they may be interested, attracted to, and even in agreement with what they see and read, their own cultures may almost prohibit them to express themselves without being perhaps judged as being too liberal.
NOW having said that - I have learned through my own experience, especially in China, that my friends there were very interested in every single thing about me and my life. It was all new to them, "I" was new to them. But if I would have shocked them with details, news, experiences, photos, whatever, right from the start, I think I may have lost them, without being able to get close at all.
Things exist, nudity, erotic writing, sensuality, and here, people are getting close, some of them pretty close, I believe. But many iPeace members, I believe, are definitely not used to these things in "their world" and it may be something that, rather than inform them of these things, and the ease in which many many countries of the world discuss it, view it, show it, makes them decide to immediately leave, without continuing at all.
This is a shame, and may be summed up by these people with a negative idea like "it is too libertal" or "I don't agree with this kind of thinking". Getting out for good, they will lose all the wonderful things they could have gotten here.
On a lighter note, it's a little like Italian television, for those living in Italy you know what I am talking about. Women news reporters when giving the news, often wear very low cut shirts and jackets. Even during the war in Kosovo, I noticed that their attire was the same or even "worse" in order to get more viewers. It was extremely noticeable, and in terrible taste due to the subject they were reporting. Finally someone somewhere must have said STOP, and the day after the lowcut shirts got buttoned up a bit more. Perhaps someone realized that they had to think about the general public (including children!) who were in front of the television.
Should we put a few more buttons on iPeace in order to attract the more timid, conservative, traditional countries and give them a chance to slowly learn what "our glorious world" is all about? What are your thoughts?