Clarissa's Blog

Jeremy Boreing published an excellent video about how everything in the third world is a struggle for power. The smallest daily interaction is a way to assert or lose dominance. One example is haggling, which is something I deeply despise. People in such countries become greatly upset if you refuse to haggle. Getting money in exchange for a product to them is secondary to experiencing a sense of dominance over the customer.

Every time human beings come into contact in such countries, it all becomes about which one is the winner and which one is the loser. In the West, this dimension of life was completely removed. Everything in our lives is set up in such a way as to make these power struggles impossible. Our status is not decided in every interaction. As a result, our energy is liberated for creative pursuits. The material wealth of the West is a direct consequence of people’s energy not being frittered away in minute-by-minute status warfare with others. Status in our societies is confirmed by systems, structures, and institutions. When that fails, as in the case of Jason Arday (RIP), we’re outraged.

As a result, we live in societies where people go out of their way to be kind and sweet to each other, while in third-world countries, which can be Christian (so it’s not a religious difference), they are constantly at each other’s throats.