So people like to name-drop authors and works that those who went to university and/or have a curiosity about the world should know as part of the basic vocabulary of being an educated Westerner. For example, "Kant" or "Dickensian", or "Gertrude Stein".
I would like to learn this stuff, please.
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posted by grahamsletter
on Mar 20, 2013 -
34 answers
I'm interested in Korean pop culture: K-pop, K-drama, K-film. I've seen previous questions about specific recommendations if music and movies. I am checking those out. There is so much material, I'm trying to get a broader perspective.
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posted by gimletbiggles
on Mar 12, 2013 -
10 answers
Think of an office or cubicle in the United States around 1999, particularly in tech/IT companies. What kinds of objects would you see there which are less common now?
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posted by ErikH2000
on Dec 1, 2012 -
92 answers
Asking for a friend. A coworkers wife has been diagnosed stage IV brain cancer. They are East Indian. We would like to bring flowers to their home. Does anyone know if certain flowers have special meaning culturally and / or are there flowers to avoid? Thank you.
posted by jennstra
on Nov 28, 2012 -
6 answers
I have tried to figure out Twitter on my own for over a year. I still don't get it. I googled articles. I emailed people and asked questions. I paid attention when it came up in conversation in online forums. I finally screwed up my courage and set up an account, even though I didn't know how to use it. At some point, I asked someone I met in person about it. But I am still doing it Rong. So Rong in fact that I just stopped bothering to try.
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posted by Michele in California
on Sep 21, 2012 -
56 answers
I have no idea how to talk to normal people about my not-normal relationship, particularly when it comes to parents. At what point does it become strange?
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posted by platypus of the universe
on Sep 14, 2012 -
34 answers
Enlighten me on current state of the art thinking, discourse and vocabulary around gender politics please. Terminally unique details inside.
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posted by infini
on Aug 22, 2012 -
31 answers
I've recently been watching Twin Peaks again, and I've been wondering... to people who actually watched it air in its original run, what was it like seeing something like this on TV? Did you have watching parties that I've heard so much about? Was the reveal of the killer and the twists and turns along the way surprising? Did you watch until the end of the second season, and were you disappointed when it got the plug pulled on it?
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posted by codacorolla
on Aug 3, 2012 -
66 answers
Help me with ideas to make my Chinese relative feel comfortable on her first visit to the U.S.
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posted by goodsearch
on Jun 30, 2012 -
16 answers
Identity crisis filter: ethnicity edition. Did you grow up one ethnicity, and choose another later in life? Do you identify with one ethnicity over another, even though both are in your lineage? Did you deny your ethnicity throughout life, then later claim it?
I need some help working through my ethnicity self-identification, also in the ways of culture appropriation.
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posted by FirstMateKate
on Mar 8, 2012 -
20 answers
We live in a remix culture. What does that mean for us? I'm interested in how electronic music has changed society's relationship to music, from both a musical performance and writing standpoint, and a cultural standpoint.
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posted by baniak
on Jan 6, 2012 -
11 answers
This
video of 'Departure' by Crystal Stilts seems to be comprised completely of documentary footage from the May '68 student uprising in Paris. However, there are a few shots in the video that are almost too 'perfect', specifically shots 4, 5 and 7, and I am wondering if they are in fact taken from a movie made at the time. If so, what film would that be? For some inexplicable reason I really need to know this.
posted by Phlegmco(tm)
on Dec 27, 2011 -
3 answers
My husband and I are both a quarter Croatian. Both our respective families hail from around Dubrovnic, on the Dalmatian coast. Being from such diverse backgrounds, we appreciate this cultural heritage that we share in common. As such, we would very much like to be put into contact people who can provide us with fabrics, traditional musics, religious traditions and the like.
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posted by msali
on Feb 13, 2011 -
10 answers
In order to prepare a competitive examination, I've got to delve deep into North American counterculture history. What should I read ?
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posted by nicolin
on Feb 8, 2011 -
26 answers
Looking for new magazines to read or subscribe to that publish enthralling nonfiction.
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posted by reenum
on Nov 9, 2010 -
17 answers
I am looking for work and have a question. When it comes to which race box to choose. My father was born and raised in Panama,
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posted by jennstra
on Nov 5, 2010 -
19 answers
Halloween Filter: Can I wear my hijab for a costume? (As a statement that HEY MUSLIMS AREN'T SCARY?) Special politically-correct snowflake details inside.
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posted by cyndigo
on Oct 29, 2010 -
39 answers
Lacan writes about a "symbolic order," a realm of signs and culture constituting a separate domain from the "real." What other authors/thinkers (besides Lacanians, like Zizek, and their predicessors like Levy-Strauss) make use of this way of viewing the world?
posted by Obscure Reference
on Oct 4, 2010 -
15 answers
I have the potential for a job in Austin, TX. I live in upstate NY. I have never been to Texas (other than a layover in Houston) and never lived outside of NY state. How different is the cost of living? Is the culture clash going to be overwhelming? Am I crazy to even consider this?
posted by tommasz
on Jun 21, 2010 -
39 answers
I'm going to be in Chicago in late July, and was hoping some locals could tip me on finding the best Lebanese food, jazz clubs/events that I shouldn't miss, interesting art galleries maybe even local theater if they're doing something fun.
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posted by dejah420
on May 22, 2010 -
8 answers
I’m looking to get hooked into information about any and all electronic or new media arts and cultural events happening in and around New York City. This includes games, video installations, small time hobbyist classes. What mailing lists and blogs should I be subscribed to and/or following? (I'm aaware of True Chip Till Death, Eyebeam, Figment NYC Resistor and 3rd Ward.)
posted by edbles
on May 17, 2010 -
2 answers
Suggestions needed for small, inexpensive items that can represent Canada to children ages 3-6 around the world.
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posted by Abbril
on May 11, 2010 -
16 answers
I'd like to sing some good Irish songs with a bunch of kids (I play the guitar) to have them learn something about Irish culture. Could you point at some meaningful, beautiful, traditional Irish songs ? (Tabs, melody, lyrics and background resources welcomed).
posted by nicolin
on May 5, 2010 -
11 answers
