Where I Live:Where they Live 1/25/2017

I believe there are many different perspectives to discuss ways in which I live in comparison to ways that Middle easterners live. Socially cultural expectations in the middle east are very different than those in the US. With the US being a democracy made of the people for the people, we all are able to practice our different cultures in different ways.A few ways that culture is expressed in  the US is through music, food and clothing. In addition because the US is full of many different cultures people tend to have characteristics of a bunch of different cultures that don't apply to all or most of the people in the culture they identify with.In the middle east these differences in culture often serve as conflict rather than a collaborative effort. Although we commonly think of Islam as a common faith in the middle east there is much diversity of beliefs in the middle east. This leads to  the next perspective to look at that is a clear distinction between the US and the middle east, politics. Politically the Middle east does not seem to have the same sense of acceptance of different beliefs that is embedded in US politics.Although we have different parties in the US there is a common goal of working towards whatever laws and policies work best for all its citizens.I think that in terms of foreign policy the US thinks of its own interests with concerns for what implications they will make for the rest of the international system.Whereas the states in the Middle East put its own interests first despite what it may induce for its neighbors and the rest of the world.Lastly another way to compare the US and the Middle east is how the individuals interact geographically. In the middle east land is valued more so for strategic value rather than economic value. In the US I would say this the exact opposite individuals value regions for its economic opportunities.Each of these differences act as a barrier for understanding because it manipulates the thought process of individuals in these different places. For instance women in the middle east may not be able to relate to the everyday lifestyle of a woman in the US.The biggest resource to overcoming this barrier is knowledge. To understand why people of a different region act and practice in certain ways you must first learn the historical context and culture of that given place.