Question on Postmodernism, literature and communication

[pippin_999]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "naamagatus" <naama_gat at h...> 
wrote:

> What I don't get is, if cultural relativism holds, how is it that a 
> person from one culture can hear a person from another 
culture at all? If criteria of truth/beauty are cultural specific, then 
what are  we left with other than cultural specific canons that are 
inherently  incomprehensible and therefore worthless for other 
cultures? In other words, how can true conversations be held 
between people and *particularly* between cultures according to 
the postmodernist view 
> (that is, without accepting the humanist assumption of an 
underlying, 
> common human nature?)

My rant about criticism was meant to be a light hearted nothing is 
sacred poke at narrow-mindedness of all stripes. Most of my 
knowledge of literary criticism comes from reading the Book 
Review section of the Sunday New York Times, whose columns 
strive to be more high brow than its best seller list. I have a 
feeling the real reason Potter was bounced from the b.s. list was 
so that there would be room on it for at least one or two of the 
books that actually do get reviewed on the adult pages, as 
opposed to the latest airport trash. Otherwise, how could they 
claim to be an arbiter of taste?

However I do have formal education in the visual arts, so I can 
approach the question about universal truth and beauty...it 
depends. ;-)

Seriously, I'm sure only the most determined cultural determinist 
would say that everything is determined by culture. We humans 
obviously have loads of genetic characteristics in common, 
though you can always get a good fight going by claiming to 
know what they are. Some of our experiences are pretty universal 
as well: if you prick us, do we not bleed?

In the visual arts, what we observe is that people find symmetry 
pleasing, but asymmetry gets their attention. You can see how 
this works by visiting the local supermarket and looking at the 
product packaging. The designer uses asymmetry to get you to 
look, probably at the product name or the picture, and rewards 
you for it by presenting an overall symmetric design. Infants will 
stare longer at a pattern of dots which resembles a human face. 
Certain colors get more attention than others.

>From there out it gets complicated. Cultural associations  trump  
everything else. One culture's trash is another's treasure: 
cough:Jerry Lewis:cough. (Western) museum quality Japanese 
prints first came to Europe as packing paper. "International 
Orange" fire engines were an accident increasing flop: 
researchers thought they'd be easier to see, but they didn't "read" 
as fire engines because they weren't red. AFAIK, there is no 
visual aesthetic reason why an Andy Warhol oil painting of a 
soup can should be more valuable than the soup can itself. 
Especially if you're hungry ;-) 

Pippin