>> It strikes me that the thing about "culture" is that it is entirely 
>> dependent on who you hang out with.
> 
> Ummmm, yes?   <Darren> fighting the urge to say "Duh!" </Darren>
> 
> ;-)
> 
> Seriously, that's kind of what culture *is*.

So why does everybody act surprised that I don't know certain rather 
obscure facts? It's not like everybody knows everything, or lived life 
the exact same way...

> For example, in the Jet Li / Jackie Chan movie that just came out, the 
> story is related to a major cultural story involving someone traveling 
> from China to India. I'd learned about it in school, as did my Chinese 
> wife, so we both knew the background of the characters and such, which 
> made it a more enjoyable movie.

See, now I wouldn't even bother watching such a film, since clearly I 
won't understand any of it.

OTOH, a friend of mine commented on something that happened on the way 
out of the cinema after watching Titanic. Some person says to their 
friend "seriously, apparently it's based on a true story". And their 
friend was like "don't be so stupid! How can it be based on a real story?"

People accuse me of being stupid, but I do realise there was a real ship 
called the Titanic, that really did sink when it hit an iceberg. As 
surely does most of the population?

And then there was that time my mum wanted to go see Jesus Christ 
Superstar. At the end we walked back to the car in silence. And as we 
get into the car, mum goes "well that was a bit depressing". Like, WTF? 
Did you not know he was going to DIE at the end? Have you not read the 
book?!?

To me, not recognising the theme tune to the Wicked Witch of the West 
just isn't on the same level as the two examples above.

>> I played Shylock.
> 
> And you don't understand what it means to call someone a Shylock?

Well let's see now. You could mean that they're just plain evil. Or 
misunderstood. Or an oppressed minority. Or just Jewish. Or any number 
of other possible meanings...

>> Best thing about performing Shakespeare: If you make a mistake, nobody 
>> in the audience will ever know. They can't understand a word you're 
>> saying, AND THEY DON'T CARE ANYWAY. Really reduces the pressure! ;-)
> 
> Heh. Actually, I found Shakespeare to be *way* more interesting when 
> performed live than either reading it or seeing it as a movie. It's a 
> completely different experience.

Depends if the actors know what the hell they're performing or not. ;-)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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