Build A Better Blog With Cultural Diversity
I’ve spent the better part of the morning reading conflicting articles and news stories about the pros and cons of blogging in various parts of the world. In particular I’ve read some interesting and vastly different points of view on wether or not the blogging industry should be regulated by the government.
With cultural diversity comes responsibility
Blogs can be extremely powerful influences if they build a sufficient following. Many governments of the world fear that power and say it interferes with the very fabric of their nation. I just read an article on the english language Pakistani blog Light Within for example that details how the Pakistani government banned blogs completely and even shut down the popular free blog platform site Blogspot (You can read the article here). In the article, which is basicaly an interview with famous Pakistani blogger Hafsa Ahsan, you can see that some bloggers are torn between wanting to support their leaders but feeling disapointed at their leaders refusal to find a better way of dealing with cultural and political issues besides a simple ban on blogs. One striking comment Hafsa makes in the 2006 article is that he sees very few political blogs and even fewer educational blogs in Pakistan. I can only hope the numbers have increased since then, people should be able to speak freely, so long as they do so responsibly.
With cultural diversity comes increased awareness
Some would argue, and perhaps very loudly, that mixing cultures in fact weakens each individual culture. That argument often stems from a feeling of disaproval in seeing your own culture not fully celebrated. I believe that cultural diversity increases awareness between cultures a great deal. I’ve had the pleasure of training, working with and working for people with a wide range of cultural backgrounds and I feel i’m a better person for it.
When I turn on TV and hear about how horrible Iraqi people are and how bad it is to live there I draw on personal experience and know that Iraqi people are basicaly good, just as we are. I’ve worked with and become friends with some extremely intelligent people from many foreign countries that are often portrayed badly in the local press. None of those people displayed an ounce of what the media message would have me think.
My best friend in 6th grade was from South Africa, we played hockey together, and he was teased by some students, a small number of them, incessantly. I asked him once why he never said anything negative in return, he replied by telling me he hopes that one day they raise to his level because he can’t stoop to theirs. He was right.
When it comes to blogging, cultural diversity is a wealth of information
There is so much going on outside the borders of your country that it would be a shame to never write about it. It would be a bigger shame still to not even know about it. While reading the blog “Light Within” I came accross an article titled Trekking in the Northern Areas that had this passage…
Nowhere in the world is such a great concentration of high mountains, peaks, glaciers, and passes except in Pakistan. Of the 14 over 8,000 meters high peaks on our earth planet, four occupy an amphitheatre at the head of Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram Range
Now I don’t know about you but after reading the article I want to know more about the Karakoram Range and see more pictures of the area because it sounds vastly different from what I percieve Pakistan to look like, I’ve never been there. THAT is why cultural diversity belongs in your blog. You can expand your blog and reach a wider range of people, you can share knowledge that isn’t often repeated in your area (original content woohoo!) and you can expand your mind.
I chose to open my mind, will you follow me?