Читать книгу Geekspeak: Why Life + Mathematics = Happiness - Graham Tattersall - Страница 16

6

HOME ALONE

How many piano tuners are there in Boston?

How much do you have in common with a Bushman in the Kalahari Desert? You both need food and shelter, shade from the sun when it’s hot, and a source of heat for warmth when it isn’t. Like him, you nurture your children. On the other hand, how often does a Bushman peruse the menu in a cappuccino bar?

We aren’t all the same, of course, but each of the different societies that exist across the world can be placed in one of a fairly small number of distinct categories. Western industrial, agricultural, developing countries – these are labels that provide us with a convenient picture of a particular social, economic and cultural behavioural pattern.

Within those broad categories there are finer divisions that are culturally specific, and instantly understood by people belonging to a particular cultural group. If you’re British, try dividing the list of words below into two groups with a common thread in each group:

Tuscany	Govan
satellite TV dish	pinstriped
Benidorm	Surrey
opera	cricket
comprehensive school	wages
pearls	hire purchase
Financial Times	director
football	salary
accordion