Enjoyed reading this—it made me think about the relationship between borrowed context and borrowed desires.
You describe how we inherit norms and knowledge from communities (cultural dark matter). I've just written about how we inherit scripts for wanting from culture, work, family. Both are invisible structures most people don't notice unless they're specifically looking. https://rajeshachanta.substack.com/p/this-is-the-life
Your observation that "unless you spend meaningful time in high-context environments, you become oblivious to their existence" maps perfectly onto mimetic desire—if you've never stepped outside the pattern, you don't know there IS a pattern.
An interesting difference: you seem more optimistic about choosing your contexts (fly-fishing > Olympics as a marker of genuine participation). I'm less certain we can escape borrowed desires even when we see them. Maybe high-context environments are WHERE people practice choosing—you get to opt out of general status competition by choosing a specific context. But the choosing itself might still be mimetic.
Love the idea of cultural dark matter. Great post Dan.
The feeling of being in a high-context environment as an outsider can be overwhelming. The one time I went to a Phish show I felt suffocated by it, whereas I feel welcomed by it at any of the various Dead-related shows I've been to over the years. Being an outsider aware of your status as an outsider confers an interesting perspective too.
Enjoyed reading this—it made me think about the relationship between borrowed context and borrowed desires.
You describe how we inherit norms and knowledge from communities (cultural dark matter). I've just written about how we inherit scripts for wanting from culture, work, family. Both are invisible structures most people don't notice unless they're specifically looking. https://rajeshachanta.substack.com/p/this-is-the-life
Your observation that "unless you spend meaningful time in high-context environments, you become oblivious to their existence" maps perfectly onto mimetic desire—if you've never stepped outside the pattern, you don't know there IS a pattern.
An interesting difference: you seem more optimistic about choosing your contexts (fly-fishing > Olympics as a marker of genuine participation). I'm less certain we can escape borrowed desires even when we see them. Maybe high-context environments are WHERE people practice choosing—you get to opt out of general status competition by choosing a specific context. But the choosing itself might still be mimetic.
Interesting.
Makes me think high context occurs through a process of socialization. ( learning the hidden rules of how to speak, how to address someone...)
In this light, some self help books can be seen as making explicit those hidden rules ( gaining context " artifically" or in fast mode).
For me at least, I struggle to gain enough context, so learn by trial and error.
Other examples: rarionalists, EAs, some Substacks, fan groups, motorcycle drivers(?).
Very well-written. I immediately thought about going to Synagogue.
One of these articles that could easily have been a book, yet I'm very glad they are an article.
Great article. And how does this not end with you joining a shul?
the future is long :)
Love the idea of cultural dark matter. Great post Dan.
The feeling of being in a high-context environment as an outsider can be overwhelming. The one time I went to a Phish show I felt suffocated by it, whereas I feel welcomed by it at any of the various Dead-related shows I've been to over the years. Being an outsider aware of your status as an outsider confers an interesting perspective too.
Terrific piece as always. One point of curiosity reading this was pondering the mechanism in which environment can lose or acquire context over time.
I now understand why I'm a N.O.O.J. Context is everything.
N.O.O.J.?
I am definitely missing context on that and Google doesn't help.
Non-observant orthododox Jew.