Neither. The perfect one is Melmacian.

...

I tend to be uncomfortable with labeling lifestyles because too often the stereotypes and extremes get lumped into a definition and then you have miscommunication.

I think there are positives and negatives of both. I am lucky to have a great number of friends from cultures all over the globe and that tends to make have a little different take away than some. The "perfect" (another decidedly romantic and open to labels rather than facts term) lifestyle for me would probably have elements of both eastern and western culture. Some of hopefully my generation and hopefully the best of others.

It bothers me that in the world climate the fear and hostility that extremists have generated makes a discussion on the OP's premise sound more like trying to start an argument than a conversation when it could actually be a good time to talk honestly.

Looking to see where someone's from is not, and should not, be seen as a automatic negative/positive judgement.

Granted OP has the typical me centered profile of a person on Mingle but that is hardly a crime either.

I think any lifestyle that focuses on courtesy, responsibility, family, liberty, self sacrifice, loyal friendship, affection, hospitality, artistic expression, and courageous but generous faith is going to appeal to me. I think both eastern a western cultures strive for that and the person who pointed out that it is really just where you are from that east and west are definitive for the relationship to another spot was right.

So hope this thread maybe discusses some concepts but tries to avoid stereotypes or at least dispel them.

Yes..."Island Culture" suits me .

Bravo. This is what I've been reacting to as well.

When I was a kid, back in the sixties especially, it was fashionable for a long time, for people (who usually had no real idea what they were talking about) to proclaim that this or that culture or race or socio-economic group, led much better lives than any of us stoopid Americans could. The explanation about why, was always some variation on "because they are inherently better/smarter people," and the whole self-indulgent idiocy of it all became boring and annoying in the extreme.

From an Historians point of view, at least this one's, every culture consists of the collection of solutions to life's challenges and concerns which they have had to deal with over time. Since not everyone does face the same things in life, there are lots of different solutions, and thereby lots of different cultures.

In fact, a lot of things that each cultural group insists on, which might appear to be based on mindless obedience to some distant past authority, or even "magic," are actually just very old "solutions" which either were never explained to the masses as being the "basic practical rules of thumb" that they actually were.

My own rather humorously intended myth for how gods were first invented, for example, is that some distant ancestor was trying desperately to get to sleep, while the kids were making noises, and generally being a pain. Too exhausted to get up themselves, the father or mother or both shouted out that a giant invisible spirit would kick their behinds if they didn't shut the hell up.

Anyway, the point is, that, putting in this threads' nomenclature, that Eastern solutions are designed to deal with Eastern problems, and Western solutions are designed for Western problems. Occasionally one or the other will come up with an idea that works for both well, or one that is sort of mundane for one, but feels like incredible brilliance to the other.

As for how family hierarchies are established here versus there, that isn't as much of a narrowing of the subject matter as the Op thinks, I believe. Who gets to be the families official leader, and with how much power, is intrinsically interwoven into and is in turn influenced by the entire rest of the society that it is designed to be a part of. Therefore you CAN'T install a family model that is designed for a specific culture from one place in the world, in a place that doesn't support it. Not without losing the very essences that you hoped would accompany the nominal shift in outlook of all participants.

i'd say Western.

i do not know why the simple word western rang the bell: western movies > yul bryner > Westworld (1973)

want to watch it again.

I would close my eyes and pick Western...and when my eyes open, I am sure to see a line up of people waiting to get in ....legally or illegal....just saying...

Actually West Texas is a little dry for me so I choose East Texas.

When I think of East vs West I think of USSR as east and everybody else as west . Ah the good old days of cold war. Jkd

Yes I agree west TX over east. Too soggy for me, humidity wise.