Westernized is a word. So why are Southernized, Northernized, and Easternized flagged on spell check?

It is a method of sourcing philosophy and culture. The widest acknowledged cultural gaps are between the Eastern and Western philosophies.

I can accept that. But then why isn’t Easternized a legitimate word concept?

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies

Because Eastern is the older of the two. Westernization is the new kid on the planet.

Apparently none of the other three have been submitted for inclusion in whatever dictionaries those spell checkers use.

My Firefox sees them as errors and they’re not in http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict.htm

They can be a concept if you want. But it is a matter of the course of history.

The world was explored, dominated, and controlled by Western powers, not Eastern powers.

The Western domination of the world had massive economic and cultural influence on the everything it controlled. And it still does. Eastern countries tend to Westernize because of influences from western economy and government, national wealth and so on.

That’s why we have Westernization. If the East had explored, conquered and dominated the world to become the super powers, we would most likely have Easternization.

I understand. But it does seem appropriate to use those terms to conceptualize other notions in our modern era. With the onslaught of Asian influence that America has experienced in the past 20 years it might be appropriate to coin the term Easternized to depict the wave of Sushi diners and Yoga Studios on every other street corner these days. Alan Watts started a wave of Easternized religious perspectives, and current fashion and interior design are friends of the Asian flair. Feng Shui is a common adhoc term tossed about by interior decorators.

And on a regional level, would it be improper to describe a Southern family who moved to Maine as becoming Northernized over time after adopting the ways of that region?

Can I not Southernize any meal with certain spices and decor?

It terms of relative geography, the Western hemisphere was easternized by Euro settlers when they migrated here from the east.

You don’t see thousands of people walking around NYC or Paris or Melbourne in traditional Asian garb, but you see thousands in business suits or blue jeans in Beijing and Bangalore.

First of all, what onslaught of Asian influence has there been in the Western world? Sushi and yoga do not count as Easternization.

Second of all, any Any Asian influence in the Western world is so miniscule by comparison of Western influence in the East, there really is no rationale to coin Easternization a meaningful term.

Third of all, you would be creating a Southern style meal, not Southernizing. You are not influencing the food economically or financially, or socially to change the taste.

I think this question can be put to bed now. Really

Well @jaytkay uses fashion as an example to depict Westernization. Can I not use food to depict Easternization or Southernization? Can these terms only be used, (as you say) “because of influences from western economy and government, national wealth and so on.”?

About 10 years ago, Downtown St. Louis was infused with a new crop of Sushi restaurants and Yoga studios. The county soon followed. I understand that many large cities experienced the same phenomenon. Yoga used to be so rare that I can remember Christians teaching that it was of the devil. Sushi was only to be had on special occasions at very few places. Now there are dozens of Sushi restaurants and I can even take a class at the YMCA to prepare Sushi. I can buy a kit at the supermarket. This wasn’t so 15 years ago.

This is above and beyond all the Woks that were already scattered around the city.

Are words unjustified simply because something “is so miniscule by comparison”?

Is an “ization” only limited to economic or financial concerns? What about style?

Oh! And let’s not discount the pop culture interest in Eastern medicine, erbs, practices.

The whole Holistic phenomenon is an exercise in Easternization.

Many ethnic groups have various Holistic practices. They don’t all come from Asia. And many traditional Asian medicines and practices are not common over here. And ones that are over here in the US are not common enough outside their ethnic communities to be deemed Easternization.

At the end of the day the rest of the world is becoming more like Western countries, and not like Eastern countries. The history of exploration and domination by Western powers has set that in motion. And don’t forget, much of the Far East was isolated mostly by choice (i.e. Ancient China) until Western people showed up and took over.

Some sushi shops, yoga centers, and interior designers using the term Fung Shui is not Easternization by any measure.

I don’t view this as an all or nothing scale where the weighty party takes all. I completely agree that Western influence is the primary dominant force that the world must reckon with. But that does not disregard even one lowly American medical practitioner that utilizes acupuncture upon her patients. Even but if only one, that American doctor has Easternized her practice to some small degree. I mean, what would you call it? She’s adopted some Eastern methodology? By doing so, she has Easternized her practice. The great Westernization that is upon the planet doesn’t, can’t, and shouldn’t disregard that.

Therefor, the term Easternize should stand as a valid term to express the concept, no matter how small.

My son and I are learning to speak Japanese just by default of watching subtitled anime on the web.

Westernization involves change to an entire peoples culture. Not a few people here and there.

For that lowly medical practitioner to have become Easternized they will have had to adopt an entire Eastern medical ideology and methodology, not just add acupuncture to their services list.

Learning some Japanese does not make you Easternized. If you adopted totally and completely a traditional Japanese lifestyle, clothing, diet, language, medicine, morals, values, etc. and did away with pretty much all things Western…then you might be able consider yourself Easternized.

Get it? Easternization doesn’t exist because the scale for it doesn’t exist. Western cultures are not changing as a whole in the way Eastern cultures are changing as a whole from Westernization.

The idea or concept of Easternization can exist sure. But because in actuality Easternization does not really exist, it is not recognized as a notion, word, occurrence the way Westernization is.

So the Japanese aren’t really Westernized until they “adopt an entire (Western) medical ideology and methodology”, giving up entirely on their Eastern medical practices?

The “ation” in Westernization denotes it as a process. Why can’t Easternization likewise be a process?

Orientalized is not flagged in Microsoft Word.

Not sure how you’re not getting this… Are you just ignoring what I write so you can continue a circular argument? As I’ve said before:

Easternization as a concept can exist, BUT it just isn’t something that happens. Countries around the world are not Easternizing, they are Westernizing and have been doing so for some time, and will only continue to do so. The very minor influences from Eastern culture on the Western world is simply not common enough are on a large enough scale to as an adaptation or assimilation to traditional Eastern cultures to coin the term Easterization.

Westernization is not something that happens on an individual or even a minority group level. It is something that occurs on the majority level of an entire population and an entire country.

So, because of that and Eastern influence being so very minor in the Western world, Easternization just doesn’t exist like Westernization.

With that, I’m done.

I know I know you’re done and this should be put to bed. But indulge me for just a moment longer if you please. Are these terminologies only applicable to “the majority”?

If, as you say, “Easternization doesn’t exist like Westernization”, then we must conclude that Easternization does in fact exist, although not to the extent of Westernization. Shall we not be as considerate towards the personal as we are to the global?

It’s not a matter of consideration or politeness or etiquette. Its a matter of what is happening around the world.

Westernization or Easternization isn’t something on an individual or personal level. A few people here and there choosing a more Eastern or Asian lifestyle is not an example of Easternization. It would need to be on a much larger scale, affecting the way an entire people live their lives and have an affect on the country in which they live.

Its not just foods people eat, clothes they wear or the type of exercise they do. It involves cultural change, including foods/clothing, but much much more. It involves economic changes and business relations, changes in global views and politics.

So, yeah, eating some sushi and picking up some Japanese words or lighting some incense is not Easternization .

We use different words. Asian inspired for example.

I don’t see National Geographic photos of African tribes clothed in traditional Japanese garb. They tend to be wearing the polo shirts and running shorts of the Western world. Christian missionaries from the west bringing our culture and religion. The scientific community, etc.

The hubris of the west

@wenn

According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/westernization , westernization is a “conversion to or adoption of western traditions or techniques”.

There’s no requirement there about a minimum scale size to satisfy the definition.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Sushi diners and Yoga Studios…

To be sure, these are examples of Oriental influences on the evolution of “Western” culture, but they themselves are westernized versions of the original; the exercise yoga practiced in the yoga schools, for example, is a far cry from the discipline taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.