Posted by Gabbix2 on December 8, 2005, at 16:40:20
In reply to Re: It's all relative, isn't it? » Gabbix2, posted by AuntieMel on December 7, 2005, at 10:13:54
> The first time I went to Poland was in the early '90s, soon after it opened up to the west. My thought at the time was "My, my, Americans just don't know how good we've got it"
>
> Not too long after that I went to Kazakhstan and one of my first thoughts was "My, my, the Poles don't realize how good they've got it"
>
> But - in talking to the locals of Atyrau, they insisted they were happy with things the way they were, thank you very much, and didn't *want* any modernization or western ways, so please take your money and go home.
>
> Meaning, I guess, that it's *our* version of what *we* think they should be living like that may be the most faulty.I think that's a lot of it. Personally I don't want the "special smile" my grade 3 teacher reserved for the poor kids.
But I do want understanding that appearances are not the entire story, I'd like that for everyone though.
On a slightly different note..
I had a friend of mine who prided herself (truly) on being p.c. This was years ago when the P.C movement was huge.
She made a comment about "another rude American" when we were in a store once.
I asked her "Carrie, when someone is a visible minority, and does something other people think is rude, you're the first one to say "You have to understand their culture"
"Why is it you think it's okay to make generalizations about Americans?"
She said "Oh, like you're *really* going to hurt them"
I think my brain started smoking..
I mean, that's not exactly the point of not judging people as far as I know.
And on top of that, by not being consistant you're being just as insulting toward the minority culture.
You're saying one should know better, and that the other is unequal and therefore we should "be extra nice to them"
It makes me understand why Buffy St. Marie sang "If the bad guys don't get you, then the good guys will"
poster:Gabbix2
thread:578654
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20051121/msgs/586982.html