[Theforum] culture-differences

Erika Meyer emeyer at lclark.edu
Tue Oct 30 18:58:34 CST 2001


Madhu wrote:

>I could cry myself hoarse about how Indians don't eat curry for 
>breakfast, that we don't play elephant polo, that we're not all 
>snake charmers, that the English-speaking population of India is 
>more than the population of USA, that not all of us live in abject 
>poverty, and (gasp!) we have McDonald's too, but it wouldn't be very 
>relevant.

Madhu, have you heard these stereotypes from Evolt people, or from 
Americans in general?

(wtf is elephant polo? you'd be needing some LONG sticks...)

One thing I have to say, having been on thelist, the admin list, and 
the chat, is that I think we are all a bit wiser here than on 
average.  We all have our points of view, but I haven't seen THAT 
much stereotyping going on.  Teasing, yes.

Stereotyping... not so much.

>OK, I just have to know. What's the meaning of "feh"? I've seen it 
>used on mailing lists several times, but can't figure it out, other 
>than from context

http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=feh
I'm in the same boat, Madhu.

>>Just understand that US citizens have a tendency to be geographically
>And this list is probably the first place I've seen Americans 
>willing to admit that. It's a good start :D

Then you've run into some typisch "ugly Americans."

We like to send these "ugly Americans" to foreign countries as 
tourists, and we like to elect them to high political office.  Other 
countries have equivalents.

There are many more Americans hidden in the back.  In fact, we have 
whole third world nations (reservations, ghettos, backwoods) right in 
our back yard... over there, next to the junked cars and waste dumps. 
See the kids eating the paint chips?

>And since I'm the instigator of this "culture" thread that has since 
>gone on to totally off-topic posts, I'd like to sound like an admin 
>(though I'm not) and say, get back on-topic kids.

bite me!

(I never have figured out what "bite me" means, either.
Maybe it's akin to the German "leck mich...")

now I'm getting naughty.  I stop now.

naughtiness... it's contagious, you know.

Erika
-- 




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