Comments on: U.S. used as counter example http://bcgavel.com/2009/10/26/u-s-used-as-counter-example/ Progressive News Source of Boston College Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:27:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Sue Byun http://bcgavel.com/2009/10/26/u-s-used-as-counter-example/comment-page-1/#comment-18 Sue Byun Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:01:17 +0000 http://bcgavel.com/?p=112#comment-18 Dear Michelle, I VERY much enjoyed your article, especially since I plan to study abroad in Madrid soon, and because increasingly I am realizing how ill-equipped I am for seamless intercultural integration there what with my largely western oriented education. Too many of my textbooks come with the subtitle "From the Western Perspective" or something along those lines, and if not denoted, it clearly is malpractice to garner facts from one side only. I thought the relative outrage of Americans over the Monica Lewinsky scandal versus Bush not signing the Kyoto Protocol to be not only amusing, but embarassing! It is also truly astonishing that in the American collective consciousness, we do not have such caricatured or strongly negative/positive thoughts about the Spanish, but they have such strong notions about us! If we as Americans are going to make a statement, we should be a little more sensitive to other people's perspectives, no? - Sue Dear Michelle,

I VERY much enjoyed your article, especially since I plan to study abroad in Madrid soon, and because increasingly I am realizing how ill-equipped I am for seamless intercultural integration there what with my largely western oriented education. Too many of my textbooks come with the subtitle “From the Western Perspective” or something along those lines, and if not denoted, it clearly is malpractice to garner facts from one side only.

I thought the relative outrage of Americans over the Monica Lewinsky scandal versus Bush not signing the Kyoto Protocol to be not only amusing, but embarassing! It is also truly astonishing that in the American collective consciousness, we do not have such caricatured or strongly negative/positive thoughts about the Spanish, but they have such strong notions about us!

If we as Americans are going to make a statement, we should be a little more sensitive to other people’s perspectives, no?

- Sue

]]> By: Natalie Isaksson http://bcgavel.com/2009/10/26/u-s-used-as-counter-example/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Natalie Isaksson Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:49:56 +0000 http://bcgavel.com/?p=112#comment-9 As a European student studying at BC I greatly appreciated this blog entry. It definitely embodies much of the notions I was bringing with me about the United States when I first came here. It also reflects the general attitude of Europeans to the United States and its politics quite accurately. I would also like to commend you for having this blog at all, as I feel that students at BC (unless themselves international or international studies majors) are not exposed enough to what the outside world thinks of the U.S., or have mistaken views on this. Good job and keep it up! As a European student studying at BC I greatly appreciated this blog entry. It definitely embodies much of the notions I was bringing with me about the United States when I first came here. It also reflects the general attitude of Europeans to the United States and its politics quite accurately.
I would also like to commend you for having this blog at all, as I feel that students at BC (unless themselves international or international studies majors) are not exposed enough to what the outside world thinks of the U.S., or have mistaken views on this.
Good job and keep it up!

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