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I really enjoyed Sami's performance piece about the Persia Passion.
I think we all have to deal with other people's misunderstandings and misconceptions about our country. I've explained to my friends abroad multiple times how far apart Boston and Las Vegas are, but they still think they will visit me in Massachusetts and then we'll take a quick trip to Nevada.
Do people have the "Persia Passion" about your country? What are the things they say?
What do you say about Americans? Do you agree with Sami that we believe we can control outcomes and that there is no such thing as bad luck? Or do you feel confused by our supposed lack of rules? Feel free to post anonymously! : )
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Many things to say being from Mexico!! People here believe America is the United States... but outside this country, America is the whole Continent, from Canada to Chile and Argentina. And North America is considered as Canada and USA, Mexico is taken as a weird thing, neither North nor Central America... and not to say in many movies Mexico was used to be shown as a place where people use donkeys for transportation and the landscape was always a desert... and the 'mexican' food has almost nothing to do with the real mexican cuisine. But I guess it's not just our problem, I think we people have not tried to show our real cultures and even less tried to get to know other cultures. I think the globalization is breaking down all those barriers and now there are many opportunities to get to know others.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's a lack of rules, on the contrary I think you have lots of rules, and everybody is sure the rest of the people are following them. I don't know, maybe it's because I'm an outsider and I'm not used to those rules which Americans follow almost instinctively. And I do believe many Americans are sure there's no 'bad luck'. I'm amazed of how many advertisements are from lawyers that sue for everything, as if there was no chance of themselves making a mistake or having an accident. It's like if there should always be someone guilty for their bad luck or lack of attention. But I'm sure not every American is like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carla - your comment about the world's impression about Mexico has got me thinking about where those stereotypes come from!! Does all we really know about other countries come from the movies and restaurants? It makes me realize once again how lucky we are at MIT to meet and develop friendships with people from all over the world!
ReplyDeleteI do agree that we have "rules", we just don't like to think we do! And sometimes it's hard for us to define the rules until someone breaks them.
ReplyDeleteIn general, I think Americans truly believe that with hard work, we can achieve anything. We believe in our own abilities and that there is equal opportunity in this country, whether it's true or not. If Barack Obama can overcome the odds against him and become president, then anything is possible! While many Americans are accepting of failure and bad luck, I think for the most part, we think we can control and influence outcomes much more than other cultures.