cultural stereotypes

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Tatiana Osipovich wrote:

> Dear Prof. Patterson,
> I have already sent my apology to Prof. Rosset for referring to her
> initial e-mail in my message about stereotyping Russians. I am very
> happy that she cleared her name. While I wish that we would all learn
> to avoid mistakes in forwarding our electronic messages, I truly hope
> that we will not receive any more emails like the one which was the
> subject of my concern.
> Sincerely,
> Tatiana Osipovich

I agree with the majority that bigotry is to be avoided in life
generally and on SEELANGS in particular, where most of our members'
missions involve bridging gaps between different cultures.

I would like, however, to inject a note of caution about where we draw
the line in identifying reprehensible bigotry. Let us keep in mind that
every nation, every government, every city, and yes, every culture has
its idiosyncrasies and traps for the unwary, what some might call
"shortcomings." As an objective reality, there are certain parts of New
York, my favorite city in all the world, where I would not venture
without an armed escort. This is not the same as saying that New Yorkers
are bad people (by and large, I think they're wonderful, but any large
enough sample of any large enough group will include a few
undesirables). I believe it is a fair comment to prospective visitors to
warn them about those areas. Similarly, I believe it is fair to caution
prospective visitors to St. Petersburg that certain behaviors are likely
to get them into trouble. Here, too, it does not mean that Russians or
Peterburgers are bad people as a whole. I'm sure that with appropriate
circumspection in those areas, most visitors will have a great time, and
I look forward to my own next opportunity. When I go, I plan to do my
homework first so that I can make the most of it.

If anyone would like to offer appropriately worded advice, sans bigotry,
regarding travel to St. Pete or Moscow, I would welcome a private
message.

--
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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