Comments on: Nations look so pretty from afar http://www.theworld.org/2011/03/nations-look-so-pretty-from-afar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nations-look-so-pretty-from-afar Global Perspectives for an American Audience Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:49:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Anonymous http://www.theworld.org/2011/03/nations-look-so-pretty-from-afar/comment-page-1/#comment-19134 Anonymous Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:19:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=66472#comment-19134 Fair enough. It wasn't my intention, but the point is well taken. I don't mean to play down differences at all, just to point out that from an outsider's perspective they are often less distinguishable. As for the stereotypes, I'm certainly not deciding what they are; they're very much alive within Spanish society. Perhaps this was confusing because I didn't give any examples ("The Catalans are stingy." "The Andalucians are lazy." "In Madrid everyone's a 'chulo' (big shot)." And so on...) Thanks for your comment. Fair enough. It wasn’t my intention, but the point is well taken. I don’t mean to play down differences at all, just to point out that from an outsider’s perspective they are often less distinguishable. As for the stereotypes, I’m certainly not deciding what they are; they’re very much alive within Spanish society. Perhaps this was confusing because I didn’t give any examples (“The Catalans are stingy.” “The Andalucians are lazy.” “In Madrid everyone’s a ‘chulo’ (big shot).” And so on…)

Thanks for your comment.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.theworld.org/2011/03/nations-look-so-pretty-from-afar/comment-page-1/#comment-19112 Anonymous Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:19:00 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=66472#comment-19112 It is a bit cavalier to say people are indistinguishable "except for language, and a few (often stereotypical) idiosyncrasies." What would make people distinguishable, then, if not language? And who gets to decide what is archtypal and what is stereotypical? The author, while purporting to describe a situation that indeed is present everywhere, for very legitimate reasons, appears very nonchalant about what constitutes cultural difference. It is a bit cavalier to say people are indistinguishable “except for language, and a few (often stereotypical) idiosyncrasies.” What would make people distinguishable, then, if not language? And who gets to decide what is archtypal and what is stereotypical? The author, while purporting to describe a situation that indeed is present everywhere, for very legitimate reasons, appears very nonchalant about what constitutes cultural difference.

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