Having Your Head Up Your Ass Won't Keep Them From Chopping It Off
In response to Megan Stack's terrific piece for the LA Times on being a dog with two legs in Saudi Arabia (more commonly known as being a woman) there's this gem on the LA Times' letters page:
Stack is an example of the ugly American. What a waste of an opportunity to be an observer of a culture that she could have experienced for what it was worth, without judgmental prejudices, and maybe in that process develop an understanding of how we Americans became different from our global neighbors.JOAN LONON
Pasadena
Hey, Joan...it isn't America that's ugly. Check this one out: "Girl, 11, rescued from marriage." Or think about how freedom of religion works in Saudi Arabia:
Cardinal Karl Lehmann, Bishop of Mainz, wants to exercise a bit of reciprocity. Since there are now so many mosques all over Europe, he wants to celebrate Mass in Saudi Arabia. And why not? Because, of course, tolerance and respect for other religions is a one-way-street.
And finally, a question: How do you get your head that far up there? And do you take it out for sight-essential activities, such as chopping vegetables and driving?
I've Googled Lonon and, I think, found her e-mail address, and invited her to check out the blog item, and hopefully, comment further.
Amy Alkon at June 10, 2007 9:47 AM
Try a little thought experiment: Take Joan Lonon's complaint to the Los Angeles Times and change the date on the letter from 2007 to 1957, then change the term "global neighbors" to "southern U.S. neighbors."
Isn't it getting a little stinky up there in your large intestine, Joan babe? If you pull your head out now, I'm sure the damage to your complexion could be reversed with a good hosing down in the backyard.
Lena at June 10, 2007 10:12 AM
What sort of name is Lonan, anyway? Izzat Swedish?
> What a waste of an opportunity
> to be an observer of a culture
> that she could have experienced
> for what it was worth
Is there any reason to think that isn't precisely what Stack did?
PS- Apologizing for the digression...
The last European government known to be drunk in a moment of crisis was the Soviet Union's, and we all know how that worked out. So Amy, is this anything to worry about?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd44XTlUQjQ
Crid at June 10, 2007 10:22 AM
Depressing and weird. I'd read in the past that Sarkozy does not drink and is kind of a fitness buff. He comes off like a guy who had his first glass of vodka at 15. How do you not know better -- as not only an adult, but the leader of a major country? Ugh. Well, I am on deadline, so I don't have time to look this up in the French press, but maybe somebody can and find out the scoop.
Amy Alkon at June 10, 2007 10:46 AM
Sorry for two hijackings in one day, but anyone whot thinks the internet blog scene has run out of juice needs to read the whole thread of this comment.
http://urltea.com/qo2
(Who knew Chris was even still alive? I figured he and Mike McCartney were living in Scotland somewhere drinking their livers away.)
Crid at June 10, 2007 4:34 PM
I'll be more impressed with Joan when she voluntarily moves to Saudi Arabia from the ultra-modern Western country where she can drive, marry (or not) who she wishes, and wear a bikini when walking down the street. Somehow, I doubt that will happen. Anyone remember CJ Cregg's little speech on "West Wing" on the matter, back in the day?
In the meantime, for those who want some actually interesting commentary on the country, I'm currently reading _Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy_. Click on my name to go to the Amazon page. Really interesting stuff - contains a lot of smug past predictions that have turned out to be erroneous, and has some info that I didn't know on events such as the oil shock of the '70s. I have absolutely nothing to do with the author/publisher/whatever, but I wanted to give people a suggestion for something to read about Saudi Arabia that contains genuine insight. Enjoy!
marion at June 10, 2007 6:28 PM
There is an essay by Reginald Bretnor, in which he says: "All cultures are most certainly not of equal value - and the more clearly we understand them, the more obvious that becomes..."
The ugly American tourist is very real - but that isn't what happened here. The fact is, many Islamic cultures relegate women to the role of glorified household pets. Based on this article, Saudia Arabia is one of them.
For those interested, here is a larger expert from Mr. Bretnor's article.
bradley13 at June 11, 2007 12:29 AM
Sarko drunk, the remix:
http://www.theparisblog.com/2007/06/11/party-on-sarko/
Amy Alkon at June 12, 2007 4:45 AM
And even sadder, Joan doesn't know her contemporary literature--The Ugly American is the good guy in the book of the same name--he's Homer Atkins, who lives with the local people, comes to understand their needs, and gives genuinely-useful assistance with small-scale projects such the development of a simple bicycle-powered water pump.
Why do people keep making this mistake?
KateCoe at June 12, 2007 5:16 PM
Rousseau. IOW, people are shits.
Crid at June 12, 2007 6:16 PM
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