or, How an Old Post Comes Back To Haunt Me
On 17 February 2002 I posted a description of a small incident I observed in a Parisian restaurant. I then forgot about it until March this year, when someone calling themself "Yank" posted a reasoned and reasonable comment. Since then, there have been more comments posted, some of which have been so ridiculously inane from both 'sides' of the 'debate' that I have deleted them. Others I have kept. I have wondered about deleting the post, but there would be a fundamental dishonesty in doing so. However, the comment posted today by "Caz" is extremely funny. Perhaps I shouldn't laugh at a 14-year-old, but, please, I would have thought that by that age a rudimentary knowledge of the native language would have been achieved. Linger to view her email address. Revel in the irony (but don't send her email, remember she is only 14, and I don't think it's fair to do so to one so young).
And in just one click you can read the reason that led me to post that post! (please read before you leave a comment!)
I started blogging on 4 February 2002. I set up my own little blog*spot hosted site and happily wrote away.
I read other blogs, largely by using the Blogger Recently Updated, and Blogsnob hopping facilities. I would say that it was probably at least three weeks until I found a trio of gems - 'Moi', Vaughan and Stuart. Until then I had been reading some incredibly dire blogs, most of which are, no doubt, now defunct.
The overwhelming majority of them were written by ignorant, arrogant semi-literate Americans of a certain age. I almost gave up blogging, thinking I was the only sane voice out there. This is me, who developed a love for America at a young age, largely because of having two Aunts and four cousins living there. My first trip abroad was to the States. There's an awful lot of things I like tremendously about the US.
But it was really getting my goat seeing these ignorant, arrogant semi-literate Americans of a certain age, going on about how wonderful America is, unquestioningly, as if it's the only nation with any advantages or virtues, and yet clearly entirely unaware of there being other nations in existence, except of the bad, diaper-on-head wearing variety.
I subsequently found a good number of thoughtful, articulate, intelligent, amusing, entertaining blogs by Yanks. Some are on my sidebar. Others I didn't pursue, or gave up on, because, although I could objectively admire their qualities, ultimately, they were not for me.
But before these discoveries, I wrote a series of posts about how ghastly is the behaviour of Americans abroad. Jess has subsequently pointed out that due to unbelievably inadequate vacation from work, and the cost of travelling beyond North America, the American abroad is entirely atypical of Americans. That I will support from my own observations in the US, where any ignorance on display, even in New York, is of an endearingly naive variety. Of course, the loud, obnoxious American abroad is merely representative of loud obnoxious people.
And, alos, anyone reading that post in isolation will never realise just how much I slag off the British!
