Once upon a hoopty...

So, the first thing i read this morning online was this article, linked to the title above. Americans are such Americans. How cool is it that a state college would design classes culturally acceptable to visiting faculty from another country and culture. Who flippin cares if your teacher and all your classmates are the same sex as you or co-ed? We Americans are so short-sighted and so ethno-centric and overly concerned about "our rights." To make the situation more "American" it would probably be appropriate to have an alternative to a segregated class, but I can't imagine that in a country where segregation is the exception to the rule that it would automatically imply lowered standards, as one girl in the article griped about. Surely, we can forego our preferences for one class to honor the culture of visiting faculty? Wouldn't we expect or even demand the same hospitality when we travel abroad? (Answer, after having seen far too many Americans traveling abroad: Yes, we demand things in other countries be exactly like things are in the states even when that is impossible. [Example: I love it when people ask us if we can run to Wal-mart in Nicaragua...oh, you wish we had anything near a one-stop, buy anything in the world that you want store]) So, I don't think that we need to change our culture to suit the needs of visiting cultures, but what's wrong with catering a little bit every now and then especially with something as cool as a faculty exchange with an Middle Eastern country? These people are going to have a hard time doing anything else in this country like they would in their home country, at least we can try to make them a little more comfortable in their jobs.

okay, that's all.