June 03, 2003

Cultural exchange

Far from being uninterested in other people in other lands we Americans are desperate to communicate with them -- or at least, to type at them and have them type back. Jeff Jarvis needs to cut back on the caffeine a bit, though:

What comes out of this: A hundred Salam Paxes. A thousand Salam Paxes.

I mean, I'm sure Salam is a great guy and all but I'll bet even he would draw the line at maybe just five copies of himself.

Posted by Andrea Harris at June 3, 2003 12:50 AM
Comments

5 copies of Salam? Quit cloning around!

Posted by: Chuck at June 3, 2003 at 08:26 AM

It's not for us here in the States; it's for the Iraqis...no better way for them to play catch-up...an electronic "Democracy for Dummies".

Posted by: MommaBear at June 3, 2003 at 08:33 AM

I was being facetious. I have nothing against the effort, and think it would be a great thing.

All humor aside though, I do wonder where that stereotype of Americans being nearly totally uninterested in the Whole Rest of the World comes from when we are the ones (mostly) who have provided/are providing the world with satellite communications and the devices by which to use them, among other things. But why let reality interfere with a comforting cliché?

Posted by: Andrea Harris at June 3, 2003 at 10:48 AM

Speaking of cultural exchange, Andrea, have you seen Matthew Engel's final "Engel in America" column? He's really leaving:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,969211,00.html

Hawkgirl's got a fiskulation at the ready over at http://emily.news-portal.com/archives/004810.php already...

Posted by: Combustible Boy at June 3, 2003 at 09:11 PM