From Hey Y’all to Hola – Don’t be a Foreigner

Something a bit lighter than usual:

Now that being international is sexy again, here is a simple tip for first time travelers visiting a new country – know your social etiquette! Knowing the proper manners and customs can be the difference between being considered an “international visitor” or a “foreigner.” We are so used to our own social rituals that it is easy to forget styles of greeting, meeting, and eating vary drastically from place to place. For the same reason, we are prone to subconsciously judging others who are unfamiliar with the mannerisms, speech patterns, and social rituals we consider normal.

The same applies domestically. It seems that what is sometimes mistaken for an ethnic, racial, educational, income or some other divide is in fact cultural. Social interactions have a very different pace in urban areas compared to rural areas and ideas of hospitality vary North to South and East to West in the US as well as around the globe. So whether you are traveling the country or traveling the world, pay close attention to local etiquette and do your research with handy guides like Behave Yourself!: The Essential Guide to International Etiquette (Michael Powell). Not only does it prevent you from offending others by incorrectly displaying your feet or shaking with the wrong hand (the left is for wiping …), you’ll be able to interpret local gestures and cues better (friendly ones and not so friendly ones…). And even if you’re not traveling anytime soon, it makes for some pretty entertaining reading.

“Perfect for NY, too liberal for us.”

Faithful America is an interfaith organization that works for many of the same things AID does–an end to poverty, diplomacy, economic security, the prevention of climate change, an end to hate speech, etc.  It’s founder, Tom Perriello, ran for congress in Virginia. This hateful ad was launched against him by his opponent.

The ad accuses Parriello of supporting gay marriage and “apologizing to Arabs” for the U.S. troops, stating that Parriello is “perfect for New York, too liberal for us.” A mosque flashes in the background as this accusation is made. What actually happened is that Faithful America ran ads in Iraq apologizing for the mistreatment in Abu Gharib.

Parriello won by a very narrow margin, but a few things bother me about this campaign that ran against him. First of all, the fact that we have become such a partisan, divided nation. The fact that calling someone “perfect for New York” can be an insult is an illustration of this. Parriello in fact grew up in southern VA but went to law school at Yale and then worked for a NY firm for a few years. This should not make him less competent to represent Virginians. The second thing that bothers me is that a mosque as shown as an insult to Parriello. His efforts for interfaith cooperation and diplomacy are a reason why conservatives should not vote for him? I hate that our country has divided into “us” “them” categories: Muslim, Christian, Northernern, Southerner, Gay, and Straight.

-Liza Butler-