This story today about a U.S. Marine Captain who wrote a letter to the editor of the Northern Territory News in Darwin, Australia, complaining that the local girls were wearing clothing that was too skimpy.
It reminds me of my lovely wife being told by the women at a church in the U.S. that her skirt was too short. My lovely mother in law, who had purchased the skirt in question for my wife, responded to the story with "Well, they're just jealous, sweetie".
Here's to whole-body envy disguised as cultural imperialism. =)
Fact #1: What person A does (wears, or whatever) may be disliked by person B.
ReplyDeleteFact #2: What person A does may well be within their cultural norms, but not those of person B.
Fact #3: Person B has the right to speak within his own culture about what he feels is or isn't appropriate, but not within the culture of person A.
As a Canadian it is really easy for me to notice when people from the US act as if they should be the world's police service--and don't even realize how arrogant or imperialist that is. But I fear that we may be just as guilty at times.