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Home - Login - Register - Help This is online community of international students studying in the USA. The site where students help students to survive and thrive during their stay in America. |
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| AbroadPlanet Forums -> Help Community | Post new topic |
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11-Aug-2000 05:44 PM |
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Jack & Paul |
It's interesting to me that in the US there are so many groups that are sharply segregated according to their socio-economic status. The churches, for instance, are clearly divided this way, and also according to a great many denominations and sects that don't get along. Yet the schools we go to expect international students from every country, culture, and religion to join hands and celebrate the mere fact that we are a diverse group.
I really hate being pressed to participate in these festivals that are put upon us from time to time. It's here where we're most often treated as ornaments or objects for display. So often they emphasize traditional cultural dress and performances, but I really think this comes from a desire to exploit some stereotyped impression of internationals for the purpose of their damn public relations efforts. I'd like to see an American student try to represent the interests and values of all the minorities in America on a 3 x 6 foot table without stereotyping anyone. Good luck! Why not ask us to appear as who we are, as engineering majors - for instance - who happen to be from some other part of the world? Or why should an accounting major know how to cook some traditional meal just because he happens to be from Taiwan? And why should I dress up in a traditional costume that I've never worn in my life? Why not replace that unrepresentative cultural display table with something contemporary - something that highlights our work, or provides information about real issues back home that we hope our studies here will help solve? Wouldn't it be great if the questions went from, "Isn't that a colorful costume?," and "Haven't I seen this before?", to "How can we work together to solve problems in the real world?" or "How do we confront nationalism, both in developed and developing countries, where it works against the values of sustainable development?" Just a few thoughts. Jack (with some editing and suggestions by Paul S.) |
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17-Aug-2000 03:16 PM |
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dao |
this is so true. none of us ahve time for the shows and they alway pressur us to do something. they always wnat a tradition dance so we just make one up. i dont think they know the difference |
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22-Aug-2000 05:01 PM |
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spaniard |
Have you guys seen the articles written by some international students on mysky.com. They are pretty funny. One of them talks about all these wierd americanisms that took the student by suprise |
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06-Sep-2000 06:55 PM |
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Lim |
I think the point of student affairs offices are to use students for the school's advertising. They provide some services, but most of it is stock programming - just bring in new bodies to fill the role each year.
Maybe international students add a little variety to the picture, but they do the same kind of things with Americans - the programs may be a little different, but the idea is the same. It's all about their public image. If you can avoid all this, good for you. |
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