Yes, Darren, the series is on DVD!

Ummm… but there’s one thing I don’t quite understand – public schools were for the “posh” but what were the differences between grammar and comprehensive? They talk about two girls going to one and one to the other but each thought they’d made the better choice.

Sorry, Nick, ‘spose I could just google it.

K

Ironically, I remember a student I had when I did a class on 9/11. She said that many Americans couldn’t see the reality that the government implemented the attack because they didn’t have the distance and objectivity necessary to make such judgments. One week later we read an article in Newsweek about some Western opinions on a Turkish incident with some kidnapped soldiers and she was outraged. She stated that it was ludicrous for foreigners to comment on issues in Turkey because they couldn’t possibly know more than the people living here. I think this is how most people think. It’s ok to make judgments on outsiders and an outside opinion is seen as better, but when the same is done to you, it’s unacceptable.

Also, as I mentioned to Darren in a private conversation, I think stereotype is bandied around a lot these days and is overly applied. Saying that there is more violence in American schools than elsewhere or that Turks tend to cheat on exams are considered to be stereotyping these days, which I don’t think is really the case. How many other countries do you know where guns at school are a serious issue? Obviously we should take precautions and raise awareness based on this knowledge. In the same way, I’m going to take preventive measures against cheating in my Turkish classes. Many people these days seem to be confusing stereotyping with trends and data analysis. It’s an over-application of PC culture and a Western desire to see everyone as unique and individual. Interesting, but sometimes annoying.

As I said to you months back, I found your comments on Turkey very interesting and more balanced and reasonable than they were taken at the time on Jason’s blog.

Oh, it’s so hard, really – I’m hardly the “stereo-typed” Caribbean, I tell ya.

But you know, while off sick I’ve been watching the 7-up series which films a bunch of kids throughout their lives in Britain, it was TRULY fascinating!!!

I understood so much more (backwards) about the Brits despite knowing so many of them for so many years – all the insecurities, issues of accents, their rigid class system, opinions regarding education (which made so little sense to me before now) all of it, I got out of.. well, a funny sort of TV program.

Take care,
Karenne