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Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 15:06:13 -0800
Dear Swiss-listers, and Mona,
Wow, quite some reactions to my last email. I can imagine some of you
sitting in front of the PC thinking: "Mann, isch das en Tubbel!" Well, I do
want to apologize for my slightly jerky and provocative answer to Patrick's
email. I am aware that it was quite spontaneous and a little one-sided!
There were indeed a lot of answers better/ more balanced than mine.
Sorry, for the folks feeling annoyed by these emails! Don't want to sound
extreme again, but it's all about email management: If you don't want to
hear ALL kind of opinions; just delete them unread (having a special header
was a good idea). I find it highly interesting and hopefully helpful for
new-comers.
Mona, I just have to say that your last email is EXACTLY the kind of
judgmental and arrogant way that drives Americans crazy: "raising the level
of discussion" and "[all] Americans are unaware"!
The topic about 'starting a war': here we could go on and on, and there are
MANY totally different opinions. Not only are we Swiss, Americans and
whatever, but we also have our own personal/educational backgrounds:
engineers, business folks, writers, mothers etc. etc. (Don't even want to
mention the politicians) So there can be completely different ways of
seeing who was the aggressor and WHY!? But - unfortunately - you can not
fight a 'clean war'. Knowing what's the right thing to do (reg. WTC) is a
very tough call! But I do think of myself being HUMAN after all...
I will go back to Switzerland, too some day (have been in the Bay area now
for 2 years)! Americans VERY often get on my nerves. But my main point was
that Americans are not as bad and stupid as many Europeans think; maybe we
are better educated/ more intelligent, but very often I think Americans are
street-smarter and more effective (note, not the same like efficient).
Mainly talking from a business perspective.
And, we Swiss are not as 'clean' as we (truly) think we are. I was quite
shocked to hear what some foreigners (Germans, Americans etc.) think of us!!
(Only real good friends will speak up) Talk to someone who looks foreign or
eastern, and ask them how they were treated - sometimes - in
Switzerland/Europe. My boss (formerly from Iran) was turned down for a room
at a hotel. And - I guess we all know what many, many Swiss think e.g. about
Yugoslavians...
Here in the US, all foreigners get a chance (most often much better chances
than in their home country or anywhere else). Here, Chinese can have Chinese
friends only, talk Chinese only, and Swiss can have Swiss friends only;
that's ok with Americans. Many Americans I know are also OPEN for critics!
But, as someone said, "c'est le ton". Americans totally dislike arrogant
and knowing-it-all behavior.
Stephen
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Received on Thu Feb 28 2002 - 23:16:44 PST
