In article <501d3$487b03b7$83b4502b$8979@news1.tudelft.nl>,
"Lesley Robertson" writes:

While we are all guilty of it, I think what I object(ed) to most
in Stussy's posting was the blatant parochialism and attitude of
"I know best because it's _my_ opinion". He's certainly welcome to
believe what he wishes, but such attitudes get my back up every time.
Do I do the same thing? Absolutely. Do _you_ (generic, not Lesley,
specifically)? Without a doubt.

Part of the problem, at least here in the US, is that geography is
no longer part of the curriculum at any level of the
educational process. The number of college (!) students who cannot
locate or identify, say, Zaire or Cambodia or Inner Scratchy or
Outer Sweaty is nothing short of scandalous. The number of students
who can't locate their _state_ on a map of the US is unbelievablly
high, for that matter. (Of course, the number of students who can't
do simple math or parse a sentence or any number of other things is
also nothing short of scandalous. That's a topic for another time
and place, however.)

But we Yanks are not the only ones who suffer from parochialism or
ignorance or arrogance. Many folks look at Texas as being as depicted
on "Dallas" and the US, in general, is being mired in the Frontier
West, with injuns and cavalry ridin' to th' rescue, guns blazing and
bugles sounding. (Lots of our coastal liberals look at the heartland
in a similar way, unfortunately, or believe those of us in fly-over
country are little more than knuckle-dragging Neanderthals; again,
another topic for a different time and place).

My opinion, for whatever it's worth.

Steamed Ol' Bob