Quote:
Originally Posted by RCR
I must be feeling especially grumpy this morning because I'm no longer going to hold my tongue. I want to have a rant about something that's been bugging me for a long long time -
It's folk who introduce themselves as "Hello, I'm from Everytown, ZX."
Now, I'm sure Americans will immediately know where ZX is. But as a non-American, first I have to figure out this poster is from the United States of America, but isn't saying that, because they assume everyone else on the forum is American. Then I have to figure out, with my limited knowledge of US geography, what American state the letters ZX stand for.
And don't get me started on folk who write such things as: "I'm from the good old Green Melon State. Yay the Hawks!". That leaves most non-Americans completely lost.
Could I make a plea - that everyone clearly name the town, state and country they come from. Don't assume we're all Americans. Don't assume we know what ZX means. Don't assume we know where the Green Melon State is and what sports the Hawks play.
On another forum I belong to, a country flag appears under the member's avatar and profile. This gives readers an idea of where the person is posting from, what is influencing their point of view, and what is influencing their use of the English language. And all those different flags are a constant reminder of how truly international that forum is.
Rant over.  |
I must be a bit grumpy myself, but it is fascinating how so many people are willing to accord all sorts of respect to the culture and customs of others - unless those "others" are American. In the US, it is customary to refer to a city by also naming the state it is in - as in "San Francisco, CA". Most Americans do that instinctively. Most Americans also have a great deal of respect for other people's cultures and customs - alas, they seldom get (or even expect) the same amount of respect and tolerance for their culture and their customs.
Now, if I see someone listing their location as "Adelaide" or "London" or "Amsterdam", I will not get too terribly grumpy about the fact that they failed to also list the country that the city in question is in (and seriously - if someone says they are from Paris, do you insist that they specify that Paris is in France?) Nor will I get too terribly grumpy about the fact that someone listed their location as "Montreal, QC" or "Melbourne, VIC" or "Toronto, ON". If I'm not too terribly sure about where a place is - well, that's what Google is for. I am here to learn about other cultures, customs, and places - but I would appreciate the same courtesy shown to my culture and my country.
meepster (posting from San Francisco, which is in California, which is in the United States of America, which is on Earth, which is in the Solar System, which is in the Milky Way)