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Re: Conditioned Assumptions
John Pastore (venture@CANCUN.RCE.COM.MX)
Mon, 6 May 1996 08:00:47 +0000
On 6 May 96 at 19:09, Krista L. Zielinski wrote:
> Yes! I'd love to see the rest of the list! :)
>
> Kris Z.
>
> On Sat, 4 May 1996, John Pastore wrote:
>
> > On 4 May 96 at 15:42, Judith Pederson wrote:
> >
> > ..I will be taking American cultural
> > > assumptions and comparing/contrasting them to other culturals.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > > Anybody have some ideas?
> > >
> >
When traveling in Spanish-speaking cultures:
11) They will assume that the little "C" found on shower knobs is
for "cold" water, rather than "caliente" --hot.
12) After a momentary gasp, they will then assume that there was
going to be anymore hot water anyway.
13) They assume that the occasional rolls of toilet paper found
attached to bathroom walls are folkloric ceramic decorations
facsimilating the toilet paper they are carrying around in their
packpacks.
14) They assume the 1 centavo difference when exhanging dollars for
pesos in banks, rather than just about anywhere else, is worth the
hours of waiting in lines.
15) They assume when watching six foremen, liscensed for construction
work, supervising two Maya who are spending three weeks chiseling the
edge of a concrete roof, so as to lower it to reach the height of a
ladder made just previously in about three minutes with some
saplings, a machete and some twine, that any of them are stupid.
16) They assume that beige (unbleached) sugar is inferior to (pure)
white sugar.
17) They assume when a taxi-drive double charges, its OK because
they are poor.
18) They assume that the little slips of paper bus drivers give out
for the 10 cent fare are transfers, rather than receipts.
19) They assume that people banging on the ceiling of a bus by the
rear door are starting a revolution, rather than merely knowing that
the little button which buzzes the driver to let him know that there
are people who want to get off, is not going to work.
20) They assume that while the bus driver ignores the din because
he's tired of the Elvis Presley he is playing on his tape-player, and
decides, instead of stopping, to change it to Vincente Fernandez,
that anyone is going to mind.
21) They assume that people need to go to the government to join the
'Peace Corps', rather than make their own.
Ka Xiik Keech Ya Utzil,
John Pastore
Writer/Guide in 'El Mayab'
("The Mayan Homeland")
venture@cancun.rce.com.mx
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