I Hate People who Hate People!

So I just ran across an article on CNN, detailing an incident at the Pan American Games in Brazil, in which a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee offended the Brazilians by scribbling "Welcome to the Congo" on... umm... a board (I'm assuming this was some kind of signboard?) in the Media Center.

Article HERE.

First off, what a ridiculously unprofessional act. I think I would be offended too, not necessarily because of the comparison to a "lesser-developed country," but because no one likes to be called by another country within their own. If someone, for example, came to your home town and put up a sign saying "Welcome to Russia!" you would probably be offended by that, regardless of the reason behind that.

On the other hand:

On Rio's Copacabana Beach, Brazilians said it reinforced their belief that Americans frequently stereotype other countries.

"Americans are full of prejudices," said Alessandra Teixeira, a 29-year old model. "Everything for them is bad, and they make it worse."

It's really hard to talk about the prejudices of others without exposing your own. The individuals cited here are demonstrating their own prejudice by applying these statements to all Americans, because of the prejudiced (and prejudicial) actions of one person.

Just a quick thought, ya'll. I hope that the majority of Brazilians know that the many Americans aren't like that.

Posted: Sat - July 7, 2007 at 05:08 PM |

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I Hate People who Hate People!