Last week, I could not skype so I decided to write a reflective post about my experience with the forums so far. First of all, I have to say that I really like our forums because I consider them very useful means not only to know our peers at Dickinson College better, but also to help us coming to terms with the American culture as a whole. Moreover, I’m sure they enable our American peers to have an insight on our own world as well!
This week, I’ve felt particularly involved in the ones concerning death penalty and “pentitismo”, which originated from questions posed by some Dickinson students. Actually, the image of Italy that came out from the discussion was not a very comfortable one: criminals does not seem to be punished here and “mafiosi” are usually set free in turn of a little collaboration. Well, I admit that there are lots of defects in the way in which the Italian system of justice is organized and this is nothing to be proud of. Anyway, we should not generalize. And this is the case also with America. If some American movies and serials (actually, l watch them…but this is another story…;-))are populated with blondes only concerned with their physical beauty, this does not mean that all Americans are concerned with appearances (by the way, that was the topic of another forum).
All in all, I think that the questions in the forums also contributed to give us an idea of how our country is perceived abroad and to foster a reflection on the way our system is organized. Our culture is of course constantly under our own eyes, so we may not be able to analyze it in a neutral way. Paradoxically enough, we are sometimes aware of some of the most negative aspects of our own culture only when someone from outside “notices” them. And, at the same time, we may not be able to retrieve the positive aspects of our own culture for which other countries know us and which distinguish us from them.
This week, I’ve felt particularly involved in the ones concerning death penalty and “pentitismo”, which originated from questions posed by some Dickinson students. Actually, the image of Italy that came out from the discussion was not a very comfortable one: criminals does not seem to be punished here and “mafiosi” are usually set free in turn of a little collaboration. Well, I admit that there are lots of defects in the way in which the Italian system of justice is organized and this is nothing to be proud of. Anyway, we should not generalize. And this is the case also with America. If some American movies and serials (actually, l watch them…but this is another story…;-))are populated with blondes only concerned with their physical beauty, this does not mean that all Americans are concerned with appearances (by the way, that was the topic of another forum).
All in all, I think that the questions in the forums also contributed to give us an idea of how our country is perceived abroad and to foster a reflection on the way our system is organized. Our culture is of course constantly under our own eyes, so we may not be able to analyze it in a neutral way. Paradoxically enough, we are sometimes aware of some of the most negative aspects of our own culture only when someone from outside “notices” them. And, at the same time, we may not be able to retrieve the positive aspects of our own culture for which other countries know us and which distinguish us from them.
(photo taken from flickr)
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