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mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

I notice that somebody started a thread about a certain catch phrase arising from a book written by Burdick and Lederer (If I recall the authors correctly). MOD EDIT Perhaps - if you will excuse my cautious circumlocution - I can cast some light on what I believe the poster was trying to say and why it is germane to this forum.

Here's a quote from the wikipedia article...

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

MOD EDIT

From my distant memory of it, it highlighted how the US lost to Soviet Russia certain aspects of the diplomatic war in Asia ... through their on the ground naivety ...

Where the Americans went in with a blueprint plan of US assistance and not a lot else ... the Soviets went in with a tailor made plan backed up with knowledge of local customs, language, and sensitivity ...

So I agree that many entering TEFL might benefit from the book ... especially those who believe the false assumption that 'My actions are good if my intentions are good'

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

Did you change your post while I was writing mine ...

Mr. Kalgukshi · Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:26 am Post subject:

To the extent this thread remains teaching and job-related, it will continue to be active. To the extent that it degenerates into something else including but not limited to politics, other off-topic postings, flaming, trolling or other inappropriate postings, it will become inactive.

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

Dear Sheikh,

Yes, I looked it over and had a pentimiento I guess. I had not rememered the correct authors and then saw a way to say what I wanted to say more concisely.

As to the edits from the moderator. That sounds good to me.

furiousmilksheikali · Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2007 2:31 pm Post subject:

Would Graham Greene's The Quiet American be along these lines?

Pavel · Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 16

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

Perhaps it depends a lot more on the culture.

In Russia, I was one of less than a dozen Americans in a town of about 500,000 so I stood out a great deal more - since the town had been closed for 70 years to foreigners. I always felt people were watching me out of the corner of their eyes.

I think the thrust of "The Ugly American" was that people to people contacts were much more useful than government programs - at least for some things.

"The Quiet American" was a good book. Greene was a bright criticizing Americans and he comes off a bit toffee-nosed when read by an American. Burdick and Lederer are a bit more palatable to me with their hard truth. Also making bicycle bombs by the CIA (as in "The Quiet American) seemed touchingly ludicrous back in the day.

It is interesting to note - as a side bar - that yesterday we had a series of demonstrations by the Hmong to protest the arrest of General Vang Pao for plotting to subvert the government of Laos. I watched the Hmong picket line in front of the court house and remembered when we had our anti Viet-Nam war demonstrations in the same spot when there were no Hmong refugees. Then I thought of how they had pro-war demonstrations there to "support our troops".

It made me glad I was an ESL teacher.