Well now I've been educated. But I probably learned something other than the intended lesson. [View all]

[11 Bravo]

What I received today was a refresher course in why many Americans are considered to be arrogant assholes in so many corners of the world.

A word was used in Australia. It's a word that is vulgar and unacceptable to me and most Americans. But it has a different meaning in Australia ... where it was uttered ... where it's not a gender slur ... where it's not a vulgar reference to a particular female body part.

Well fuck that noise, so righteous indignation ensued. The difference in meaning and intent was pointed out by an AUSTRALIAN to those who took offense. The response to this was a series of sneeringly dismissive screeds along the lines of "Tough shit, mate. This is MURIKA, and if it means something HERE, then it damn sure ought to mean the same thing every-fucking-where!"

For good measure, others who acknowledged the cultural difference inherent in the use of the word when spoken a half a world away were accused (as I doubtless soon will be) of bad faith, misogyny, sexism, and some sort of prurient interest in slipping the word into polite conversation.

Eugene Burdick wrote The Ugly American 56 years ago. He didn't know we were just getting warmed up.