Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:15:43 -0400 (EDT) From: "Crist J. Clark" <cjc@cc942873-a.ewndsr1.nj.home.com> To: adam@whizkidtech.net (G. Adam Stanislav) Cc: regnauld@ftf.net, des@flood.ping.uio.no, wghicks@bellsouth.net, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: how to start to be a hacker? Message-ID: <199907052215.SAA12609@cc942873-a.ewndsr1.nj.home.com> In-Reply-To: <19990705132404.A220@whizkidtech.net> from "G. Adam Stanislav" at "Jul 5, 99 01:24:04 pm"
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G. Adam Stanislav wrote,
> On Mon, Jul 05, 1999 at 11:33:09AM +0200, Phil Regnauld wrote:
> > I agree with G. Adam's cautiousness -- when I first moved
> > to the US in 1983, the teacher (this was 4th grade :-) introduced
> > me to the class, and asked if anybody wanted to point out
> > France (where I'm from) on the globe.
> >
> > A kid volunteered, and put his finger on Russia.
>
> Five years ago I moved to Rhinelander, a small town in Northern Wisconsin.
> Several months later, as I walked into the local bookstore, I was immmediately
> approached by the people who worked there.
Rhinelander? My grandpa used to drink that 'Rhinelander' brand beer
they made/make up there. Gross stuff.
Anyway, 'Mericans' perception of the reaches of civilization are not
merely limited to you dang fur'iners. Back in the early 60's my mom
used to waitress in a resort hotel in eastern Wisconsin. Mind you,
now-a-days this area could probably be described as suburban
Milwaukee, so even then it was close to the city. A large chunk of the
vacationers are people coming up from Chicago. My mom used to love
disappoint them when they asked smirking, and wide-eyed, "Do you have
TV up here?" And she responded cooly, "Just NBC, CBS, and ABC."
Mind you, this continues today. I went to school at Johns Hopkins in
Baltimore, MD and my sister went to Georgetown in, well, in Georgetown,
DC. I grew up in suburban Milwaukee, and kids honestly asked if we had
cows in the backyard. Now living in NJ, I can say there are still
_lots_ of people who don't realize that there inhabited regions of the
continent besides the East and West Coasts. I mean, didn't they watch
"Happy Days?[0]"
> They told me to expect a phone call from a local high school teacher. She
> was about to take a trip to Siberia. The bookstore people told her I was
> from Slovakia, so I should know all about Siberian customs, as Slovakia is
> very close to Siberia.
>
> One of the things the particular bookstore sells in abundance is the globe.
> I took one of the globes and placed it on the counter. I asked them to find
> Rhinelander on it, which they did even though its name was not printed on
> the globe.
>
> I asked them to find Siberia, which they could not. Same with Slovakia. So,
> I showed them: "Here is Slovakia, here is Siberia, here is Rhinelander. Since
> Rhinelander is much closer to Siberia than Slovakia will ever be, why don't
> *you* tell her all about Siberian customs."
>
> They were rather embarassed, and quite apologetic. :-)
>
> Adam
[0] The suburban existence depicted in that show is said to be based
on the suburb where I grew up. Of course, all the suburbs on
Milwaukee's North Shore say that. But Whitefish Bay or Shorewood
have the best claims.
--
Crist J. Clark cjclark@home.com
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