please remove my name from this list, if not i will begin to spam the list
with files of 100 pages

-----Original Message-----
From: Tim Romano <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, August 14, 2000 2:44 PM
Subject: Tinned Fruit Diplomacy


>Since we're telling anecdotes about "PC"...
>
>About 20 years ago, I was working as a lowly grad student in the offices of
>the American Studies Assn at the University of Pennsylvania, and somehow
>found myself giving a report  at the plenary session of the biennial
>convention in Minneapolis (while also doing odd jobs such as making sure
>there was enough fruit cocktail to go around at the luncheon and helping
>overseas members with travel connections).  I had been the
>moderator/amanuensis for several sessions attended by delegates from many
>"third world" countries.  The prevailing sentiment among these delegates
was
>that they did not want All Things American forced upon them but wanted to
>take from this culture, society, and government only what was good, or what
>they perceived as good for them, and to say no-thank-you to the rest.  At
>the plenary session,  the main thrust of my little here's-how-it-went
speech
>was the desire expressed by the delegates for cultural autonomy and
>self-determination.  During the course of my remarks, I happened to refer
to
>these "third world" countries as "some of the poorest countries of the
>world" or something like that.  When I was finished speaking, a delegate
>from some foreign country--I think it was Pakistan--but certainly not one
of
>the delegates at the sessions I had moderated--demanded that Dr. Romano
take
>back the word "poorest" and that it be stricken from the official record of
>the proceedings!
>
>Tim Romano
>
>P.S.   The British delegation in their journal thanked the president of the
>American Association for hosting the convention, and me, in particular, for
>my "ubiquity".