How to Sound Like an Expert On Any War Torn Country in 3 Easy Steps Three months in a country doesn’t make you an expert on the local politics or culture. Which, granted, has never stopped anyone from acting like a mere visit – no matter how short – confers some immediate knowledge about the country in question. The problem isn’t so much the arrogance inherent in believing that you can comprehend – much less analyze – another society after a few days or weeks or months. The problem is trying to do so and failing miserably. Arrogance is bad, but sounding like an idiot is far worse. Yet whereas real expertise is a rare commodity, sounding like an expert isn’t all that difficult. To that end, three simple rules for pontificating on the poverty-stricken, war-torn country of your choice: 1. Memorize the names of various ethnic groups and semi-obscure towns. Ask questions like: “But what do the [insert name of random ethnic group] think?” Or “What about the situation in [semi-obscure town]?” Both of which are best said with a thoughtful expression, verging on concerned. There’s nothing like seeming to agree with your interlocutor while subtly pointing out that his or her analysis is rather facile for ignoring the opinion of the Loma in Voinjama. 2. Memorize the date of one significant or semi-significant event in the country’s history. Tie all current political and / or military developments back to that date: “You make an interesting point about Congolese politics, but it’s all really just an outgrowth of what happened in 1965.” Don’t deign to explain further; instead, act as though of course everyone should know what happened in Congo in 1965. 3. Listen to any explanation intently, think about it for a moment, then say “Of course, it’s never that simple” or “It’s always more complicated.” Don’t feel the need to offer any additional information. expatetiquette/learning-the-expat-lingo/how-to-sound-like-an-expert-on-any-war-torn-country-in-3-steps/
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 11:51:28 +0000
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