I posted on the goodbye thread already but just giving you a wave here also. :)
I have posted on threads about Israel and Palestine before. And I probably will again someday but it struck me a few years ago that I don't have a real connection with the country (besides a 7 day visit 10 years ago) and equating my knowledge/experience on the subject to someone who has a proper connection with the country is rather difficult.
The fact is, people are more reluctant to take advice from "foreigners" because they know that the person doesn't have the knowledge/experience to properly judge the situation. And when somebody deems to judge anyhow (even with the best of intentions), one can feel patronised at. Even when one agrees with a viewpoint from such a person, its not quite the same because does this person fully understand the viewpoint they are expounding on? When I criticise people in my country, I still understand the proper context of it. And that context is important. It adds shades.
We live in a world where we can get a lot of information about any subject. Yet that access to information has consequences. Its impossible to say for sure who is right or wrong. Sometimes there is an advantage to seeing things from afar. But its hard to discuss something intimate with a person who sees things from a distance.
This post ended up not been directed at you really. Just started to muse on a subject i've been thinking about before. :)
no subject
I have posted on threads about Israel and Palestine before. And I probably will again someday but it struck me a few years ago that I don't have a real connection with the country (besides a 7 day visit 10 years ago) and equating my knowledge/experience on the subject to someone who has a proper connection with the country is rather difficult.
The fact is, people are more reluctant to take advice from "foreigners" because they know that the person doesn't have the knowledge/experience to properly judge the situation. And when somebody deems to judge anyhow (even with the best of intentions), one can feel patronised at. Even when one agrees with a viewpoint from such a person, its not quite the same because does this person fully understand the viewpoint they are expounding on? When I criticise people in my country, I still understand the proper context of it. And that context is important. It adds shades.
We live in a world where we can get a lot of information about any subject. Yet that access to information has consequences. Its impossible to say for sure who is right or wrong. Sometimes there is an advantage to seeing things from afar. But its hard to discuss something intimate with a person who sees things from a distance.
This post ended up not been directed at you really. Just started to muse on a subject i've been thinking about before. :)