I recently got an email complaint about my profile tagline from someone named Karen S.:"...'Oh yea, and I love the smell of burning trash in the Third World. That just gets me going.'I responded:
Coming from an open minded person I can't believe the last sentence in your profile...I find it very offensive....Would you consider removing it? you are implying about the smell of third world countries... I was raised in one of the countries you are talking about...I just think you have to be a little more careful with your choosing of words."
"Karen - I'm not implying it; I'm saying it. In all 3rd World countries I've visited, people often don't have regular trash pick-up services like we do in the rich world so therefore they often burn their trash outdoors in a pile. It's just a fact of life. I'm saying that I like that smell -- a smell I've experienced in every poorer country I've been to. The smell reminds me of some good times I've had in those places. - LB"Smells do that, don't they -- sticking with you undetected for a long time, bringing back memories faster and more potent than the visual ever could.
The point of this post is really the above picture -- a photo I took yesterday on a regular street in Bhimavaram, India: a scene you can find in thousands upon thousands of places throughout the global south. It's neither something to be ashamed of or proud of -- and certainly not worth being squeamish and skittishly PC, like the above Karen S.
Reminds me of home!
ReplyDeletethe last time i referred to some place I'd lived as a 'third world country' someone wrote and said, 'the preferred nomenclature is 'developing country'.' and i was like, use of the word 'developing' implies there's some improvement going on. not so much.
ReplyDeleteSay it like it is, LB. That's what makes your developing 3rd world ranting bullshit so entertaining.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of Smith.
I beats the Smell of Napalm in the morning!!!!
ReplyDeleteDid anyone notice the truck parked by the burning trash? Those look like old-fashioned milk cans in the back. The blue plastic cases could be used to store small jugs, possibly also milk.
ReplyDelete