To the Editor:
For the past three and a half years I have kept quiet while many different people, students, administrators, and college staff alike, have told me variations of the following:
"You must be from another country because you write the date the wrong way. You should write the month first."
"Oh yeah! I've heard that you drive on the wrong side of the road over there."
"Ha!! (background staff: snicker snicker) Spaghetti and mince meat??? (condescendingly) It's meat sauce (you poor uneducated thing (from a third world country))," and "Honors is spelled wrong in your essay."
Since when is doing something different considered wrong?
In no dictionary can I find the meaning of "left" to be "wrong," so how can I possibly be driving on the "wrong" side of the road? And if every other country in the world writes their dates in a (seemingly logical) manner that coincides with increments of time (a day is smaller than a month, and a month is smaller than a year), how can the American way be "right" and the others "wrong?"
The bottom line is: Who are we to judge what is "right" or "wrong?"
The only thing that we can say is that it is "different." I have no problem doing things the American way while I am in America if I am asked to do so politely. I am not ignorant of the methods of bureaucracy in each individual country and the fact that writing the date differently will cause undue confusion.
In any case, a guest should always be considerate of the mores and values of the host. However, the host should in return also respect the guest. I refuse to be belittled or judged and told that my way is "wrong." From now on, when told as much, I will make no attempt to meekly hide my displeasure and neither should you.
