Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!macrakis From: macrakis@harvard.UUCP (Stavros Macrakis) Newsgroups: net.travel Subject: Re: EPCOT Message-ID: <757@harvard.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 18:38:13 EST Article-I.D.: harvard.757 Posted: Tue Mar 4 18:38:13 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 8-Mar-86 08:27:08 EST References: <57200003@hpcvlo.UUCP> Organization: Aiken Comp. Lab., Harvard Lines: 85 Summary: Nothing can replace being there. bill@hp-pcd.UUCP (Bill Frolik) writes: <57200003@hpcvlo.UUCP> > [Epcot] provides you with a little cultural enrichment, a chance to > sample a small piece of other countries and cultures without > spending a fortune in time and money traveling all over the world. ## In reply to Laurah Limbrick: <1976@jhunix.UUCP> > > It's basically a bunch of buildings, each one of which is a little > > 'country' where if you're lucky there will be a presentation ... ## he says: > Well, Paris is basically a bunch of buildings, too. So is Munich, > London, Rome, Tokyo, and Mexico City ... You'd spend a fortune > traveling to all of these places, and when you got there you'd be > lucky to find a presentation of some sort as well. Paris is a `bunch of buildings', not even `basically'. If you think this, you have either not travelled or you have been wasting your time when you've been travelling. Paris does present certain practical inconveniences, of course. It's bad enough that you can't take a domestic flight to get there; but to compensate, once you get there, you can always stay at the Holiday Inn; there's even a MacDonald's on the Champs Elysee so you don't need to eat frogs or drink wine. Paris is not set up for the tourist. Strangely enough, it is set up for its inhabitants. You cannot expect to find `presentations' (of any sort) when you walk down the street or go into a cafe. The natives insist on speaking French, which is damnably tiresome. And, believe it or not, they are annoyed when strangers don't even bother to learn how to say `Do you speak English' (much less, `excuse me' or `thank you') in French, but rather address them directly with `Where is the loo-ver'. But you can take care of this, too, by taking a bus tour. This will protect you from having to deal with the natives. Paris does not have signs telling you what you are supposed to see. If you want to have some chance of understanding what is around you, you will have to do some reading in advance. > The various countries represented in the World Showcase paid money > to present themselves at EPCOT, and each pavillion is designed and > largely staffed by people from each particular country. I have not been to Epcot, but I have been to world's fairs. The image countries present of themselves at fairs has little to do with the actual history and culture of the country. It is worse than just wanting to avoid unpleasant realities. There is a creation of something totally artificial, a notion of what the country ought to be for the tourist. Even if the staff comes from the country, even if the building has been rebuild stone-by-stone, even if the restaurants' ingredients are flown in daily from the mother country, what you see is a careful selection designed to nurture a very particular vision. And you are surrounded by Americans. I have never seen a Turkish truck stop at a world's fair, nor a Belgian mill town, nor a Greek nightclub. I have never met a nobleman, nor a steelworker, nor a programmer, nor a priest, nor an intellectual at a world's fair. Yet I have been to these places, I have talked to these people. They are more the essence of Turkey, or of Belgium, or of France, or of Italy than are airline stewardesses wearing peasant costumes of 100 years ago. (Or even peasants wearing peasant costumes of 100 years ago.) And if you did try to bring over my Turkish truck stop, would it be populated with Turkish truck drivers, stopping after ten-hour drives over unpaved roads, exchanging gossip with their buddies? Would the English pub be populated with the professionals, and the artisans, and the workers each in their section, talking about their concerns? Would the Greek nightclub have slick guys teaching syrtaki dancing to the Danish blondes? True, you do occasionally see good art (although it's usually presented in such a way that you can't really appreciate it). But do you see its setting? Do you experience the trip into the town with the church with the chapel with the painting? Do you see the view from the chateau's terrace over its domains? > ... as much of a taste as England as is possible without actually > going overseas. Same with all the rest. No, you can't bring it over. You have to go there. And you have to do some background reading, maybe even study the language. Or you could just invite Europeans and Asians and Africans to your house. I bet you'd get a lot more out of it than you would from going to a pavillion at Epcot. -s