h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.h2g2.com/a177707

I'll have to admit to having written this some time ago. It was submitted for the Approved Guide (as was) and rejected on some very fair points that I never got round to amending due to work pressures. It's meant to be quite light-hearted and, I'll admit, I did feel it was finished. However, I'm concerned that it could be taken as offensive and overly stereotypical. For this reason, I've left in some references to the fact that I'm English (the rejection was due to the article being written from too personal a viewpoint). I should point out that none of the 'anecdotes' are fictional (apart from some of the more obviously exaggerated comments). Was planning to re-submit the article to the Peer Group recommendation page - does anyone feel that it should be edited further in light of my concerns?

A177707

Wow. TWENTY MONTHS in Writing Workshop without a single response! Wow.

Cakewalker, hi. You don't seem to have completely dropped off the planet - I checked your space, and you made a posting in July.

Are you still interested in working on this entry? That's a long time to go without feedback.



I've read the entry, and I like it. I can definitely see this turning into an Edited Entry on the topic, though not exactly in its current form. As the entry stands now, it would be suitable for ThePost perhaps, or one of the other writing fora around here.

If you're shooting for the Edited Guide, you'll want to make it a little bit more objective and neutral. Right at the beginning, you refer to the English as 'we'. That won't really work, because many of your readers (like myself) aren't English.

I could see this working quite well from an angle like, anyone visiting England should know this about talking on trains: it just *isn't* done. Illustrative examples, contrast with trains elsewhere (eg, America), and some commentary on why this might be considered an unfortunate state of events.

One small thing - it's no longer 'practically' the Twenty-First Century. You wrote this quite a while ago, huh?



I can certainly agree with your observation. I've ridden trains on 3 continents, and the only people I've heard speak on trains in England were Americans who didn't quite get the whole "When in Rome" thing. Of course there's also the ubiquitous groups of 18 year-old Spanish girls in the London Underground, who fill half of a car and laugh loudly in Spanish about how drunk they were the night before. By contrast, I've ridden trains in America and ended up with dinner dates.

Here is an extract from an entry I am writing about the Trans-Mongolian Railway. I hope you like it.

"Miranovic Vladimir Vladimovic is on his way home to Minsk after working for three years as a mechanic in Ulan Bator. Our conversation is stunted by an absolute inability to communicate in one another's language, and the fact that my 'Russian Language Survival Kit' literally enables me to do no more than survive. Nevertheless, Vladimir buys us a litre of beer from the restaurant car which we set about quaffing together, content in the knowledge that we are now figuratively speaking the same tongue ... "Nosdravye" ... "Cheers". We swap addresses and I understand that he want me to write to him in Minsk and that his children, who are learning English, will reply. Strangely, he gives me his phone number, which judging by our futile attempts to converse face to face with pen, paper and sign language will prove to be something of a challenge no doubt resulting in a dropped phone. He promptly stands up and leaves, leaving his beer and my address behind. Maybe this is what three years in Ulan Bator can do to a man."

Dr Montague Trout

Hi GTBacchus and Dr Montague Trout Thanks for replying! I'm in something of a permanent state of wishing I had the time to devote to h2g2 that it deserves of me. You're right that 20 months is a while - I should be more active a researcher then I could bang on about it in my journal... Needless to say finishing my Trains entry (3 years in the writing now!) is on my list of things to do - thanks for your comments GTBacchus, they're much appreciated Someday I'll consolidate 2 years of intending to learn about the peer review process too (is it even still called that?).

Hi all,

I ed at GT's 'Wow!'

funnily enough, i read this ages ago but didn't comment. Not coz i forgot, but coz it seemed like a personal reflection and not really 'shooting for PR'.

It *could* perhaps be converted into EG material, though personally i think it is at best a generalisation and at worst simply questionable stereotype, albeit with a basis in reality and most definitely entertainingly presented. (in_two_minds_smiley)

nice to see a thread successfully 'resurrected' in this way, though.

cya
spiff

I have to admit, since writing it I have been wondering whether it would be useful to anyone! I wouldn't dream of writing about any stereotypes that don't include myself, though as edited guide entries are supposed to be from a third person perspective that's not something that can be pointed out. I think if I manage to re-write it in such a way that it's obvious that I'm talking about what seems to be an uncommonly accurate stereotype (note I say seems to be - like you pointed out, the article is only from my perspective) then it might at least be more palatable to a wider audience.

*pondering*

I always end up in conversations on trains. Especially the summer before last, when i happened to be on a train between Newcstle and York with a couplke of Aussies who were on their way from Edinburgh to London. they were playing Bob marley on a portavle CD player with speakers, and handing round Stella to everyone who'd talk to them. great fun.

Bob Marley on CD? The Wailers(sp?) have sold out.

I've spoken to people on trains before. One time (when I was doing the rounds of University interviews) I was trying to revise on the train for a maths test the next day, and complaining to my Mum that it wasn't going in. The man behind us popped his head up and said he was a maths teacher and if I wanted any help to just ask. And on another train we got talking to the guy opposite and found out he was a foot doctor or something!

Of course there was the time when I was on my way to Manchester on the train on my own for the first time when I was volunteering at the Commonwealth Games, and I found someone else in the same uniform, and we got talking and became good friends. We lost contact when the Games ended, sadly, but it was nice to have someone to hang around with right from the start! Not that I was short of friends there (everyone was so friendly and I was working with different people each day), but she knew how to get from the station to the stadium, and I didn't!

The author has elvised - hows about a move to the AWW?

Elvised?

Elvised, left the building, not posted anything anywhere on H2G2 in at least two months. But you're back now, hello You planning on doing anything with this entry, now you're back?

Elvised again, so AWW?

Cakewalker - you keep disappearing and coming back - what's happening with this entry?

Hi Cyzaki,

Thanks for the messages. I'm sorry I'm not being more proactive about this and am grateful people are taking an interest. Since considering putting the article forward for the edited guide I've been concerned about it's reliance on stereotypes and my personal experience (echoed by someone else above). I'd be grateful for suggestions, though as I've if anything less time than usual available at the moment any discussions are likely to be slow

If anyone's interested in taking it on that's not a problem as far as I'm concerned. Is that what you mean by AWW? Sorry, my understanding of the editorial process is way out of date. I'll look it up...

OK - have had a look at the Review pages so know what AWW is at least... Yes, it does sound more appropriate than staying in the Edited Guide workshop. Would it be considered more appropriate to move it to the AWW or remove it from the review pages altogether and wait until I've got more time available?

If you don't have time to be working on it right now, I'd suggest removing it from this workshop and waiting until you do have some time.

When you've got some spare time, I'd put this into the AWW where it'd probably get more comments than here.