Last week we talked about representation of different cultures, and how we as outsiders will pick up on everyday mundane things about someone elses culture, and comment on it. Such as the 1000 barefoot monks who walked through the streets of Burma. We were asked why such an emphasis was placed on the fact that they were barefoot, I can't answer that but it has made me think of other such similar circumstances where someone, or someone's culture has been sensationalized for outsiders.

What came to mind for me was the recent controversy that Abe Lincoln might be gay because he slept in the same bed as Joshua Speed. What people fail to realize is that for this time period, it was common for two men to sleep together in the same bed, and it was not looked down upon in anyway. If two men showed affection for each other, it was only because they cared for each other. It is only todays stigmas on homosexuality, that we look back on history and place such terms on people.

I realize now that not only do people misrepresent other cultures, but they have a tendency to misrepresent their own culture as well.