Here’s a quick, final entry to The Hegemonist Spring Break. It’s late, and I have to get up early to go to the beach!
I’ve previously discussed Foreign Service blog rules. One of the side effects of making people clear discussions of international affairs or go anonymous is that a lot of Foreign Service Officers who want to blog using their names write travel blogs. (We’re a group that likes to write, and we’re not known for our humility.) Individually, most of the ones I’ve read are phenomenal, here are a few:
- FSO Globetrotter (I like it so much I interviewed him for my first FS interview.)
- Girl in the Rain (She’s famous for her Mumbai coverage.)
- Prince Roy’s Realm (I’m told this was the first FS travel blog.)
The majority blog because it makes for an easy way to tell everyone back home good stories without having to write individual letters, or, worse, make phone calls. I don’t think they’re meant for a wide audience, but of course, the internet has a way of bringing just that sort of thing to the surface. Most of them are great, and if you’re curious, AAFSW has a pretty good listing of FS blogs.
The Trouble I See
The trouble that I see is that diplomats are already frequently thought of as glamorous cookie-pushers who laugh it up with foreigners while good Americans in other national security organizations risk their lives for democracy. If FSOs don’t work to change that perception it won’t get changed. Multitudes of Foreign Service blogs that only show the glamour of Foreign Service travel give fuel to our critics. (Of course, a multitude of FS niche blogs written by people who are too scared to share their names can’t help our cause either, right?)
The Hope
(It’s Spring Break, so I figure I’m allowed to pussyfoot around intellectually.) The other side that I see is that by reading the phenomenal travel blogs that I’ve actually read (as opposed to they vague group that I referred to in the previous section), regular people will discover the good things that Foreign Service Officers do. Besides, our critics are always going to criticize, so isn’t this the group that truly matters?
What We’ve Learned
I realize characterizing a group as bad while praising every single individual in the group seems silly. The advantage of writing an anonymous niche blog is that no one I know can make fun of me for it!
Thanks for sharing Spring Break with me. If you know of any phenomenal FS travel blogs, please mention them in the comment section (also, if you know of any examples of mediocre travel blogs it would strengthen my original argument). Have a good weekend, everyone!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I
would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have
enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Kaylee
http://www.craigslistposter.info
Definately will not go to Vilamoura anymore, 6 Hour rounds of Golf and 4.5 Euros for a beer , we will stay clear of the Vilamoura golf courses this year, and the so called free shuttle bus turns up if you are lucky.
здесь комменты можно почитать и в цирк не ходить!! бред какой-то.
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