FW: help me with my thesis?!

[Geraldo Ferreira de Lima]

Dear Peter

Sorry to interfere in this discussion, but as a foreigner, and as you asked
how 'others respond', I think, I could say something. What you explicitly
suggest is something which could be extremely discouraging for someone else
interested to study your culture (certainly drama & theatre are essential
parts of it).  Maybe you are right in some very specific cases, but I do not
believe that most people who try to get some sort of  information on
Canadian drama/theatre in this list are people 'who want someone else to do
their work for them'. I myself was a victim of the sort of prejudgement I
can infer from your words.

When I started my PhD research on Canadian drama I wrote something to this
list like this sender has done and the answers I received encouraged me a
lot. One of them, however, shocked me for what it contained in terms of
prejudgement. Like your message, that one simply said that I had to do  my
own work. Probably the sender answered my message without reading it. If
he/she had read it he would never had thought that what I intended was that
someone  else had do my work, as those who were so kindly to send me what
they considered to be the answers I really needed.

I would like to say that there are lots of way to say what you suggest
without prejudging. It does not mean one has to be meek. Dealing with people
from a culture different from yours is not always something so easy do be
done, I know. Sometimes, words like these said in the way they have been
uttered in your message can cause unimaginable side effects on that one to
whom they were supposed to be uttered. A last thing: in your next answer
take into account that most people who devote part of their lives to study
aspects of another culture do it in extreme difficulties; I do not know if
it is the case in question. Anyway, an answer like "do your own work" could
mean more than a simple prejudgement...

Sincerely yours,
Geraldo Ferreira de Lima
Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana  UEFS
Departamento de Letras e Artes
Residência/Home:
Rua Lourdes Maria da Silva, 175
Mangabeira
44036-550 Feira de Santana  BA
BRASIL
TeleFax: (75) 221-3456
E-mail: lima at gd.com.br


----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter D. Smith" <psmith at NBNET.NB.CA>
To: <CANDRAMA at LISTSERV.UNB.CA>
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2001 9:06 PM
Subject: Re: FW: help me with my thesis?!


> This is very similar to a lot of requests that I get at Imperial Theatre,
> especially at this time of year!!  Usually someone who wants someone else
> to do their work for them--I just got an email claiming that the Saint
John
> library has nothing on the theatre (it does, in several branches), and
that
> there is nothing on the Internet, either (lots and lots, including lots of
> links from our website).
>
> I used to respond with a message saying, in effect, "do your own work";
> now, unless it is a [signed] message asking for some *specific*
> information, not a complete data dump, I ignore these.
>
> How do you others respond?
>
> Peter D. Smith
> General Manager
> Imperial Theatre
> Saint John, NB
>
>
> At 02:42 PM 11/16/2001 -0500, Gaetan wrote:
> >Anyone care to help this person out?
> >
> >Cheers.
> >
> >Gaetan
> >
> >----------
> >From: "Katarina Farkas" <perles at matavnet.hu>
> >Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 20:18:31 +0100
> >To: <blajeune at total.net>
> >Subject: help me with my thesis?!
> >
> >Hello!
> >I was just having a look at your encyclopedia entries, and I decided to
> >contact you, hoping there is someone who could help me.
> >I'm studying English Literature and History at ELTE University in
> >Budapest, Hungary and I have a problem with finding material for my
> >thesis. The title is: The Development of Theatre Life in British
Columbia:
> >the Cult of Shakespeare, and I was going to do research into when and
> >which Shakespeare plays have been performed on the territory of BC from
> >the early beginnings until present day. Unfortunately, I don't have
> >accsess to any of the archives from this part of Europe, so I need all
the
> >help I can get.
> >I would really appreciate any information, data, or at least some advice
> >on who to contact.
> >Thank you very much for taking time to read this and help.
> >Katarina Farkas
>