http://berlinstories.org/2010/01/24/mark-van-schlegell-on-another-country/ a weekly 3 minute radio series on NPR Worldwide (104.1fm Berlin) Wed, 16 May 2012 10:37:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://berlinstories.org/2010/01/24/mark-van-schlegell-on-another-country/comment-page-1/#comment-11061 Olivia O Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:32:42 +0000 http://berlinstories.org/?p=1250#comment-11061 It's clear that von Schlegell is used to pushing his imagination during his writing process, because I'm wondering just how the tile floors in Another Country creak. Or how he conjured up a litter box when they've never had a cat, let alone a cat toilet. I understand the impulse to embellish, but aren't these "Berlin stories" supposed to be nonfiction? Finally, von Schlegell, instead of writing about reality, conjures up images of a transgender person in accordance to stereotypes the mainstream trash media painted from the '70's through the '90's (and still, though less so, today). Sophie, the proprietor, dresses more like the stereotype of the librarian that she is, than the over-the-top, "man in a dress and heels," stereotype this author has hallucinated. I frankly found that part very offensive and shocking that NPR would reenforce such stereotypes, particularly when they're not true. It’s clear that von Schlegell is used to pushing his imagination during his writing process, because I’m wondering just how the tile floors in Another Country creak. Or how he conjured up a litter box when they’ve never had a cat, let alone a cat toilet. I understand the impulse to embellish, but aren’t these “Berlin stories” supposed to be nonfiction? Finally, von Schlegell, instead of writing about reality, conjures up images of a transgender person in accordance to stereotypes the mainstream trash media painted from the ’70′s through the ’90′s (and still, though less so, today). Sophie, the proprietor, dresses more like the stereotype of the librarian that she is, than the over-the-top, “man in a dress and heels,” stereotype this author has hallucinated. I frankly found that part very offensive and shocking that NPR would reenforce such stereotypes, particularly when they’re not true.

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