When in Rome

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The ordeal of the American college girl, Amanda Knox, who was convicted this week of murdering her roommate while studying abroad, can serve as a harsh reminder to all young professionals (YPs) of the value of protecting their reputations. It seems to be a consensus among the legal pundits across the spectrum of the networks that it was Knox’s reputation in the Italian media, rather than hard physical evidence, that resulted in her conviction.
 
The Italian tabloids drew blood early by emphasizing Knox had admitted to getting high the night of the murder with her Italian lover/co-defendant, whom she had at that time known for only two weeks. As such her recollection of the events was hazy--a point also not missed by the tabs. The continued strange behavior of Knox during her trial did nothing to improve her image. At times, she appeared ecstatic during the ordeal, smiling and laughing. And during her testimony she failed to convey much compassion for her slain roommate, instead focusing on her own suffering.
 
All of this behavior fed directly into an old stereotype--the so-called “ugly American,” a soubriquet you can actually find in most dictionaries these days. It is meant to evoke the image of the boorish, obnoxious American tourist who charges through foreign lands without any understanding of or care for local customs. The Italian press could hardly pass up such an opportunity to portray Knox as the licentious American girl who romped through sleepy Perugia, seduced the local Italian boys, and believed she could get away with murder.
 
Two-week live-in boyfriends and smoking pot is mundane and omnipresent in Seattle’s Queen Anne, where Knox is from. It's hardly enough to budge a local hipster’s eyebrow (even ironically). But one wonders if Knox put any thought to the idea that the same behavior might not fly during her Umbrian suburban idyll. Whether she is guilty or not, Knox can serve to remind all YPs travelling abroad of the pertinence of the opinion said best by the eminent Iberian courtier, Baltasar Gracian:
 
“Defy the flaws of your country… There is no nation, even of the most cultured, without some inborn defect which its neighbors will not all at once strike upon, either for their caution or their comfort. To eradicate such weaknesses in yourself, or at least to hide them, is a commendable skill. Thus you make yourself unique among your kind, for what is least expected is most esteemed.”
 
(Image from Flickr by saschapohflepp)


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