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Bon pour l'Orient

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Bon pour l'Orient (good enough for the Orient) is a French condescending term that refers to the stamps affixed in the 19th century to the diplomas of students coming from colonial or Ottoman territories. These students were subjected to a less intensive level of education in Western educational institutions and obtained degrees which despite being useless in Europe, were deemed good enough to secure employment in the colonies.[1]

In modern use, the phrase pejoratively describes practices which although unacceptable in advanced Western countries, might be thought appropriate for less developed countries.

References

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  1. ^ Harb, Zahera (2017). Reporting the Middle East: The Practice of News in the Twenty-First Century. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1786721761.