French Poodles Say, "Wooah, Wooah!"

The French. Unfortunately they are not favored too highly by some Americans; especially since the country decided not to support America's war with Iraq. (I might have to agree with the French on that one, but that's an entirely different blog topic to be made on an entirely different blog...) There are many disheartening stereotypes out there about the French. Let's explore a few.

French people are rude. Now, looking at this from a certain perspective (the American one) the French people may come off as rude to a tourist in their country. First of all, Americans speak English. There's nothing wrong with that, but some Americans seem to believe that because they speak English, the rest of the world should have a basic knowledge of English for their benefit. So in visiting France, many American tourists don't bother to learn simple French terms. Therefore, approaching a French person, in France, and speaking in English to them, expecting them to be fluent in English is a little rude on the tourist's part, don't you think? Imagine someone who speaks a foreign tongue stopping you in the street in your home country and asking for directions, expecting you to be able to understand their request and respond in their native tongue. It would be strange and unsettling, wouldn't it? So of course the French are going to come off as rude! I think they are pushed to "being rude" by the attitudes they are having to deal with, not because they are generally a rude people.

French people smell bad. In actuality, French people are just as conscious of personal hygiene as any other country in the world. Not every country necessarily values the scent of soap or the act of washing their hair once, sometimes twice, daily. It's all a matter of perspective. America is a country of excess and some of its personal hygiene rituals are just that: excessive.

French people smoke. Smoking used to be quite prevalent in France. Yes, you read that right, it used to be. A smoking ban was placed on bars and cafes in 2007, and cigarette sales dropped dramatically after the ban was instigated. "BAT France said 54.4 billion cigarettes were sold last year in France, down 2.3 percent from 2007. In 1998, almost 85 billion cigarettes were sold in France." ( Source.)So right there is bonafide statistical proof that France no longer smokes like it used to! Again, its all about perspective and knowledge.

The lesson today is not about French hygiene or smoking habits or attitudes. Its really about perspective. Try putting yourself in someone else's shoes before you judge them... You think someone is rude? You have no idea what they've gone through in their day, or what's in their mind. You may have approached them with something that may seem important to you but is humdrum to them and you're demanding an answer... You may find someone's personal habits as disgusting or unhygienic. But you have to approach their matter with a consciousness of what is acceptable in their culture.

America is not the standard rule for the whole world and it shouldn't be. Try to consider perspective when looking at the world beyond America's shores. Realize that you are looking at things as an American would, and the whole world can not be understood that way.

Across the Pond

Having made the trip myself across the pond, as it were, I can say that the British surprised me. I'm going to go through a few stereotypical thoughts I may have had or heard about from others when I was initially planning my trip to England last summer and then I'll share a few anecdotes pertaining to these stereotypes, either disproving or proving them as I see fit.

The British stereotypes I have always heard fall along these lines:
British people have bad teeth.
British people are overly prudish and proper.
British people love tea.
British food is bland and most of it is boiled.
British people are sarcastic.

First off, British people do sometimes have bad teeth. But so do Americans. So do the French. So do the Russians, and on and on and on. But why are the British saddled with this demeaning stereotype? A lot of it has to do with their health care system. Dental care is not covered by the NHS. Therefore, to get dental checkups and procedures, they must pay for it out of pocket. Most tend not to do this because it is quite costly and dentists are few and far between. I understand this is changing in recent years, but it would account for the elder generation of British people having lackluster smiles. But on the whole, the British smiles I encountered weren't cause for alarm or disgust, so I dismiss this stereotype. I also point to some Americans I know who have some of the worst teeth I have ever seen. And we're all supposed to flash pearly straight whites at all times!

British people may sound prudish and proper due to how Americans seem to view their accents, but trust me, I met quite a few British people who were anything but prude and proper. A few gentlemen in a dance club I was in in Liverpool, England, gave me a run for my money when I nearly got into a shouting match with them over one putting his hands on me. He told me that since I was American, and showing a little flesh, he had assumed I was up for it. He was just being a jerk, but it goes to show that that stereotype is certainly not true. I was also nearly peed on by a gentleman in my hostel room in London, England, and that was as far from prudish and proper as I can imagine. He was completely drunk and had no idea that a German girl in the bed next to me was not a urinal for his private use... or maybe he didn't like Germans, I'm not sure. I was too busy shoving his naked body into the public hallway to care about motive. I just know he was neither prudish nor proper!

British people love tea and crumpets. I never once saw tea nor crumpets (I still don't know what a crumpet is... so maybe I did see one while in England and just didn't recognize it?) the whole time I was in England. Maybe I was in the wrong places... I did eat genuine fish and chips, though, and they were absolutely delicious. I didn't quite understand the smashed peas, which are literally peas that are smashed with a fork, that were served with my fish and chips, but the fish and chips (or French fries in the States) were delicious. More on that later...

As for British food being bland and boiled, I did not eat a single boiled food dish while I was in England... and the food there was very delicious. My favorite thing had to be the fish and chips that every restaurant in London and Liverpool claim to have the "best" version of over every other establishment in England. I don't know how they could all be the best, but they were definitely all delicious!

I will take a moment to talk about beans, though. Beans are everywhere. Even as an option in Subway. Why beans have a place on a Subway sandwich, I certainly don't know, but they were there. I passed on that one. They were also present on a breakfast buffet at the hostel I stayed in in Liverpool. I remember going down the aisle, picking out scrambled eggs and toast to eat and the server at the end of the aisle stirring a giant pot of baked beans. I remember thinking, "Baked beans for breakfast? Why?" As I'm pondering their presence on a breakfast buffet, the gentleman (who was quite handsome, British, and had great teeth) asked me if I would like some. I shrugged and thought, "When in England, do as the English do," and held out my plate. He proceeds to dump a giant spoonful of beans on my toast. My mouth fell open and I'm just staring at my plate. I had been imagining that toast slathered with butter and grape jelly, NOT baked beans. I could see him fidgeting as he watched me have a silent but visual heart attack, thinking this guy was being a complete jerk just slopping the beans on my toast. I couldn't believe he had been so rude! He finally asks me, "You're not from around here are you?" I shake my head, "No, I'm on vacation." He recognizes my accent and grabs another plate, putting eggs and fresh toast on it. "I'm sorry, I'm just used to people eating beans on their toast!"

Yeah, beans on toast. Not bland, not boiled, but... different.

The British people I met and the British people who are my friends all have this wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor that I love. I'm also quite sarcastic, and I adore the British sense of humor. It is quite different from American's senses of humor, but not everyone in Britain shares an identical sarcastic nature... But I can say that the British people I know can be caustically sarcastic. Like this one gentleman, let's call him James because that was his name, whom I also met in a dance club in Liverpool, told me to "eat a spoonful of concrete to harden up" because I wanted to leave at 2:30 AM to get back to the hostel and go to sleep. I told him they didn't serve cement at the bar and he informed me that there was a construction site down the road a ways. I was laughing with glee at how hilarious this fellow was...

So what's the point in all of this? British people are just plain awesome.

No, that's not the point, although I would agree with that statement...

Before you have personally experienced living in the presence of another culture, you shouldn't judge it. Each individual person regardless of their country of origin is unique. Just because someone is "British" or "American" or "French", doesn't mean they share all the traits wrongfully associated with their nationality.

The Great White North

Canada. Our neighbors to the North. Its colder, its bigger, and its different. Have you ever seen a Bob and Doug Mackenzie movie? For the longest time, that's what I thought most Canadians were like: laid-back, chill, hanging out while wearing toques, saying "eh?" at the end of every sentence, eating maple syrup and back bacon, and watching hockey.

I became good friends with a native Canadian, and she did none of those things. Except I can charge her with the occasional, "eh?" and every so often, a toque-wearing incident. We traveled overseas together, to London and Liverpool, England. I found that I was not the only one with pre-conceived notions about Canadians...

We went to an underground comedy club in London. The comedian performing picked on every single member of the audience, largely based on their country of origin. When my Canadian comrade was chosen as the subject of his humorous slaying with words, she informed him she was Canadian. His response: "Oh, so you're American, but you want people to like you."

I was floored! At the time, I laughed, because it seemed funny. Everyone had told me to tell people I was Canadian instead of American while in England because they would be nicer to me. However, I found that people were nice to me regardless, no one came out as rude while I was there...

But in believing in the stereotypes, I had built myself up for this incredible let-down. Although the stereotypes I've mentioned about Canada based on my exposure to Bob and Doug Mackenzie movies as a kid may not necessarily be seen as negative, they are still judgments that should not have been made...

Here are some of the stereotypes about Canadians and their culture (Source):
Canadians have an easygoing society where everyone follows the law.
Canadians are moderates.
Canadians are polite and courteous.
Canadians have a subtle form of patriotism.
Canadians are beloved in foreign countries (especially Europe).
Canadians resent America and feel superior to the US especially in matters of government.
Canadians have more ethnic influences and are more tolerant of these influences and this encourages diversity in its people.
Canadians live in a caring nation where the needy and less fortunate are well-taken care of and not left to fend for themselves.

There are so many more, but I will stop there.

Are these true? Is Canada this oasis of caring, compassionate people who are beloved in foreign countries and have all the answers? No, they are not. The Canadians I have met could match any of those stereotypes, but not as a whole can a country fit a stereotype. But some would argue that it doesn't matter, because all of those stereotypes are favorable to the Canadian people, so they are fine and good to have.

Wrong.

Seemingly "good" or "favorable" stereotypes can be just as harmful as incriminating ones. Let's take a look at a Canadian's rebuttal of these stereotypes (Source).

Here's the proposed "bad" side of these "good" stereotypes, compare with the seemingly "good" stereotypes that were listed above:
Canadians trust too much and don't criticize their law-makers enough.
Canadians are afraid to express controversial opinions.
Canadians are passive.
Canadians have no reason to be patriotic.
Canadians are not well-known to foreign countries, they have no opinions about Canadians because they don't know anything about them.
Canadians ignore criticisms about their own country and government because they are so anti-American.
Canadians lack a sense of social unity.
Canadians live in a socialist society where self-reliance is discouraged.

Do you see now how "good" stereotypes are ultimately "bad" ones? Canada seems like the cooler older cousin, smoking weed and chilling out up there above the United States. But are they, really? Do Canadian citizens appreciate these points of view about them, made without true education about them and their culture? I'd hazard to guess they don't.

I surely didn't appreciate the native Englanders who assumed that because my travel companion said she was Canadian, which she was, that she was merely hiding the fact that she was American because being an American is such a "terrible" thing...

So I have learned a lot this week. What have I learned? That not all Canadians are Bob and Doug Mackenzie.

No, I'm just kidding, I've learned a lot more than that. I've learned that even a country I may have viewed as having nothing but "good" stereotypes about them, may not appreciate those stereotypes because they hold a darker side to them.

Do you have any views about Canada? Have you ever been there? Would you like to go there? Do you know anyone native to Canada? Feel free to post any comments, questions, or concerns you might have about the stereotypes associated with the country of Canada in the comments section below!

Next week, we're swimming 'across the pond' to learn about the country of England.