National stereotypes

Stereotypes and prejudices – Miksi emme suomalaisessa koulusysteemissä juurikaan opeta kansojen ja kansallisuuksien “tyypillisiä” ominaispiirteitä? Siksi, että stereotypiat ja muut joskus ennakkoluuloiset käsitykset ovat arvottavia ja yksinkertaistavia. Mene itse paikan päälle tai ota muuten selvää ja muodosta oma mielipiteesi. Mtäh? Taasko iskee sensuuri? Ha haa! Ei tällä kertaa!

As teachers we don’t advocate stereotypes. However, some of them might interest you. Alrightie, then! On with the show:

What’s that you say? You’re interested in other nations, too? So be it! Here we go:

  • The usual suspects The UK (In the words of Monty Python: What have The British ever done for us? Well, for starters, they gave us Monty Python.) / The USA (Spaniards discovered potatoes in America and introduced them to Europe, but that’s ages ago in the 16th century. The same with tobacco. Anything noteworthy since then?) / How about Ancient Rome ? Stereotypes are not a modern invention.
  • Many young people go for Japanese culture these days.
  • Germany gave us Rammstein and Scorptions. Anything else interesting about them?
  • We all simply love pizza! Now take a look at Italians.
  • You’re in France. You could ask your local friend or a taxi driver “Could you take me to the Eiffel Tower?”. You as a learner would say “Pouvez-vous me prendre à la Tour Eiffel?” What the French understand is “Could you have sex with me at Eiffel Tower?”. Maybe it’s not too late for you to take come French lessons in senior high school.
  • Canary Islands, anyone? They belong to Spain. Now learn more oversimplifications ( i.e. stereotypes) about Spanish culture. BTW, which animal is revered on the Canary Islands? The Canary (a bird) I hear you say. Nope! Do some Googling to find out the right answer. (Tip: Think Latin)
  • You’ll find the Portuguese in the southwestern corner of Europe as opposed to us Finns here in the northeastern corner. Are there similarities?
  • Wanna hear a Polish joke? Thought so. Well, here’s one anyway. Q: They had to tear down a Polish football stadium. Why? A: Because anywhere you sat, you sat behind a pole. Poland produces a lot of apples. That must make Polish doctors happy. Okay, I’ll give it a rest. Meet the Poles.
  • To the world, Croatia is Luka Modrić. See how we oversimplify things in the Stereotypical World? Don’t hang yourself with your cravatte just yet, though. Let’s cut corners and oversimplify yet again and this time target the Croats.

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