U.S. image is product of stereotypes, experiences by David Williams
Say what you will about stereotypes, they have to come from somewhere.
When my wife and I announced we were going to spend a year in China, teaching English at a technical college, we heard more than a few snide remarks about how we would tower over everyone else and how we'd be eating dog regularly.
Though stereotypes can range from humorous to hurtful (depending on what is implied as well as what is inferred), all of them stem from the same source: ignorance.
If you are exposed over and over again to the same few presuppositions about a particular people, it's not surprising that, on some level, you're going to believe them. Chalk it up to the Every Rumor Has an Element of Truth principle.
But the funny thing about racial stereotypes is they work both ways.
Just as my wife and I had learned precious little about Chinese culture growing up, our Chinese students had had limited exposure to American culture. Naturally, they were curious about their foreign teachers, and once we mentally compiled all of their questions and comments, we were able to construct their American stereotype:
All Americans are rich and carry guns, and if they go to college, it plays out a lot like the movie "American Pie."
Clearly, the bulk of their observations about American life came from a single city: Hollywood.
I'd argue that many Americans do the same thing, except rather than watch a lot of foreign films, we craft our stereotypes from media made in our own country, which further dilutes the truth. (Forget Jackie Chan — we didn't meet a single kung fu master when we were in China.)
Foreign policy and international relations are important, but like it or not, stereotypes take their toll on any country's image.
My wife and I have done our share of globetrotting, meeting people of many nationalities. I e-mailed some questions to several of my foreign-born friends, some of whom have been to the United States, to shed more light on America's image.
Here are the answers — in random order — provided by Myunghee Choi-Rose, originally of Seoul, South Korea; Ana Lucie Mendes Estevao, of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Lu Guocai, of Zhangjiagang, China; and Remco Steinmetz, of Amstelveen, Netherlands:
# Describe the United States in three words.
"Free, attractive and open."
"Arrogant, interesting and self-centered."
"Freedom, diversity, organized."
"Immature, arrogant, fun."
# What do you like least about the United States?
"Different policy for the foreigners."
"It's more about attitude … about doing what's good for the U.S., showing no respect for the other countries or even for human rights."
"Public transportation. It was difficult to get around without having a car."
"It's conservatism. I favor continuous change, taking a pragmatic approach. Do what works, not what sounds good."
# What do you like best about the United States?
"I like the freedom to do what I like to do."
"What really impresses me is when something bad happens — a tragedy or a disaster — everybody gets together to help each other."
"American teachers don't give answers right away. They try to discuss and guess with the students. In this way, students learn how to analyze problems."
"It's service-oriented society. Everything is set up for convenience. I love the fact that you can easily get anything you want at any time of day."
Granted, my questionnaire was not scientific study, but I think it's good to get outside perspectives, whether they are insights borne of experience or simple stereotypes. Either way, you're bound to learn something.
Steph and I, in fact, were taller than the average Chinese citizen, but not by as great a margin as we expected. And while we sampled a wide variety of new foods in China, we never had the chance to try dog meat — it just wasn't a popular dish in the region we lived.
Inevitably, there will be discrepancies between how a nation sees itself and how the rest of the world views it. In my experiences, the truth lies somewhere in between.
No one I know in America packs heat, and as for money growing on trees? Now that's rich.
"Generation Why?" is a Sunday feature of The Reporter. David Williams can be reached at generation-why@hotmail.com.