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True
or False
Misconceptions
About Cultures of the World |
| Have you ever heard
of the fat, white, unrefined, American with the big car?
Or the poor, starving, dirty, and uneducated Indian beggar?
What about one of those tiny, unemotional, self-centered
and non-creative Japanese? “Watch out when you’re
in Singapore– you can get thrown in jail for spitting
your gum out on the street... but you won’t get arrested
if you hit someone!” These statements are only a few
of the misconceptions about foreign cultures. As the youth
of the world, it is our responsibility to fight these stereotypes
and communicate across cultures to build an understanding
of the globe’s diversity. |
| These
misconceptions about certain cultures do not always originate
with foreigners,
however. In America, for example, people commonly refer to
their country as “the best in the world”. Other
countries, however, think of Americans only as uncultured “cowboys”,
who eat hot dogs and drink beer. |
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India
is often thought of as a very poor country, when in fact
it has one
of the leading software industries in the world, as well
as a globally-unrecognized film industry of “Bollywood”.
It is the largest democracy in the world. India hosts a variety
of religions– Islam,
Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, and others– and
survives in tolerance. To the Westerner, an Indian is “dirty,
starving, and very poor”. Some believe Indians don’t
have access to computers. Most of these misconceptions are
unintentional: because of society, media, and other factors,
other nations have labeled India with a stereotype.
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The people
of Japan, like those of India, have also been misunderstood
and labeled with an inaccurate stereotype. Japanese
are sometimes considered as small, unemotional,
insincere, self-centered people with no imagination.
In reality,
Japanese are very courteous who know how to live
in harmony with each other through a complex social
system. |
Leading
Questions: Email us your ideas at
• What
misconceptions did you have about certain cultures
that you recently dispelled after learning that they
weren't true?
• How do you think the world views your culture?
• How do you think we can eliminate these misconceptions ?
Libby, grade
8, from California, USA, says:
"When I
was ten, I thought that all French people wore black
barrettes 24-7, even to bed! I have no idea how I
thought this, but I guess it was from TV and ads.
I would pretend I was a "Frenchman" by wearing a
barrette that I had bought. After I learned that
this was just a stereotype, I promptly stopped..."
Brooke,
grade 8, from California, USA, says:
"I think,
to eliminate these stereotypes, we should have a
news program that goes into these countries and interviews
their natives, asking questions about their views
on topics, giving everyone a good sense about what
the country is all about.
Lindsay,
grade 8, from California, USA, says:
"I used
to think that Italians were somehow all linked to
the Mafia, but [I now know] that's far from the
truth. That would be like saying that we, Californians,
are all best friends with movie stars."
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Bibliography:
“4-H
Cowboy.” California 4-H Youth Development Program.
7 Feb. 2005. <http://fourh.ucdavis.edu/4hresource/clipart/people/pics/4H%20cowboy.gif>.
http://www.hindientertainment.com/dvd/pictures/Bollywood%20Hollywood.JPG
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/toybox/images/2004/sep14/review_samurai_6.jpg |
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