4.25. Our perception of other people is often influenced by stereotypes (a

stereotype is an idea of what a particular group of people is like that

many people have). However funny they might seem at first,

stereotypes turn out to be quite harmful, especially when we try to

communicate with foreigners basing on such biased ideas. Most

nations have stereotypes about themselves, though.

a) Think of the most famous Russian stereotypes about other nations

(especially, British and American). Can you prove that they are unfair

or wrong?

b) Think of the most famous stereotypes that the Russians have about

themselves and that foreigners have about the Russians. How

different are they? Why?

c) Read the passage below about the way the British and the

Americans stereotype each other. Compare them with the Russian

stereotypes and comment on them.

British stereotypes of Americans: Americans are illiterate, have no culture, are immodest and gauche, have a throw away culture (e.g. automobiles) and everything has a price. Churchill called Americans a nation of shopkeepers. Napoleon said the same of the English, L'angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers. When Clive James visited California in the late 1970s, he reported that restaurants look like car washes, car washes look like art galleries, art galleries look like war memorials, war memorials look like fire stations, fire stations look like churches, and churches look like restaurants.

Americans' stereotypes of themselves: they think they are culture-free, think other countries don’t like them, think they are the world (international news are virtually absent from major news broadcasts and newspapers unless American interests are involved), and are born to shop (for trinkets to show off to each other).

Americans are patriotic, direct and open in conversation, globally naïve, experts at marketing, welcome you into their stores, have more shopping malls, and don’t have a class structure.

American stereotypes of the British: they are bad lovers, terrible cooks, snotty, pompous, insular, cold, traditional, do things in their own fashion, make the best ‘bad guys’ in movies, and speak English correctly. One American at an English college complained, ‘The English girls never got my jokes, the Brussels sprouts were gray, the drizzle was relentless, and the toilet paper was waxy’.

British stereotypes of themselves: none.

T

4.26. Read some myths about life in the us and comment on them. Have you

heard any myths about life in Russia from your foreign friends? What

do you think about such myths? See Appendix for some real information

about life in the USA.

he British despise their own country, pity anyone not British, despise foreigners, talk to themselves (but only after years of acquaintance—Punch Magazine), have a class structure (upper middle class, middle class, and lower middle class), and look upon you as you enter their shops as atrespasser.

MYTH: Life is easy in the United States.

MYTH: America is “the land of the free,” so I can do whatever I want there.

MYTH: Americans are racists. /Americans are tolerant.

MYTH: The United States is a classless society.

MYTH: Americans are rude and loud.

MYTH: All Americans are rich and drive fast cars.

MYTH: American students are less prepared academically than students from my country.

MYTH: American professors are casual, sometimes even asking students to address them by their first names.

MYTH: American students use illegal drugs.