STEREOTYPES IN INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Did this clip remind you of other stereotypes, both good and bad, your daily experience with the members of these groups vs. the stereotypes of these groups?
This clip (Wu, 2006) proves some common stereotypes people have about Asians. All Asian people are believed not to be too emotional in public and seem a bit out of touch with a reality. At the same time, despite some silly look, they are always ready to react in case of danger and they all have a good ear for music that helps them to play perfect the various musical instruments. In my personal experience, I think that all people can be stereotyped in both bad and good ways, although if the stereotypes exist it means that the portion of truth has the right to be there. “There is no smoke without fire”, one common proverb claims. Almost Asians I personally know seem very good-natured and friendly, polite and respectful. However, once such a stereotype led me to the trap – I faced with the situation when one Asian girl revealed absolutely inadequate behavior – she never asked politely, never said any greeting or appreciative words – it made me shocked. I could forgive the European, American or Russian person for such actions, but in terms of her it became really hard to do. She completely broke my ideal impression about the Asian culture and their respect to other people. But in general, Asian people support the common opinion about them – sensitive but calm and firm, reliable and respectful, funny but smart and, of course, very charming in any situation.
How can thinking in terms of stereotypes be problematic?
Thinking by the stereotypes people can get into trouble with the reaction of those who they are thinking about. All Asians are supposed to have a black belt in karate, eat sushi for breakfast, lunch and dinner and, of course, be able to fix all problems with both the software and hardware Katzm, 2008). Living in the contemporary world we need to be able to think critically, taking into account all modern tendencies and trends. Lots of Asians nowadays are from the USA or Canada due to the migration flows, so the migrants’ offsprings do not understand why they are always thought to be special. They also admire Jackie Chan or Brus Li for their outstanding talent and prefer pizza for lunch rather than sushi. They want to be ‘ordinary’, so let’s allow them being average for their own sake.
References
Katzm. (2008). Mad tv- Average Asian. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB9LUgHbOP4
Wu D. (2006). Average Asian. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB1pRBiOBYg
