The following is the first of several posts on cultural observations, mostly referring to my experiences interacting with the brazilian culture, but also drawing upon other travels.
This post is to try to reinterpret American traits. I have been at fault for making similar assumptions about my own culture, but after some of my experiences in Europe and more extended exposure to Brazilian culture, I realized were misinterpreted even within our own culture. Upon examining on a larger scale, I came to the following explanations of some of the more common stereotypes. Do my explanation cover all? Not at all. They are mere generalizations as are the stereotypes themselves. But also note that every culture has a devient behavior that, should you interact with those participating in those behaviors, may be interpreted as cultural even when it is devient within its own culture. Now, to begin:
1. American parents do not really truly love their children:
This is probably THE top comment that I hear and, having a daughter, it is really the one that I can tangent on. At the core of it all, I must say, we are human beings and our connections are different, but not more or less. I find American parents are more invested (or at least encouraged to be) in their children’s education. Every toy must have an educational purpose, parents are encouraged to start reading aloud almost before the child is born. The goal of parenting is for our children to achieve more than we could have ourselves. The phrase most used is “If you love something, you must let it go” or, as several popular songs may say– “You are a butterfly, spread your wings and fly.” Is it painful for a parent to see their child leave the house and begin an independent life? OF COURSE! My dad, who is not an emotional person, cried when he left me at college the first time. But he was proud of me, knew how he had raised me, and happy for me to have the experiences I could have because he was there supporting me. Would he allow me to live with them? Absolutely. But in the American culture, it is a sign of dependence to live with your parents, therefore “cramping your style” in the dating world. The movie “Failure to Launch” could be seen as a comic view of these ideas. I know I would love nothing better than to cuddle with my daughter for her whole entire life, but I believe my happiness will be in freeing her to live her own life, travel, meet people, learn, to be ALL that she can be. Because she will always know that she can count on my love and support. I will HATE if she lives far away, but being a parent sometimes means dealing with hard things for the best for your child.
Which leads me to
2. Americans are cold (usually insinuating cold-hearted)
A person’s heart is a person’s heart. There are cold-hearted and warm-hearted people everywhere. Don’t interpret lack of expression for less feeling or visa versa or you will find yourself misinterpreting almost every interaction you may have. If you check world statistics, I believe you will find Americans towards the top in charitable giving, and many of my friends can be seen talking to and building relationships anywhere and everywhere. While there are certainly marginalized peoples, I have actually seen less marginalization in some of the “colder” cultures I’ve been in than in some of the warmer ones. In Switzerland, for example, we were told in our orientation class that in our particular area it would not be out of character, in the event of a criminal act, for those around to actively participate in the pursuit and capture of said criminal. Not something I would expect to see as much here in the USA and certainly not in Brazil. So who is warm and who is cold? I can admit that I am a lot less ready to call anyone by either of those terms than I may have been in the past.
http://www.ibtimes.com/us-ranks-no-1-generosity-now-lets-give-more-705758
3. Americans are fat and eat only fried food
Yes, I consider myself overweight. I also know an abnormal amount of depressively skinny marathon runners. There are Americans of every shape and size. We, even with just a little bit of money, have easy access to food. It is my OPINION (note the caps) that Europeans eat healthier than we do and Brazilians, well, not so much. This is a great generalization and does not capture every aspect of life, but I have noticed a far greater use of oils and transfats and fats of every kind in Brazilian cooking than in any other recipes I have learned elsewhere (can someone please explain to me why ground beef needs additional oil?) and utilize less vegetables. I have come to believe that diabetes being more common in Brazilians is not due as much to the genes as to the high level of carbs and sugar (have you ever had brazilian coffee or considered how many cans of sweetened condensed milk goes into most brazilian desserts?). I also find that it depends on trends. The current trend in the USA is growing more and more to health awareness and healthy eating, and I believe there are great benefits to learning health and biology to the extent that it is taught. My husband accuses me of thinking I am a doctor, but after the books and classes I have had to endure, I have retained a lot. Again, this point is an opinion point and I have seen articles both supporting and against this. Just consider this the next time a Brazilian sits down to drink an orange juice with an American. ;)
4. Ethnocentric
This is an area where I can both agree and disagree. There are plenty examples for both sides. On one hand, a large percentage of my generation has travelled and has just about as much balance between cultural pride and understanding as any other country might. On the other hand, you’ll find a lot of people who’ve never left their own state who believe whatever they see on TV. I’m not sure I buy into the idea that one culture is more ethnocentric than another. Perhaps this perception is a result of my last stereotype for this list…
5. Americans are more vocal about there opinions.
I would say that the Brazilians beat us on this, but they probably wouldn’t go as far as to write it on a blog ;). hehe. Yes, we are vocal. Sometimes it’s a personality trait. Being vocal is part of the reason we believe in our country, because we can and will protest and expect to make a difference. I am seeing this as being less the case and I hope that does not continue because being vocal has brought us through some extremelly important advances. It is a quality of striving and growing. And, yes, it is also a quality of the loud and obnoxious. I would encourage you to seek out the wise and educated American on this one. For better or for worse, all voices are heard whether wise or fool, and it is our so-called “right.” (stated tongue-in-cheek, in case you didn’t catch on).
What are some of your favorite stereotypes or oddities or questions about Americans? About Brazilians? Think I’m wrong? Let me know! I’m hoping to make a series of this. My next post will be about my cultural observations about Brazilian culture (for those of you who have experienced this, I would appreciate your input to give a better, more-rounded and perhaps more extensive series).