Stereotypes About Americans And The American Culture

Native Americans as a whole have been typecast as drunks ever since the coming of the white man’s “fire water.” TS Naimi, MD et al. reports that alcohol is responsible for 11.7% of all American Indian and Alaska Native deaths, compared to 3.3% for the U.S. general population (939). This disturbing discrepancy reinforces the age old notion of the “drunk Indian.” Generalizations aside, is there some truth to this stereotype? Are Indians more likely than other races to be drunks? Of all the races, “Native Americans have the highest prevalence (12.1%) of heavy drinking…A larger percentage of Native Americans (29.6%) also are binge drinkers” (Chartier and Caetano 153). Although some research has been done on genetic causes, little is

Native American people have a unique struggle in society. This stems from cultural epidemics like drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity, and rampant suicide, but also systemic racism and a sort of cultural lag. This is not meant to be a critique of culture, simply an observation of the condition of the families I have helped serve over the course of this internship. To be “Native” has become a slew of stereotypical representations. Stereotypes do not represent reality, but they do affect how individuals view themselves, and limit their ability to become anything but what they are expected to be. This is called the self-fulfilling prophecy. If Native American children grow up in a closed network, such as a reservation or a boundary, they are presented

Stereotyping wasn't a big problem when living in Texas. Living in Wisconsin was a whole different story. People find it offensive, and it could end up being racist. Always remember what is being said to others and how careful one has to be. Even if they know what people are saying just for fun and no harm is intended, people can take it to another measure. Nothing shouldn't be done period and we shouldn't allow it.

A 2006 Today/Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans had the perception that all Muslims were too extreme in their religious beliefs and 22% of the respondents would not want a Muslim as a neighbor. Islamophobia in America skyrocketed as a result of the 9/11 attacks and changed the way that Muslim-Americans and other Americans were able to interact with one another. These statistics show that there was significant fear of Muslims in the years after 9/11. In the years following the attacks, the number of hate crimes against Muslims in America spiked and have not dropped to pre-attack levels since. As Graph 1 shows, in 2001, there were a reported 481 hate crimes and majority of these would have occurred in the months following September. Although

I had the opportunity to attend the “Why do the police think I’m a thug? Stereotypes of African American males in the media” event. The event opened up with a video clip titled Black Men in America and then we had a chance to have a discussion panel with an African man named Nicholas Peart, who has been stopped and frisked numerous times by the NYPD.

Some may ask what exactly define an Asian American. The awareness of this controversies of the indefinite identity was during the emergence of the second generations of Asian Americans who were once known as “oriental” in the period between the 1900 to 1940s. They had shaped and constructed the idea of an Asian Americans by forging their own paths socially, politically, and economically through their experiences of being percepted as “oriental” regardless of their nativity and citizenship. In consequence, tensions among the first generations immigrant parents and second generation began to rise as changes began to transpire.

We are always told that we, people in America, are completely free, from speech to freedom of choices. A common known fact by all sociologists is that that way of thinking is completely false. The reason for this is the way we act, from the way we do our hair to the way we treat others, is hugely influenced by our society. To be more specific, the urge to fit in is fueled by the leadership, and crowds we consider “cool” in our society.

People of all ethnicities and races are stereotyped; everyone has stereotyped at one point or another. A few I have heard include "all Indians eat curry," and the dreaded "all Indians are smart." Such misconceptions affect me socially, as some people befriend me to copy work, therefore, having close friends is a challenge. Furthermore, I have become the perfect target for unsubstantial expectations, which increase my emotional stress. Assumptions of intelligence are extremely burdensome because one has to live up to those standards. Consequently, Cognitively, I avoid generalizations and using them. Judging something truthfully requires first-hand experience. My race physically affects me in that I have never had a sunburn. Growing up, I could

David Lowenthal’s fourth idea in Stereotypes of America, “formless”, fits perfectly with my picture above. This photo was taken from the balcony of my home in Wolf Point, MT. As you can see, we have a fenced back yard and directly behind the fence is farmland, where our neighbors bale hay. As Lowenthal said “edges of towns are blurred with farmlands”, that is exactly the case in my neighborhood, and directly in my backyard. I also agree with his statement that “America is a process”, because if Wolf Point was ever to grow dramatically in population, I believe that the farmland in my backyard, would be the first place that our community would expand on to.

Since the 1970s, Congress and the Supreme Court have supported tribal sovereignty but in media representations, Indians are being portrayed as lazy and greedy as they pursued these rights. Indian communities’ efforts, for example to open casinos, or attain treaty rights to fish in certain places, have often been met with ridicule or hostility. This stereotype of Native Americans in media have been perpetuated by years of hostility. Originated from the interactions from colonists from the beginning and the view colonists had of them. Modern television shows, movies, and sport mascots with contemporary Native characters will demonstrate the stereotypes of Native people in non-Native media. The denial of Indian identity, mockery and racism has

Non Americans may misunderstand Americans and who they truly are. Americans may be stereotyped as obese, non-educated Americans but any American would strongly disagree. Those same non Americans may categorize all Americans by the way they look and dismiss anybody who looks different. An American can be anybody who chooses to become one and it doesn’t require anything that is impossible to accomplish. Now of course to be legally qualified as an American citizen one must have been born in America or been naturalized. But in general there is no barrier to entry. The same American who was born in America or the person who immigrated to the United States will have to pay their fair share of taxes and participate in their communities like what an

Take a step back and hone in on some of the negative characteristics of American Citizens. Whether one may realize it or not, all countries have citizens with positive and negative characteristics despite being a powerhouse country like the United States. Just as naturally as Americans believe they live in one of the greatest nations in the world, often times people of other nations think the exact same thing. Looking at negative factors helps one to better understand cultural perspectives and imagine what other people think of our nation’s people. Americans are most notably associated with their weight and this is most likely the first thing that comes to a foreigner’s mind.

American culture like most things in the world has an effect on people in other countries and societies, lamentably the effect is not positive. American culture reaches these other countries through mostly the media, not always just the media but also through the food marketing industry, which have negative effects that make America look inadequate. First and foremost, American cultures effects on countries and different cultures are negative in not only the way that it is making Americans look bad but also making the country look ignoramus. The fact is that America is brainwashing people from other countries into fitting into the stereotype that the American Hollywood has created for them. The illustration with the Slovakian fan wearing

I think the types of stereotypes about Americans would depend on who/what group is being asked. For example, if the same Iranians in this week’s study were asked about their beliefs regarding America, many of the same stereotypes applied to Canadians would probably be similar to the stereotypes they would place on American (Tavakoli et. Al). Stereotypes such as America being a nation of Christians with weak family ties and loose morals are some stereotypes that would likely be brought up. However, if one were to ask the Canadians about their opinion of Americans, their responses likely would be more positive since both cultures are much more similar than they are to the Iranian culture.

How does cultural around mode and shape us? How exactly do I view the world? What is culture? This is a question that I frequently ask myself. There are so many misconceptions of what culture is and even more stereotypes about a culture other than our own and how we view others without getting to know a person within a different culture. After watching a video called, “Cultural Psychology” they delivered countless aspects like, how do we perceive ourselves, where do we see ourselves in life, is culture how we dress or what we eat? I would say yes, I would describe my culture as being “Black Southern” but after reflecting on my life, I would say that culture is what an individual is “use to”. I feel like culture can also change. My culture