In Having New Eyes: Stereotypes

Remember that weekly class I mentioned in my last post? We’ve already had some great conversations, but there’s one in particular I think everyone, whether or not you’re studying abroad, needs to think about: stereotypes.

Every week for this class, we are supposed to do an interview. So, I asked my host mom to give me some examples of stereotypes of Americans. Most of them related directly to students studying abroad, which makes sense because that is what she is most often exposed to on a personal level. Some of the stereotypes she mentioned I expected, and others not so much. But many of them made me a little embarrassed for American students and the U.S. in general.

Some of the ones she mentioned were: (North) Americans really like sangria, drink a lot, and will wear sandals even in December. She also said that girls always want a Spanish bullfighting boyfriend, and exercise a lot. To sum things up quickly: Spaniards tend to frown upon being publicly drunk even though drinking is very common, they dress according to the season and not the weather, and bullfighting is more controversial than you probably imagine.

During our class discussion, there were a lot more. One of the most shameful was when my friend mentioned that his intercambio, or speaking partner, said she would not want to travel to the US because there is too much gun violence and she’d be afraid of getting shot. It’s true-- there are too many instances of gun-related violence. Spaniards hear about it all the time. I’m having trouble putting into words the way this made me feel, besides plain sick. I started writing this post before the Oregon Umpqua Community College shootings occurred, but President Obama’s response to the shootings is exactly the point I intended to make.

We have become numb, but what a thing to let ourselves become numb to. Think about how afraid North Americans are of travelling to other countries because of violence. Meanwhile, this is how citizens of other nations see us, and because of it they may be afraid to come to the U.S. We should not become numb to such issues simply because they are the ones that surround us every day.

In class, we talked about Spanish stereotypes, too. Many people associate Spanish culture with bullfighting, flamenco, lots of drinking and siesta-ing and generally, being loud. It’s true that you will commonly see many Spaniards having a glass of beer and wine, and that alcohol has more of a presence (you can even buy a beer at Dunkin’ Donuts.) But the drinking culture revolves more around the social aspect than the getting drunk aspect, as it commonly does in the US, especially among college students. And not everyone naps every afternoon; the time is more so used to relax and regroup, especially during the hotter months of the summer. No one is loud all the time, and actually, Spaniards tend to think Americans are loud, too. Not everyone likes flamenco, and again, not everyone likes bullfighting.

Bullfighting is a tradition in Spain, with origins that can be traced as far back as 711 AD. But even though it’s a tradition, everyone I’ve talked to about bullfighting has said they are against it. On the 23rd of September, I got to visit Plaza de Toros de La Real Maestranza (pictured) which is just a short walk from home.

I saw the bullring and walked through the museum, but did not see a fight. I am unsure if I would want to see one. It would be interesting as a cultural experience, but as an animal lover I don’t know if I could handle it. A classmate of mine told me about his experience at the bullfight, saying it was tough for him because it was very cruel. He watched six bulls get killed-- I don’t think I could even handle one. But, he also said that after the first couple die, the next ones do not affect you the same and you prefer “to just get it over with.” Again, we let ourselves become numb.

It's true that stereotypes don't apply to every individual in a group. But, it is important to be aware of how other cultures perceive ours, and vice versa. Sometimes we are blind to problems, jaded or numb, because we live with them every day. But the perceptions of others can show us what really needs to be changed. It is disgusting to normalize violence, whether or not we choose to do so consciously. Sometimes we need a wakeup call, and the ways in which we are perceived can be just that.

#crossculturalexperience #sevilla #studyabroad #spain #travel #seville #stereotypes