Sydney Schroeder Ennio Nulia French 111 25 April 2014 Different cultures create different stereotypes of one another,

mostly when there is a sufficient lack of knowledge about the culture to which the stereotype is attached. A great example of this can be seen in the views Americans have of the French. One of the most common stereotypes that Americans have of the French is that they are extremely rude. Obviously, not many people can vouch for the validity of this stereotype unless they have been to France themselves and experienced rude behavior first hand, making this assumption a perfect definition of a stereotype, since not every single person in the American culture has been to France. This stereotype could have been created for a number of reasons, but it seems that the most common reason is for a lack of understanding of the French culture, media, and even exaggerations of personal experiences from others. Everyone has the ability to be rude every now and then, which is what makes this stereotype particularly hard to debunk. However, there are many sources that can vouch for this stereotype. I personally have heard from my parents that when they went to Paris for a trip, the French were very rude to them and did not seem to hold much patience for those who did not know the language and seemed very unwilling to help them if they were lost or needed to know where to find a certain place. Jon Henley, a writer for The Guardian, states in his article about this French stereotype Often, this can simply be down to the fact that the French unlike, say, the British have no difficulty whatsoever saying exactly what they think (par. 2). Henley describes the French as a people who do not have a filter, which can come across as extremely

rude for those of a different culture who are not used to brash comments being made towards them, such as the British, which are mentioned in Henleys article, as being a culture to beat around the bush with certain topics. Creating such stereotypes is unavoidable in any society. Americans are not the only culture that creates stereotypes of others. Stereotypes are built off of a lack of knowledge. It is impossible to know everything about every culture there is in the world, so this is ones way of trying to learn more based off of very limited information. One could say that the stereotype that the French are rude was formed in that fashion. There are plenty of movies and other types of media that portray the French as rude or unkind, causing people who are exposed to those forms of media to start believing it. And while one may have had a personal experience in which they encountered a rude French person, everyone in the world has the ability to be rude, and one experience is not representative of the entire culture. America is flawed, just like any other society in the world, and stereotypes are just another one of the things that the world struggles with and must work together to overcome. I dont think that it degrades American values that we create stereotypes, but that it simply shows that we are lacking in knowledge about another culture and stereotypes are our way of trying to understand other cultures. For some, it is the only way they have since not everyone has the luxury of being able to travel and experience these places for themselves. Stereotypes will always be around because cultures change every day, but I think the most important thing people need to focus on is making sure they have all the facts before making an assumption. Only then can we take a step forward as a society to learn more about other cultures without jumping to conclusions about them based on limited information.

Works Cited Henley, Jon. "Debunking Stereotypes: The French are Impossibly Rude." The Guardian. N.p., 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.