Stereotype in media representation of the other

Spanish/Latino immigrants and British immigrants in Spain

British Immigrants Swamping Spanish Villages

Excerpts from the article :

A report in The Observer considered the impact on small Spanish towns and villages of the large numbers of Britons who have been moving in. With high property prices in Spains beach resorts, rural Andalucia is looking increasingly attractive. Officially, there are well over 200,000 foreign residents in Andalucia most of them British. Its possible, however, these figures greatly underestimate the numbers of British in the region because they include only the people who have registered with the Spanish Police.
The British Foreign Office estimates that there are over 700,000 UK citizens living in Spain. An expatriate comments: England just is not English any more.

British Immigrants Swamping Spanish Villages Excerpts from the article Pro and Against Britons In some areas, the newcomers have been welcomed for bringing life to agricultural communities that had been devoid of young people and economic activity. In the villages of Comares, and Arboleas three hours into the mountains British pupils have re-invigorated the communities. Once empty classrooms are full again with school registers showing one quarter of the pupils started life in the UK. The British arrivals have also reinvigorated the cultural lives of the villages, opening shops and exhibitions and organising concerts.

In other areas, social tensions, anger and pressure on space and resources have been more obvious.
Tensions have surfaced over land between British residents too.

British Immigrants Swamping Spanish Villages Excerpts from the article

In La Vinuela valley, 50 miles northeast of Malaga, the population has risen dramatically. Hundreds of new houses, many built illegally, are set on the hills above a beautiful lake. Some have been constructed with little respect for the environment. Some of the British arrivals show no interest in integrating. In one La Vinuela village a group of five British families angered Spanish neighbors by drinking, brawling and swearing in the streets. The British are not welcome any more, said a local. Another local described how the fiesta had been overrun by British men in their fifties getting plastered. (http://www.theobserver.co.uk/)

Stereotype of a Hispanic American

Parts from the article: Stereotyping is a common enough occurrence that despite its negative effects it continue to exist in our society. What is a stereotype? The term has been associated with such concepts as "myth", "generalizations", "preconceived notions" or "impressions". It is also slangily referred to as a "pigeonhole". This makes the concept of stereotyping as a negative and limiting definition of a certain object, person or group, which in this case the Hispanic Americans. A high school research project on stereotyping and discrimination published online has these terms associated with the stereotype of a Hispanic American: Taco. Cactus. Poverty. Welfare. Sombrero. Mules. Lots of children. Chicken. Farmers. Tequila. Migrant workers. Illegal aliens. Chips-n-dip. Pollution. Ponchos. Limited variety of food. Markets. Gangs. Cameros. Field Workers.

Majority of these terms present a dim view on Hispanic Americans.

Negative stereotypes about Latinos:

American culture is replete with negative stereotypes about Latinos. Whether it's the "greaser", "bandito", or "macho" stereotype, they are portrayed as lazy, shiftless, lawless, thieving, immoral, or violent. Most of these stereotypes go back to the War with Mexico. "Greaser", for example, came to be applied to other ethnic groups, but originated with the use of Mexicans to grease wagon train wheels.

On a more contemporary note, there are complaints that Hollywood does not have enough Latino movie stars, TV actors, sitcom or soap opera stars. They are typically cast in crime shows for some reason. There's a good number of Latino comedians, however, but much of that comedy may unintentionally reinforce stereotypes. There's also an Anglo tendency to exoticize Latino sexuality. On the web, there are numerous address broker sites (as they are called) offering dates with Latino women. (Parts from the article Stereotype of a Hispanic American)

Spanish stereotypes
Excepts from the article:

It is a long-held stereotype, fanned recently by northern European suspicions about debt-laden Greece and Portugal. Spaniards as southern Europeans are lazy, siesta-taking knock-off-early types, aren't they? No. Figures for hours worked show Spaniards keep their nose to the grindstone every day far longer than, say, the Dutch or Germans.

The problem is what people do when they get to work. Office culture keeps many chained to their desk because it is frowned upon to leave before the boss. Productivity is poor, with 41% missing their daily objectives, but improves when companies relax old-fashioned, rigid, working hours. Part-time working is rare, and some firms still have twohour lunch breaks, which can mean people do not leave the work place until 7pm.
Keeping up with the schedule reduces hours for sleeping, as most workers leap out of bed at about 6am. The real problem Spaniards have with their working hours is the damage done to family life.
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/)

Alabama Hispanics: life under new immigration law in pictures

Hispanic families in Alabama adapt to life under immigration law HB56, which allows police to investigate and detain anyone they have "reasonable suspicion" to believe may be undocumented.

The Spanish Stereotypes

I'm Spanish, so I am:
Very lazy! I don't really like the idea of working hard. Very rude and we use to shout to each other and argue instead of talking. A person who is thinking about parties and going out with friends all the time. I am a very good dancer of flamenco. I must be very unpunctual. Do not like planning, just improvising. I don't say "hehehehe", but just "jejejeje". I must be a very appasionated and good lover. I must be a lover of bullfights and bullfighter. I do not speak English (just spanish) and think: "if they come to Spain they must speak spanish!!" I take at least 3 hours daily siesta. I'm a drug's consumer (especially cocaine and hash). (http://www.palermoerasmuslife.net/english/just-for-fun/spanishstereotypes/)

Stereotypes about British culture- how true are they?

There are lots of stereotypes about British food, one of which is that we live on fish and chips and roast beef! Fortunately for our arteries, this is not the case these dishes are certainly long-standing favourites amongst British people, but these days people have a much more varied, and in general, healthy diet. Another stereotype that relates to food and drink is that British people drink lots of tea. Whilst coffee and other hot drinks are consumed in Britain, its fair to say that tea is probably still the most popular! Tea is commonly drunk in the workplace throughout the day, and often if you want to meet up with a friend or family member youll invite them to your house for a cup of tea and a chat.

 Social customs In general the British have a reputation for being very polite and quite traditional, and to a certain extent this is quite true. Of course, as in any society there are some people who choose not to be respectful, but in general Brits are fairly polite. It is normal in Britain to hear people saying please and thank you a lot, and also to refrain from reacting angrily in situations where people brought up in other cultures might be more forward in airing their opinions! Another aspect of politeness is the way that British people are taught to queue. British people queue for everything in public, and any attempt to queue jump will be considered very rude. Any queue jumpers would most likely be asked to move to the back to wait their turn.

 Free time The British local pub is famous the world over, and today it still plays an important role in small communities especially. Often, villagers or townspeople will have one favourite pub where they go regularly to socialise with friends and neighbours, and it is normal at the weekends or in the evenings for people to go to the pub for a drink or two. In general, British people do drink quite a lot of alcohol in comparison to other European cultures, where the consumption of alcohol is perhaps more common as an accompaniment to a meal than as a stand-alone activity. Another stereotype about British culture is that we all love football and cricket. Its definitely true that both of these sports are really popular in terms of both playing and spectating, but its not exclusively these which are followed. Rugby is also very popular in Britain, as are tennis, horse racing and Formula 1 motor racing. (http://www.your-study-abroad.com/2011/04/stereotypesabout-british-culture)

Bibliography
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/oct/14/alabamaimmigration-law-hispanic-families#/?picture=380393248&index=0 http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1915768,00.html http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1915768,00.html#ixz z1oW0EKN6i http://www.theobserver.co.uk http://www.slideshare.net/josezubia/typical-english-stereotypes-tothink-about