Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
The serious truth is that I see it both ways. Yes, some peoples seem to have ingrained national habits, and are somewhat subject to their own traditions. My late friend Rocky was a firm believer in national typecasting. He gave me a lot of grief over being too "German" in my thought patterns, while loving the fact that his thinking was pure "Italian". Of course he made fun of himself over that, but I loved to remind him that his own mother came straight here from Germany, so he was more "German" than I was.
That said, I'm not sure I really believe it all that much, any more than I believe in Astrology, and I wonder if our national "habits" really go back more than two or three generations. On the one hand we talk about national characteristics and claim them when it suits us and deny them when it doesn't, but on the other hand international media of all sorts have made us look at each other's cultures and adapt them wholesale.
How many Japanese today even think about the old ways, other than to wax nostalgic just like the rest of us?
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Bingo, although the British of 60 years ago would scant recognise the youth of todays Britain, such has been the radical change in attitudes in what is virtually a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of history. However there is still, in British society itself, some trace elements of the stereotypical Brit.
Talking to other people on the Underground is forbidden, mass displays of public hysteria come as a surprise (no-one would have predicted the outpouring of grief after the death of Princess Diana) and such slogans as 'Keep calm and carry on' become a sort of national meme.
However, in the context of this thread, what I found disturbing is Augusts rapidity to resort to national labels and stereotypes when, indeed, there was no call for it. Gustav did not, at any point during his post, call upon national stereotypes of either side of the Atlantic, nor indeed, in my opinion, make the sort of comment that warranted the reply that he received which slurred an entire continent. If one ever wanted to reinforce negative stereotypes, then this is indeed the way to do it.
