the cultural stereotypes for different countries

The cultural stereotypes for different countries

People from different countries always have stereotypes about each other. It is absolutely natural as each culture always contains secrets. It is often covered with mystery, unreal stories and subjective attitudes. But some of existing stereotypes are correct and others are wrong. Stereotypes can prevent us from learning some aspects about the country and understanding a different culture in a more appropriate way. Russian culture

- Many stereotypes are connected with Russian vodka. Much is told about Russians drinking hard. People from other countries seem to think that most of Russians have been drinking vodka伏特加酒from birth

This stereotype is really offensive. And it really hurts. Such a stereotype forms a wrong image of our country. Although the level of consumption alcohol in Russia is one of the highest in the world, various steps in order to fight with the problem are being taken. As in every country, alcoholism酒精中毒has been desperately disapproved in our country. New clinics of treating alcoholism anonymously appeared the number of commercials and advertisements of alcohol drinks has been cut down. Struggle against alcoholism has also a strict legislative basis. The fines for drinking alcohol in public places have been increased，selling spirits at night has been prohibited. As a result, the consumption of alcohol in Russia decreased 20 percent and the length of life increased 3 times during the last 20 years.

- Another popular stereotype is about our religion. Some people think that Russians are very pious. Others find Russians extremely superstitious迷信

Russia is a multinational and multiconfessional country. Although Orthodoxy is our State religion, contemporary Russia contains more than 68 religious streams and each of them more or less influences the lifestyles of Russians. Religion has always played a special role in Russian life. A survey shows that nowadays about 90 percent of all Russians are religious. But at the same time I can’t say that religion plays an important role in our everyday life as it probably played many years ago. We have a proverb about religion: “Everyone is a believer in hard times”. As for our attitude to superstitions迷信, it seems to be inborn. Many psychologists hold that Russians have a special sense of intuition and premonition but I am inclined to believe that its just an influence of our pagan past. About 45 percent of Russians still continue to believe in signs, tokens and supernatural strength. Pagan times of our history greatly affected Russian lifestyle and further development of our culture. And now these two inter-excluding religions co-exist in Russian society.

- A lot of stereotypes are connected with mimicry and gesticulation of Russian people. What shocks tourists most of all in Russia is that Russians seldom smile. From the first sight Russians seem very unfriendly and gloomy. And many people think that we are deeply unhappy and depressed

This is the main cause of “cultural shock” for all tourists from abroad. This really makes tourists feel uncomfortable and upset in our country. But after some days of living and communicating with Russians most visitors understand that this is just the feature of our character and our mentality. Smile is a culturally loaded phenomenon. Different cultures have different attitude to smiles, facial expressions

and body language. For European cultures as well as for Americans, a smile is an expression of one’s politeness. A smile for Russians is something very intimate. It is a sign that a person likes to see another person, usually a close and a well known one, for example a friend or a relative. Russians perceive smile as a personal favors towards someone they know. We don’t usually smile to strangers as it can be misunderstood.

Relationships between people in Russia

I consider that understanding social relationships in a country is very critical to establish good connections with people. If people know more about peculiar attitudes and behaviors of each other, this will serve well for collaboration and friendly relationships among the nations on the planet. On the contrary, misunderstanding in different spheres of life is often caused by tense relationships and inability to be tolerant to the cultural diversity, represented by different social attitudes. My essay is aimed at shedding more light on how relationships in Russia are culturally loaded:

- Relationships between people and the government:

People here in Russia don’t trust their government very much; they don’t rely on it either. What is new, though, that people can voice their dissatisfaction with the policy or some undertaken measures in hope they are heard, and some measures to improve the situation are taken. People in Russia used to be more passive and apathetic, now they are getting more and more initiative and courage to voice their criticism and willingness to improve things.

- Relationships between people of different ages:

Russia is a relationship oriented country. Children are taught from the very childhood that they must help the elderly. For example if an elderly gets on the bus and all the sit are occupied, it’s common to concede her/him a sitting place. What is more, it’s rather common to help a senior cit izen (even if you don’t know him/her) to cross the road or to carry a bag

- Relationships between family members:

Russians usually start family at 22-25 years. Men sometimes get married a little later. Many couples start a family later. Father is considered to be the head of the family, however many women have actually more power than men in families nowadays. Women work as much as men do, but they also manage to raise children, to maintain cleanliness and coziness in the house, and take care of their husbands. Grandmothers often help to raise the children. There is also a joke in Russia, that a man dislikes his mother-in-law. Actually, it is a kind of a stereotype; however, such situation does occur in a number of families.

- Relationships between the people, who are dating:

Usually it is the boy who initiates the relationships. He may invite a girl to the movies or to the café. As a rule, he pays for a girl; however it is getting pretty common to go Dutch. Also, it is considered to be very

polite to open the door in front of the girl and let her enter the first. After the date he should walk her home or give her a ride.

- Relationships between the colleagues:

Russian people are collectivistic more than individualistic, so they tend to solve their problems as a group, however since the beginning of a new century there is a trend among the younger generation to becoming more independent, thus individual. Typically, people are loyal to the institution they work for and have very warm relationships; they spend much time together after job, celebrate different holydays, and help each other

- Relationships between people, who don’t know each other:

Russian people often treat associates with some sort of caution. They aren’t used to trusting strangers. They may help you to find your way or to show the bus stop, however don’t be surprised if a Russian doesn’t smile at you very often. Russians don’t smile to strangers very much. That absolutely doesn’t mean that they treat you badly. The function of a smile here is not being polite but recognizing someone one knows and likes to see. Sometimes a smile may mean the sign of flirt.

- Relationships between friends:

Russians value friendship very much. There is a proverb: “It’s better to have one friend for a long time, than two new ones”. So, usually friends from high school or university become friends for the whole lifetime. Russians are always ready to help their close friends. They are interdependent and often ready to sacrifice their own interests in favor of their friends. In addition, they don’t require any gratitude in exchange. A good friend is considered the one who will not only help in a difficult situation, but also will sincerely share his/her friend’s happiness. Friends can come without any invitation; they are welcome any time.

To summarize, Russian culture is very collectivistic and relationship oriented, so this determines human attitudes and behaviors to a large extent. Although, culture is dynamic and changing. Also, some sort of generalization is unavoidable, when we try to characterize national cultural behavior; still I consider this kind of research on people relationships very critical to raise cultural awareness about each other

Gender stereotypes

Gender stereotypes are simplistic generalizations about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of individuals and/or groups. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others. When people automatically apply gender assumptions to others regardless of evidence to the contrary, they are perpetuating gender stereotyping. Many people recognize the dangers of gender stereotyping, yet continue to make these types of generalizations. Traditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have children. She is also to put her family's welfare before her own; be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic; and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive, competitive, independent, courageous, and career‐focused; hold his emotions in check; and always initiate sex. These sorts of stereotypes can prove harmful; they can stifle individual expression and creativity, as well as hinder personal and professional growth. The weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that children learn gender stereotypes from adults. As with gender roles, socializing agents—parents, teachers, peers, religious leaders, and the media—pass along gender stereotypes from one generation to the next. One approach to reexamining conventional gender roles and stereotypes is androgyny, which is the blending of feminine and masculine attributes in the same individual. The androgyne, or androgynous person, does not neatly fit into a female or male gender role; she or he can comfortably express the qualities of both genders. Parents and other socializing agents can teach their children to be androgynous, just as they can teach them to be gender‐biased. Emerging as a powerful sociopolitical force beginning in the 1960s, the feminist movement, or women's liberation movement, has lobbied for the rights of women and minorities. Feminists have fought hard to challenge and redefine traditional stereotypic gender roles.

Stereotype_译文

Fighting Stereotype Stigma 为“成见”一辩 作者：布鲁斯·鲍尔 1．几年前心理学家黎岳庭收到了一封对于几个不同国家生活质量进行讽刺性评价的电子邮件。“天堂是一个拥有美国的房子，中国的食物，德国的汽车和法国的艺术的地方。”黎岳庭的信友写道，“地狱是一个拥有日本的房子，英国的食物，德国的艺术和法国的汽车的地方。” 2．韦斯尔德(马萨诸塞)州立大学的黎岳庭认为，虽然对于这些国家的说法缺乏绝对真实性，但它们足以精确到赋予格言以幽默的力量。总的来说，与日本的住房相比，美国的房子的确更为宽敞。与英国的酒馆相比，中国的酒馆也许具有更多的烹饪潜力。 3．黎岳庭认为在这方面，成见并非毫无道理的偏见，其典型的作用是作为理解其他文化和社会团体以及属于该团体的个人的有效的思维起点。 4．“成见是我们用于对人、物体和事件进行分类时的盖然论的信念，”黎岳庭认为，“我们需要成见来处理我们所在的这个经常是不确定和不熟悉的世界上如此之多的信息。” 5．许多心理学家并不同意这种观点。他们把成见看作是对他人错误片面看法的滋生地，容易导致种族主义、性别歧视以及其他形式的偏见。 6．马里兰大学的查尔斯·斯坦格认为，在成见这一污淖中，没有什么智慧可言，错误的判断主导地位。成见使人们对他人的看法简单化，增强了对自己和他们所属群体的看法。他补充说，一旦世俗的看法掌握在政治强权者的手中，就会对所选择的群体打上某种烙印或进行利用。 7．斯坦格的论点未能反映出成见应有的一面，即虽然不是绝对精确，也经常有助于探索社会，黎岳庭反驳道。他说一项正在进行的研究表明在许多现实情境中，成见精确地捕捉到了文化和群体的差异。在黎岳庭和其他两位心理学家新泽西州新不伦瑞克市拉特格斯大学的李．J．贾斯姆和宾夕法尼亚州布林莫尔大学的克拉克·麦考利编写的《成见的精确性：正确评价群体差异》(1995年．美国心理学协会，华盛顿)一书中提供了许多证据。 8．六十多年来科学家一直把成见定义为错误的、不合逻辑的和死板的。这种观点可追溯到记者沃尔特·利普曼1922年出版的《公共舆论》一书中。在该书中他认为对社会团体的成见总被证明是不全面的和带有偏见的。 9．在20世纪50年代，心理学家戈登·W·奥尔伯特认为成见的特征是对一个群体所有成员的没有根据的看法。奥尔伯特把“德国人效率都很高”看作是成见，但“一般来说，德国人比其他国家的人效率高”则不是。当时就一些成见是否包含了“现实中的真谛”产生了争论。 10．利普曼担心成见会导致社会混乱，这种观点在1970年以后颇为盛行。心理学家纷纷揭露社会判断中的错误和偏见。然而在过去的十年里，心理学家更倾向于描述在具体环境中人们的决策可精确到何种程度。 11．黎岳庭对成见的看法正是强调判断的精确性。他对人们如何理解种族和文化差异产牛更大的兴趣是在他1986年从中国移居美国读研究生之后。这时他开始猜测对成见进行更敏锐的科学分析是否会有什么应用价值。例如，黎岳庭指出如果双方能在理解引起仇恨的真正文化差异方向接受帮助，解决种族或国家之间冲突的努力就可以发挥最佳效果。 12．“群体之间的差异，而不是偏见，是造成不同的文化和种族之问紧张和冲突的根本原因。”他认为“改进群体之间的关系最有效的方法是承认和开诚布公地讨论现有的差异，同时说明存在差异没有什么过错。 13．在斯托尔斯的康涅狄格大学的鲁本·M·巴伦认为这种相互沟通的努力抵消了人强调成见负面特点的惯常倾向。他指出，人类逐步发展到以群体为单位，从而能够成功地面对一

大学英语 作文 My views on stereotypes

They are something that always leaves us shaking our heads. Dinned into nearly every human being, they are old, annoying stuff hanging around. We wrestle with them, but most of time, the great power is underlying and we are thevictims. They are stereotypes. Stereotypes get better of our minds. Our thoughts and ideas are cast by a mold, which makes us too preoccupied to think critically. For instance, we tend to believe that words in books are reliable. My chemistry teacher in high school even told us more than once, “Everything in your text book is truth. Even if there are some faults, as long as you answer the questions in exams strictly in accordance with the book, nobody will be able to take off your points.”The educational system in China has made us accustomed to numerous mind-sets, which are virtually far less than reasonable. Under this circumstance, small wonder that we seldom challenge the existing knowledge, not to say the authority. What’s worse, in this fast-paced era, stereotypes will do us more harm. The catch is that we need to adjust ourselves to current situations, but to a certain extent, stereotypes burden us. However, what we need to acknowledge is that stereotypes could never be eliminated and there is no demand for us to abandon all of them. Sometimes turning to them is an inevitable path. Just like some pests, as we all know, even though they, to a certain extent, are harmful to us human beings, on no account could we neglect the value of the “annoying”pests, since they play a role of great importance in the food chain. Up to a point, the function of stereotypes is similar with the pests. That is to say, though detrimental the stereotypes are, they are virtually a natural result from experience. To put in another way, they areobtained through our past days, including good old days filling with good memories as well as evil days you once fell on. Imagine what would happen to you if you told an old gentleman that you wereactually a gay. You suppose that he would absolutely feel disgusted --- and that is a sort of mind-sets, which would prevent you from making mistakes. Through this scene, you can sense that stereotypes are actually a near-universal phenomenon. Stereotypes are not necessarily a bad thing. After all, there is no denying that stereotypes are not tripping us at every turn. If we do not leave mind-sets on their own and go to great lengths to minimize their side effects, it is quite possible for them to benefit us when making decisions. For my part, I suppose there are three practical strategies to achieve this. For one thing, we need to distinguishbetween experience and harmful stereotypes. The former one guides us in decision making, while the latter gets us off the track. Comparing with a new-born baby, what makes adults stand out is their valuable experience of the society and the world, which should be cherished and applied to our life. For another, we should never let our subjective feelings beat over a rational mind. Stereotypes are prejudices stemming from the bottom of our hearts, preventing us from thinking rationally. Still another, when confronting with some problems that seemingly remind you something, be aware of the potential danger of being trapped in stereotypes. With all these beliefs in your mind, stereotypes will never be haunting you like a

American stereotypes of China

American stereotypes of China US writer Todd C. Ames concludes his two-part discussion of the ways in which Chinese and Americans think of each other, and the most common misunderstandings that arise. AMERICANS don't know much about China. What they do know comes from three main sources: movies, the news, and history classes. This can be a sensitive subject, and I do not wish to offend anyone - my goal is only to give you an overview of American stereotypes of China. Just as I have encountered many stereotypes that the Chinese have of America (some accurate,some absurd, some insulting), one can similarly encounter American stereotypes of China in the US. - All Chinese know Kungfu and dress like Huang Feihong. (Source: Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee [Li Xiaolong] movies). - Anything to do with China is "ancient" and "mysterious." (Source: the fact that Chinese language seems to be made up of "mysterious symbols" to Western eyes, movies about Chinese history).

Cultural Stereotypes

Cultural Stereotypes Cultural stereotypes are inflexible statements about a category of people. It usually oversimplified, overgeneralized and exaggerated. The world we live in is full of different groups, each of which has its own custom and features. Stereotyping is a easier way to generalize culture characters of a certain group. To some extent, it is real and reasonable. People from different countries always have stereotypes about each other. It is absolutely natural as each culture always contains secrets. It is often covered with mystery, unreal stories and subjective attitudes. But some of existing stereotypes are correct and others are wrong. Stereotypes can prevent us from learning some aspects about the country and understanding a different culture in a more appropriate way. Russian culture is very collectivistic and relationship oriented, so this determines human attitudes and behaviors to a large extent. A lot of stereotypes are connected with mimicry and gesticulation of Russian people. What shocks tourists most of all in Russia is that Russians seldom smile. From the first sight Russians seem very unfriendly and gloomy. And many people think that we are deeply unhappy and depressed. This is the main cause of “cultural shock” for all tourists f rom abroad. This really makes tourists feel uncomfortable and upset in our country. But after some days of living and communicating with Russians most visitors understand that this is just the feature of our character and our mentality. Smile is a culturally loaded phenomenon. Different cultures have different attitude to smiles, facial expressions and body language. For European cultures as well as for Americans, a smile is an expression of one’s politeness. A smile for Russians is something very intimate. It is a sign that a person likes to see another person, usually a close and a well known one, for example a friend or a relative. Russians perceive smile as a personal favors towards someone they know. We don’t usually smile to strangers as it can be misu nderstood. Another popular stereotype is about our religion. Some people think that Russians are very pious. Russia is a multinational country. Although Orthodoxy is our State religion, contemporary Russia contains more than 68 religious streams and each of them more or less influences the lifestyles of Russians. Religion has always played a special role in Russian life. A survey shows that nowadays about 90 percent of all Russians are religious. But at the same time I can’t say that religion plays an important role in our everyday life as it probably played many years ago. We have a proverb about religion: “Everyone is a believer in hard times”. As for our attitude to superstitions, it seems to be inborn. Many psychologists hold that Russians have a special sense of intuition and premonition but I am inclined to believe that its just an influence of our pagan past. About 45 percent of Russians still continue to believe in signs, tokens and supernatural strength. Pagan times of our history greatly affected Russian lifestyle and further development of our culture. And now these two inter-excluding religions co-exist in Russian society.

大学跨文化英语 综合教程I Unit 3 Breaking Stereotypes 课后习题参考答案

Text A Reading Comprehension 1.1) Japanese women are submissive, ?irtatious and accommodating. 2) She was impressed by their strength and independence. 3) Because Mrs. Okano regarded herself as a typical Japanese woman. There was nothing unusual about her. 4) The fact that typical American women were not at all what she had thought about “liberated” American women shocked Mrs. Okano. 5) She meant that the author could enjoy more freedom and be more independent in Japan 2. 1) D 2) C 3) A 4) G 5) E 6) F 7) B 3. 1) F 2) T 3) F 4) T 5) T 6) F 4. 1) A 2) B 3) B 4) B Language Practice 1. 1) financial 译文：事实上，信用卡不需要任何成本，并可以帮助你度过经济困难时期。 2) unaware 译文：“处在暗处”的意思是你不知道正在发生什么。 3) characterized 译文：两家公司都认为彼此之间关系友好。 4) ridiculous 译文：当我第一次在那些电视连续剧中看到这样荒唐可笑的故事时确实非常吃惊。 5) Typical 译文：网上超市的典型用户包括年纪大的、工作时间长的以及没有私家车的人。 6) shocked 译文：迈克尔·杰克逊的粉丝说当听到他突然离世的消息时非常震惊也非常悲伤。 7) purchase 译文：请先在那里付账，然后回来取你购买的物品。 8) compromising 译文：对我们而言，透露那个消息而不损害国家的安全，这是不可能的。 9) comfort 译文：当得知苏姗考试失败的消息时，她的朋友们都极力地安慰她。 10) conceal 译文：他对我来说是完全陌生的，但是我必须承认的一个事实是他那天的发言非常精采。 11) remind 译文：假如我忘了，请提醒我遵守诺言。 12) submissive 译文：那些调皮的孩子在校长面前很安静，很听话。 13) confused 译文：对这件事他感到很困惑，所以他打电话到公司询问清楚。 14) approached 译文：秋天临近，花园中的草木和颜色也发生了变化。 15) sympathy

Gender Stereotypes

Gender Stereotypes Introduction This film discusses gender stereotypes. What is gender stereotype? In brief, people usually have a first impression that thinks boys and girls must express themselves that fit in with their gender. That is gender stereotype. Gender stereotypes can always be discovered in our life. I will discuss details of gender stereotypes in the following essay. Discuss and Response The film maker points out many common gender stereotypes. I choose three examples from the film to express my thoughts and opinions. First example is what men and women will do when they come home. For men, they always do what they want to do. Instead, women have to do housework. I think there some reasons why lead to the phenomenon. We have been conveyed a notion that men are breadwinners and women are housekeepers. Therefore, men work hard and when they come home, they are tired and want to relax. At this time women have to do other things for men. As time goes by, women also become breadwinners. I think no matter what things are, men and women have to communicate and finish things together. Second example is the reflection of men and women after they watch a romantic movie. Men sleep but women cry. This shows that men are sensible and women are sentimental. I think and agree this is the greatest difference between men and women. Men seem to be calm and self-control and women are easy to be touched despite that is a small thing. Last example is men and women’s ideal partner. It’s interesting that their ideal partner is the same. This reveals that whether men or women, they want to be equal and don’t make gender to restrict them. Except these examples, there are still many stereotypes in our life. In ordinary impressions, men are brave, independent, and active. Women are obedient, quiet, and

Chinese regional stereotypes

Chinese Regional Stereotypes Author(s): Wolfram Eberhard Source: Asian Survey, Vol. 5, No. 12 (Dec., 1965), pp. 596-608 Published by: University of California Press Stable URL: https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,/stable/2642652 Accessed: 14/10/2010 02:18 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucal. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,. University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Asian Survey. https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,

the stereotype 跨文化交际,刻板印象

The stereotype of us A stereotype may essentially be thought of as a set of beliefs about the members of a social group. It could either be positive or negative. It sometimes could be very useful in helping people to understand a certain group of people but sometimes not. As they say birds of a feather flock together, when we have not enough time to know others,we usually divide they into a group and think they have the similar characteristics,for example,when I thought of American,I always have the impressions of confident、energetic、creative、have American dreams and so on.but when I know the appearance of many American stay at home receiving the help of government rather than to get a job.I know I was wrong,but sometimes I can’t help to keeping myself from stereotype. There are many examples of stereotype. For instance when we thought of Asia, usually the first word we will say ”poor”when we use the word “rich” to describe Europe and America. Another example is about gender,we’d like to say boys like robots while girls like dolls,are these thoughts right? Of course not.they are just the stereotype. We have more or less stereotypes on other people or other things, but we have to learn to look at things in objective attitude. Only by doing these, we can keep ourself silent and find the essence of object rather than confused by object.

Stereotypes of Chinese and Americans

Americans don't know much about China. What they do know comes from three main sources: movies, the news, and history classes. This can be a sensitive subject, and I do not wish to offend anyone - my goal is only to give you an overview of American stereotypes of China AND Chinese stereotypes of Americans. These stereotypes came from: https://www.sodocs.net/doc/c213498420.html,/star/2004/0212/cu18-1.html . How do these stereotypes make you feel??? What would you say about these stereotypes? Are they accurate, inaccurate, or totally absurd!? Why? Also, there are Chinese stereotypes of the US. Please also read these and think about which ones you think are accurate, inaccurate, or totally absurd; why? US Stereotypes of China 1.) All Chinese know kungfu and dress like Huang Feihong. 2.) Anything to do with China is "ancient" and "mysterious." 3.) All Chinese are "brainwashed" into worshipping Chairman Mao and can't think independently. 4.) "Guangdonghua" (Cantonese) is the official language of China. 5.) Chinese culture is basically the same today as it was 1,000 years ago (eg, "traditional, conservative, polite," etc.). 6.) Chinese (and all "Asians") are good at math. 7.) China and Japan are basically the same. 8.) "Asian" women are generally subservient to men, anti-feminist, and more "morally pure" than Western women. Chinese stereotypes of US 1.) Americans don't care about their families very much.