Is Anyone Offended My Nationality Stereotypes? Not Racial Ones.

[Jahulaye]

Like the french with a stripey shirt, onions around his neck with a baguette in the front basket, a loud american with a stetson and six shooter, us brits in a top hat, tails drinking tea with bad teeth and so on... Is anyone actually offended by these or are they seen as just a bit of fun? There are many including the irish, mexicans etc.. You'd have to watch family guy to really have that "What The Funicular?" feeling.

Thoughts?

[cassa333]

There are plenty of people offended by this sort of thing.

I'm not. For me it is a descriptive picture that instantly lets you know the nationality of the person/event etc.

There are so many people waiting with baited breath to be offended and they jump on anything and everything to prove themselves downtrodden etc.

It is a silliness that will gather pace and is almost out of control.

Wasn't it Austin Powers, Man of Mystery that had Mike Myers British hero have the most appalling teeth because the Americans at least think all teeth should be a perfect white row of shinnyness.

[Buenchico]

Many people love to 'play up to' their own national stereotypes. For example, Ken Bruce on Radio 2 constantly makes references to himself and his fellow Scots as being (at best) spendthrifts or (at worst) downright mean. The two Scots whose company I've been enjoying today also make similar comments about themselves and their countrymen..

I don't think that Ken Bruce (or my Scottish friends) are offended by that sterotype but they might, possibly, be offended if someone believed in it to such an extent that they couldn't acknowledge genuine generosity from a Scot.

I've worked alongside French people and often refered to them as 'froggies'. They've never taken exception to the term as long as they can then in turn refer to the English as 'rosbif' !

However some regional stereotypes are clearly true. After all, we superior Suffolk people know that Norkolk is a county populated only by inbred country yokels, don't we?
;-)

[Peter Pedant]

all the americans think the Brit actors have terrible teeth

if you look at war film - the tommies' mouths, arrrrrrgh!
( germans arent much better)

I am not sure if any racial group would like the stereotype of child molesters. - or say muslims as wife beaters

didnt that ex-football coach say to a west african - when you parents come over - I hope they wont bring Ebola ?
He thought it much funnier than she did

or speaking to a black skinned englishman - wiv dee blark jamaicarn accent ?

we had a scots colleague - end of day - are you going back to arrrden hooose ?
his comment was - even my children mimic me to my face

[Peter Pedant]

//Suffolk people know that Norkolk is a county populated only by inbred country yokels, //

jesus it is a well known undeniable fact that around Clovelly ( "lovely Clovelly" ) no one can read or write.

[Buenchico]

^^^True, Peter, but they're all damned good at smuggling ;-)

[maggiebee]

Never offended Jahulaye. I'm a mean Scot who can peel an orange in my pocket, always wears a kilt and has ginger hair. All my male friends are called Jock and we're absolutely rubbish at football.

[Arksided]

Flat caps and whippets... not too difficult to figure the county I born n' bred. Americans doing 'English' accent grrr. I don't give two hoots about being stereotyped in fact makes me chortle.

[1ozzy]

I find it most distressing to be stereotyped as a typical Australian.

Here is a photo that shows me enjoying things my way!!

http://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/1/0/i/1/j/d/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.10i05q.png/1410927087869.jpg

[jno]

the English hide their money under the soap.

[atalanta]

. . . and all Italians want to be opera singers . . .

[Arksided]

Whats soap?

[1ozzy]

It's bad repetitive tv shows Arky, like Coronation st, Home and away etc.

[Buenchico]

Maggie:
The only thing I've got against the Scots is the way that they hunt and kill all those poor defenceless haggis.

Arksided:
It's often said that a Yorkshireman is like a Scotsman - but without the generosity ;-)

1ozzy:
When I visited Oz I was determined not to be influenced by the sterreotype of a guy with corks hanging from his hat, swigging beer from a tinnie, waiting until kangaroos had stopped bouncing around until he could go into the outback for a bit of gold-prospecting.

My flight landed in Perth in the early hours of the morning. By the same afternoon I was at a gun club on the outskirts of the city (because my host was a member of the Australian Olympic shooting team and president of his local shooting club, where it was their big annual competition that day). On the way there we'd had to stop every few metres because of kangaroos bounding across the road and I ended up talking to a guy (who'd finished shooting for the day) with corks hanging from his hat, clutching a tinnie, who was telling me about how he loved to go gold-prospecting in the outback. ("At weekends I go bush with a dry-blower, cobber").

;-)

[1ozzy]

Stone the flamin' crows Buenchico.

Strewth mate, it might have been me.

[Arksided]

Funny but true Buenchico except we don't have wild haggis running amok over the Yorkshire moors.

[Buenchico]

Actually, Arksided, I lived in Yorkshire for 20 years (Sheffield) and I know that Yorkshire folk are some of the most friendly, generous and warm-hearted people in the country, possibly only matched by Scousers - or is that a stereotype too?
;-)

[Arksided]

It probably is but totally acceptable by me being a United fan. ;-)

[Buenchico]

Sheffield United? They play cricket don't they? (Nearly as good as Sheffield Collegiate, I believe).

Surely there's not any other team called Sheffield United, is there?

;-)

[Arksided]

How very dare you suggest I'm a Blades fan. ;-)