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National Stereotypes
The Un4gettables
Definition of Stereotype
• something repeated or reproduced without variation: something conformed to a fixed or general pattern and lacking individual distinguishing marks or qualities; esp: a standardized mental picture held in common by members of a group and representing an oversimplified opinion, affective attitude, or uncritical judgment (as of a person, a race, an issue, or an event)
Webster’s Third New International Dictionary
Inner-British Stereotypes
England vs. Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
Scotland
• most pro-Britain part of the country• Scottish Holocaust
– Highlanders were driven from their land to make way for sheep and wool production
• Scots very active in building British Empire– were not able to build their own Scottish Empire so they
focused on the British Empire
Scotland
• after the French influence on England:– after the Norman Conquest in 1066
• horde of barbarians• more savage than wild beasts, cut up throats of old men• slaughter little children• rip open the bowels of women
• the English were horrified by the barbaric way the Scots waged war
Scotland
• situation today:
• Scots are mocked for meanness and gloom but respected as lawyers, doctors, engineers, and businessmen
• English regard Scots as tough, cantankerous, and upstanding (except when drunk)
Scotland
• Scotland and England became apparently balanced partners
• Scotland maintained and maintains separate legal and educational systems, and a distinct intellectual tradition as well as religious independence
Wales
• relationship between England and Wales never equal
• no capital city like Edinburgh• no separate legal, educational, or religious institutions
Wales
• after the French influence on England:
• wheedling, duplicitous windbags• bogus sentimentality• loquacious dissemblers• immoral liars• stunted, bigoted, dark, ugly, pugnacious little trolls
• when praised only celebrated for their Celtic qualities as singers and poets
Ireland
• Irish folk memory– Bloody Sunday, Great Famine
• English attitude can swing from indulgence to dislike in no time
• Victorian England contradicting itself– Celtic traditions and values adored but Irish seen as
minor beings
Ireland
• Irish are so barbarous that they cannot be said to have any culture
• a wild people living like beasts
• primitive
The English
England
• first thing to discover about the English, is that they’re not English
• could only get away with prejudices because:
• dominant power in the islands
• most successful empire in the world by the nineteenth century
Questions
1. Which part of GB is said to be the most balanced partner to England and why?
• Scotland, distinct intellectual tradition, separate legal and educational systems
Questions
2. What are the Welsh celebrated for?
• Celtic qualities (poets and singers)
Questions
3. Why is Wales not equal to England
• no capital city• no separate legal, educational, or religious institutions
Questions
4. What happened in the “Scottish Holocaust”
• People in the Highlands were driven from their lands to make way for intensive sheep-farming
British stereotypes about continental Europe
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• National psychology is often influenced by geography • Examples: Great Britain (Island)
Switzerland (surrounded by mountains)
• Many stereotypes on France since they are the direct neighbour
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• French lessons: service of a prostitute
• French postcards: obscene drawings• French talk: swearing• French disease: syphilis• French said to be ugly and dirty• French Kiss
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• In general, bad behaviour always ascribed to those nations the English had conflicts with (e.g. Dutch when they were trading rivals)
• French – English relation special since the French are their closest neighbours
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• Idea of Twin Towns
• Cultures are still divided and suspicious of each other
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• G. Orwell observed that after the soldiers of the English working class came back from World War I, they brought back a hatred of all Europeans, except
the Germans, whose courage they admired
British stereotypes about continental Europe
• No European identity, living on an island, everywhere is overseas
• Still many populistic Anti-European politicians in England
• European land struggles were irrelevant• Isolation gave opportunity to enter wars selectively
Questions
1. What are the two main reasons for stereotypes and prejudices towards other countries?
• Geography and history
Questions
1. Why is the English-French relationship so full of prejudices?
4. because France is England’s closest neighbour
Stereotypes about Britain
Stereotypes about Britain
• How Britain sees itself
- economically and socially
• How Germany sees Britain
Britain’s view of itself
• GB as a consumer society: nation of shoppers
• England is the perfect country to live in
• Relaxed life in Britain - free of conformism and materialism
• Only problem: unloved babies who grow up to be even more unloved hooligans
Germany’s view of Britain
• Before WW II: admirable, brave, commonsensical, decent, effortlessly able, fair, gallant, humorous
• After WW II: charmless, old-fashioned democracy and justice, badly educated, violent and unweshed youth, poor infrastructure
• Chauvinism is a British specialty
How Germans characterize the British
• Arrogance• Bad manners• Superiority complex• Class-consciousness• Coldness• Drunkenness• Environmental backwardness• Cruelty to children
Stereotypes about Germany
• Germany has a well developed economy, but is conservative in service
• Almost no class system
• DM was a symbol for national success
• Germans prefer stability, fear shocks
How British characterize the Germans
• Angst• Aggressiveness• Assertiveness• Bullying• Egotism• Inferiority complex• Sentimentality• Insensitivity
• Self-obsession• Self-pity• Longing to be liked• Capacity for excess• Tendency to overdo
things• Tendency to
overestimate their strengths / capabilities
Questions
7. Name the main British characteristics attributed to them by the Germans!- arrogance- bad manners- superiority complex- coldness- drunkenness- environmental backwardness- cruelty to children
Questions
8. In how far has the German view of the British changed since WW II?
Before the war, the British were seen as being admirable, brave, commonsencial, decent, fair, gallant and humorous. After the war they are seen now as being charmless, having an old-fashioned democracy and justice, being badly educated, having a violent and unwashed youth and a poor infrastructure.
Questions
9. What do the British think about the roots of hooliganism?
Only people become hooligans who didn' t get enough love and attention in their childhood. So mothers should stay at home as long as possible to care für their children and prevent them from becoming evil hooligans.
Questions
10. Name some of the main German characteristics attributed by the British!
- Angst - self-obsession- Aggressiveness - self-pity- Assertiveness - longing to be liked- Bullying - capacity for excess- Egotism - tendency to overdo things- Inferiority complex - tendency to overestimate - Sentimentality their strength and capability- Insensitivity
ExercisePlease fill in the gaps!
• National psychology is often influenced by ________________ , such as in Great Britain or Switzerland.
• Many British stereotypes aim at _________________ , because it is their direct neighbor.
• In the 18th century, the ____________________________ was organized to make the British elite more tolerant towards foreign neighbors.
• Children who are not loved by their parents are likely to become ____________________ .
• __________________________ is a British specialty.• The relationship between England and ________________ has
never been equal.• The first thing to discover about the English is
_________________________________________________.
geography
France
Grand Tour
Hooligans
ChauvinismWales
that they’re not English
