Stereotypes Of American Culture

People from different countries always have stereotypes about each other. They are a big issue in our society. It has created an image about how a person should live according to their race, personality, and other facts. The thing is, people predefine our views about us before fully immersing ourselves within their culture. They are creating a concept of everyone based in what they see, but not in who they really are. Especially, films and television exaggerate things in order to generate excitement, but they also present a rather distorted picture of what life in a country is actually like. In this case if you rely on stereotypes, you will likely put yourself into an awkward and embarrassing situation, or offend your acquaintances. I think, …show more content…
I was considering that they aren’t family-oriented and family-dependent, have curfews, and other things. However, during adjustment to the American culture I have my mind changed about the USA. I didn’t know so much about America and this my experience showed that everything I heard was false! I realized that all these stereotypes are just myths for naive tourists. In the talk “The danger of a single story”(TED.com), published by Chimamanda Adichie argues that knowing a single story of a person or a country can cause misunderstanding and create stereotypes. However, what if we see in other countries, cultures not only what we belief, but also other stories that could change our perception. It is important to learn from each other to understand and avoid stereotypes that could be harmful. I’m strongly believe that getting to know people as individuals and sharing cultures breaks down stereotypes and corrects …show more content…
Furthermore, in conducting cultural exchanges with countries, it is necessary, not only to promote the conventional forms of cultural exchange, but also to extend cooperation which will contribute to the enrichment of culture and the promotion of education in these countries. An opportunity like the Civic Education Workshop make my ideas possible for America and Kazakhstan to meet and learn about each other. My participation in this workshop will give me more confidence in myself and make my goals will be achieved. I will discuss this issue with other members of the team by seeking possible solutions for this problem. However for now, with a determination to break down cultural barriers, I'm going to continue the idea of the “pen pal” project for students in America and Kazakhstan. The whole idea of this project is to break down the stereotypes and increase understanding of cultural diversity--regardless of different backgrounds. This online communication project connects students from the United States and Kazakhstan through letters or e-mail forum. I noticed that this project has positively blossomed over the last year and has given an outlet for teenagers to connect and ask each other about their culture, religions, and beliefs.That’s why this project is a great