International Living, Marriage & Travel

On my first trip to the Philippines years ago, a lot of people assumed that I could sing and dance because I was black. Or, they assumed that I was real good at sports. At first I was a little offended until I learned that most had never met or rarely ever met a black person from the US. Their only real experience with an black american was through entertainment and sports via TV and the internet.
One of the advantages of living in America is that we have so many different people and cultures that make up the America society. You can travel throughout the US and meet people that come from all over the world. Before I went to the Philippines, I assumed that it was like the US. My belief now is that America is truly a unique country with a worldwide mix of different cultures.

Some stereotypical things that you hear- are that all americans are rich and have muitiple cars and houses, but there are plenty of americans living in poverty. Another stereotypical one is that- Americans don't do anything but drink, party, and have sex all the time- and a lot of this information that non-Americans get is from the hollywood cinema that they watch.

Folk Artist wrote:Some stereotypical things that you hear- are that all americans are rich and have muitiple cars and houses, but there are plenty of americans living in poverty. Another stereotypical one is that- Americans don't do anything but drink, party, and have sex all the time- and a lot of this information that non-Americans get is from the hollywood cinema that they watch.

I completely agree with you folk artist. I often get annoyed by the countless people that try to scam me for money when I go abroad. It's like they think that I'm this rich millionaire that has an unlimited amount of money to spend. This is not true for all the countries that I visit...just the poorer ones. I just wish that they would realize that not all Americans that travel are filthy rich. I don't mind paying a higher price than the locals...but I just wish that the price I pay is reasonable.

Unfornately stereotypes are a part of all societies. In a perfect world, every person would be judged by who they are and what they have done in the world. Hopefully we will get there as a species one day.

I admit that I am guilty when it comes to stereotyping. When I see white foreigners, my impression is they are rich unless they look forlorn. For blacks, yeah, they are good in music. For white women, I assume they are fashion models or actors in their country. Stereotyping is in our culture but I'm sure it will change for the better with the help of social media.