National Stereotypes - uni-bielefeld.de

National Stereotypes Definition of Stereotype

The Un4gettables • something repeated or reproduced without variation:
something conformed to a fixed or general pattern
Inner-British Stereotypes and lacking individual distinguishing marks or
qualities; esp: a standardized mental picture held in
England vs. Ireland, Scotland, and Wales 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

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 Scotland

• after the French influence on England: • situation today:

– after the Norman Conquest in 1066 • Scots are mocked for meanness and gloom but respected as
• horde of barbarians lawyers, doctors, engineers, and businessmen
• more savage than wild beasts, cut up throats of old men
• slaughter little children • English regard Scots as tough, cantankerous, and upstanding
• rip open the bowels of women (except when drunk)

• the English were horrified by the barbaric way the Wales
Scots waged war
• relationship between England and Wales never equal
Scotland
• no capital city like Edinburgh
• Scotland and England became apparently balanced • no separate legal, educational, or religious institutions
partners

• Scotland maintained and maintains separate legal
and educational systems, and a distinct intellectual
tradition as well as religious independence

Wales Ireland

• after the French influence on England: • Irish folk memory
– Bloody Sunday, Great Famine
• wheedling, duplicitous windbags
• bogus sentimentality • English attitude can swing from indulgence to dislike
• loquacious dissemblers in no time
• immoral liars
• stunted, bigoted, dark, ugly, pugnacious little trolls • Victorian England contradicting itself
– Celtic traditions and values adored but Irish seen as
• when praised only celebrated for their Celtic qualities minor beings
as singers and poets
England
Ireland
• first thing to discover about the English, is that they’re
• Irish are so barbarous that they cannot be said to not English
have any culture
• could only get away with prejudices because:
• a wild people living like beasts
• dominant power in the islands
• primitive • most successful empire in the world by the nineteenth century

The English

Questions Questions

1. Which part of GB is said to be the most balanced partner to England 2. What are the Welsh celebrated for?
and why? • Celtic qualities (poets and singers)

• Scotland, distinct intellectual tradition, separate legal and educational systems

Questions Questions

3. Why is Wales not equal to England 4. What happened in the “Scottish Holocaust”

• no capital city • People in the Highlands were driven from their lands to make
• no separate legal, educational, or religious institutions way for intensive sheep-farming

British stereotypes about continental Europe

• National psychology is often influenced by geography

• Examples: Great Britain (Island)

British stereotypes about continental Europe Switzerland (surrounded by
mountains)

• Many stereotypes on France since they are the direct
neighbour

British stereotypes about continental Europe British stereotypes about continental Europe

• French lessons: service of a • In general, bad behaviour always ascribed to those
prostitute nations the English had conflicts with (e.g. Dutch
when they were trading rivals)
• French postcards: obscene drawings
• French – English relation special since the French
• French talk: swearing are their closest neighbours

• French disease: syphilis

• French said to be ugly and dirty

• French Kiss

British stereotypes about continental Europe British stereotypes about continental Europe

• Idea of Twin Towns • G. Orwell observed that after the soldiers of the
• Cultures are still divided and suspicious of each other 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 Questions

• No European identity, living on an island, everywhere 1. What are the two main reasons for stereotypes and
is overseas prejudices towards other countries?

• Still many populistic Anti-European politicians in • Geography and history
England

• European land struggles were irrelevant
• Isolation gave opportunity to enter wars selectively

Questions Stereotypes about Britain

1. Why is the English-French relationship so full of
prejudices?

4. because France is England’s closest neighbour

Stereotypes about Britain Britain’s view of itself

• How Britain sees itself • GB as a consumer society: nation of shoppers
- economically and socially
• England is the perfect country to live in
• How Germany sees Britain
• 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 How Germans characterize the British

• Before WW II: admirable, brave, commonsensical, • Arrogance
decent, effortlessly able, fair, gallant, humorous • Bad manners
• Superiority complex
• After WW II: charmless, old-fashioned democracy • Class-consciousness
and justice, badly educated, violent and unweshed • Coldness
youth, poor infrastructure • Drunkenness
• Environmental backwardness
• Chauvinism is a British specialty • Cruelty to children

Stereotypes about Germany How British characterize the Germans

• Germany has a well developed economy, but is • Angst • Self-obsession
conservative in service • Aggressiveness
• Assertiveness • Self-pity
• Almost no class system • Bullying
• DM was a symbol for national success • Egotism • Longing to be liked
• Germans prefer stability, fear shocks • Inferiority complex
• Sentimentality • Capacity for excess
• Insensitivity
• Tendency to overdo
things

• Tendency to
overestimate their
strengths / capabilities

Questions Questions

7. Name the main British characteristics attributed to 8. In how far has the German view of the British
them by the Germans! changed since WW II?
- arrogance
- bad manners Before the war, the British were seen as being
- superiority complex admirable, brave, commonsencial, decent, fair,
- coldness gallant and humorous. After the war they are seen
- drunkenness now as being charmless, having an old-fashioned
- environmental backwardness democracy and justice, being badly educated, having
- cruelty to children a violent and unwashed youth and a poor
infrastructure.

Questions Questions

9. What do the British think about the roots of 10. Name some of the main German characteristics
hooliganism? attributed by the British!

Only people become hooligans who didn' t get - Angst - self-obsession
enough love and attention in their childhood. So
mothers should stay at home as long as possible to - Aggressiveness - self-pity
care für their children and prevent them from
becoming evil hooligans. - 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

Exercise

Please fill in the gaps!

• National psychology is often influenced by _____g_e_o_g_ra_p_h_y____ ,
such as in Great Britain or Switzerland.

• Many British stereotypes aim at ______F_r_a_n_c_e______ , because it
is their direct neighbor.

• In the 18th century, the _________G__ra_n_d__T_o_u_r__________ was
organized to make the British elite more tolerant towards foreign
neighbors.

• Children who are not loved by their parents are likely to become
_____________H_o_o_l_ig_a_n_s .

• ______C_h_a_u_v_in_i_s_m____________ is a British specialty.
• The relationship between England and _______W__a_le_s_____ has

never been equal.
• The first thing to discover about the English is

_________t_h_a_t _th_e_y_’r_e_n_o_t_E__n_g_lis_h_______________________.