@funkdaddy As an American living, working & teaching in China, I can tell you that most of the aforementioned stereotypes of Americans are also perceived here; specifically fat, ignorant, pushy, self righteous & absorbed, rich & arrogant people who love to eat fast food and bully the rest of the world in to doing what we want or think is “right”. Corporations like McDonald’s, Nike, Apple, Microsoft/Bill Gates are all well known over here as well. In China, you could add to that list violence & violent crime, gun-ownership (a common perception over here is that all Americans love & own guns), tall people, big-breasted and big-assed women, promiscuity, Hollywood & movie stars, modern hip-hop, the NBA (specifically Yao Ming, of course, and Kobe Bryant) and people who care more about themselves than their family. We are also closely associated w/ the actions of our gov’t and our political leaders, so I don’t need to tell you what has happened to our image on that front in the last 8 years or so. And the Chinese have not forgotten the “accidental” bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999 by U.S. warplanes under the Clinton administration. Also, many Chinese think most Americans hate China & its people.
Getting more on the positive side, we are also known for our independence, freedom, the quality of our education system and our love for animals. In fact, many Chinese will openly state that they love, or at least admire America and would love to visit, or even move there, someday. And we also have to be aware that the image most Chinese have of America has been staunchly influenced by their gov’t. Only recently, w/ the proliferation of the internet in the last 10 years or so, have many Chinese had easy access to other points of view. Also, like most other cultures around the world, much of the average Chinese’s image of America & Americans comes from Hollywood big-budget movies, TV shows like Friends, Prison Break, Sex in the City, Desperate Housewives, etc., the NBA and its “stars,” and modern hip-hop music & videos, and, believe it or not, from video games like Grand Theft Auto. So I’m sure you can imagine what that image is like.
As such, I’m sure you can see why the typical view of America & Americans over here can be quite skewed, to say the least. Still, I often find that it is us and our perception of China and Chinese people that is often much farther off base. In general, the Chinese people are some of the kindest, friendliest, warmest people I’ve ever met. They are not aggressive, they do not want war and they do not all follow their gov’t blindly (no more than we do). They are very curious about America & the rest of the world. In reality, the day-to-day urban existence over here is not too different at all from anywhere else in the West. And the presence of the Chinese gov’t in daily life is not nearly as strong as you might think. In fact, I can tell you w/ 100% truth & honesty that in America the presence of our gov’t, military & police forces is much more in your face than here in China. And as Americans, I believe we also should admit to ourselves that our image of China & its people has no doubt been influenced by our gov’t and its propaganda as well. In America, there is no doubt that we ourselves have been indoctrinated in to believing that a capitalist, free-market driven democracy is the pinnacle of human societal & governmental evolution. We have to realize, not everyone agrees with that! We like to think of ourselves as open-minded, tolerant, independent thinkers, why then can’t we allow that there may exist other possibilities for cultural existence and harmony that do not exactly match our own? And more importantly, why can’t we allow for these other possibilities and allow other people & cultures to choose for themselves? Why must we always force others to bend to our will and our ideas about what we think is right? This itself, theoretically, goes against some of our most fundamental beliefs. What happened to live and let live? But this is getting off topic from your questions.
As far as what can be done, I’m not sure. There are many different levels we could discuss here. If we’re speaking individually, I think it’s important to remember that when we travel to other countries, we are like mini-ambassadors for America, and so should behave accordingly. If you don’t like the image/stereotype of America that seems to be prevalent all over the world now, don’t live down to it. Remember that no matter where you go, you could be the first American some one has ever seen in person. The best way to increase cultural understanding, however, is through personal relationships and friendships. Luckily, with the internet, it truly has never been easier to strike up an international friendship. Also, if you live near a university, most likely there are numerous international students there who would love the chance to get to know an American and have American friends. I encourage everyone to get out there and try to meet people from other parts of the world. You personally could do more for America’s image than you might believe possible. You will definitely learn some new & interesting things yourself, and you just may end up shattering a few stereotypes, for yourself and for those you meet.
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