CW #4 - Brad Charlassier

For our 4th Culture Workshop we discussed generalizations and stereotypes about each of our cultures. Before we could even talk about them, we had to make sure we were all aware of the differences between a generalization and a stereotype. This was surprisingly tough for our group to outline. After we got done defining the two, we  started giving examples about our culture in ways that it was both generalized and stereotyped. I began with the fact that Americans are stereotyped as people that are uncultured or unwilling to accept other cultures. Additionally, that Americans are generalized as being fat and stupid. Both Salem and Newman, from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, said that they are not terrorists, which we all had a good laugh about. Yet, us Americans understood why they brought that one up. A large majority of Americans have a limited scope of the middle east. Most Americans do not realize that these places are beautiful countries and have very peaceful people. Furthermore, that these peaceful people wish to rid of the terrorists as much as, no, even more so than us Americans. Salem also said that he does not have a bunch of oil in his room. We did not understand this one, but apparently when somebody had learned that he was Saudi, the person immediately asked him if he kept oil in his room. I did not understand it completely, I know oil and the middle east have a correlation in American minds, but I do not get where the people in the middle east keeping oil in their rooms comes from.