Without even noticing, we have been believing and spreading stereotypes about each other’s countries. What are the most common ones among CapU students? What can we do to stop it?
Cami Davila (she/her) // Crew Writer
Jasmin Linton (sher/her) // Illustrator
Stereotypes act similar to a virus, they spread easily and cause a lot of damage. Once they spread, there is little people can do because most of the time they are already part of the problem. Stereotypes are a virus in every aspect of people’s lives. Through ideas that are conservative, traditional, poorly informed, heteronormative and rooted in patriarchy, these ideas create characteristics and sociocultural norms about how things should be. When someone resists those directives, the “virus” of the stereotypes attacks with hate and violence to restore order. A stereotype is a fixed and oversimplified image of a particular person in this case.
On a big scale, they create an entire narrative and set of characteristics about countries and, like a virus, spread this false information as widely as possible. Various major conflicts between countries are based on hate born from stereotypes. For example, during World War II, the Nazis believed that Jewish people were manipulative, corrupt, dishonest, immoral and especially that they were contaminating their society with their perceived racial inferiority as “non-Aryan.” As a result of this nationalism and hate, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), approximately six million Jewish people were killed by the Nazis regime.
Of course, we cannot overlook the fact that there are many more aspects that lead societies and countries to these major conflicts. However, the virus of stereotypes remains within people and inevitably grows, driving them to act according to misinformation.
Cultivating genuine curiosity, seeking information, reading, and asking questions are part of the solution in combatting stereotypes.
As reported by Statistics Canada, 42.2 per cent of Vancouver’s population consisted of international residents in 2021. According to Capilano University’s website, there are currently 3,838 international students from 92 different countries and from some students’ perspectives, there’s many stereotypes about their countries.
“I wish people would take the time to research about other countries’ history and culture, before assuming stereotypes without questioning what’s behind,” shares one first-year Business Administration student from Iran.
The Courier spent one afternoon talking with CapU students about the most common stereotypes they have heard about their country of origin.
“When I say I’m from Korea, people ask like ‘Oh, North or South?’ and it’s a genuine question like 8 times out of 10! Also, a lot of people think that when you’re from another country you have an accent so a lot of them said to me, ‘Oh, you’re from Korea but you don’t have an accent.’ I wish they knew that not everyone has accents and we can speak fluent English.”
A student from Punjab said the most common stereotype is that people don’t follow the rules. “I wish they knew about our big hearts and that we are really altruistic.” Nigerians are judged by being uneducated and egocentric. A student told us that every time someone finds out she is from Chile they ask her, “You guys don’t have internet or TV’s, do you?”
“People have the stereotype that India is a poor country and that it’s messy and chaotic, like there are cows on the road. Some areas are like this, but not everywhere. My country is very rich in a lot of things, like diversity, culture and hospitality. I wish others knew about our many mathematicians and scientists. India is not a developed country, but there are so many resources,” from a third-year science student.
A student from Austria mentioned that a common stereotype is that everyone likes schnitzel and goes skiing in the mountains, “which is not true because it’s actually expensive and not everyone can afford it.” Beside her, a German girl said people think they are unfriendly and direct, “We are actually nice and we like to have a good time!”
“Latina women have the stereotype of being crazy and intense,” shared a third-year business administration student. “I am tired of being disrespected and called lazy when literally Latino people are so hardworking.” An Ecuadorian student said that people believe that their country is warm because it’s near the equator, “they also think that we should have darker skin”.
Sadly, stereotypes have become the easiest way to learn about others and other countries and we must work to avoid falling into this common trap. However, if we become aware of those stereotypes and recognize how hurtful they are, we can choose to respond thoughtfully rather than assume. Next time, we might pick a book about another culture or simply ask a friend about their home country and its history: a history that, fortunately, we as CapU international students can share with one another. Just like any virus, it has a cure.