Stereotypes

The student newspaper came out today, and as per some unwritten rule, there was an article about stereotypes. Except this time it wasn't about rich AUC students who are ungrateful for being able to attend this university or about the so-called "Gucci corner." This time it was about Judaism.

From the short time that I have been here, I've run across several situations where people's conception of things has seemed quite patently false. Since I haven't much encountered the Jewish stereotype, I'm not going to address that; I would like to briefly talk about the American stereotypes that I have encountered.

In Arabic class, we have been working through a book that follows the story of a college-aged girl named Maha. If you've taken Arabic, you most likely have learned about her. She's pretty much a big deal. Maha is Egyptian, but she is studying in New York City. Practically from the beginning, we learn that Maha is lonely. In one chapter we learn the word for "alone" and then "lonely" and then "loneliness." But how could she be lonely in such a big, lively city?

Today we had to come up with sentences explaining why Maha is lonely, like "Maha is lonely because her father and mother are always busy." After we had listed about six reasons, our teacher explained to us the "real" (or most probable) reason why she's lonely--her parents won't allow her to associate with Americans because Americans are "free-spirits."

While the Middle East is definitely more conservative than America, I find it strange that EVERY American is automatically a person who does whatever he or she wants to do. Not all Americans live lives like the wonderful Hollywood movies. It reminds me of several other Egyptians who I met soon after I got here who were simply astounded that I don't drink alcohol. Surely all Americans drink alcohol and spend the weekends in the bars, right?

One other American stereotype that I want to address occurred when I was talking to a server at a restaurant. He was so happy to find out that we were Americans. It was easy to see that he was pleased to talk to us (many Egyptians like to talk to Americans to practice their English). I asked him if he ever wanted to come to America, assuming that he would say yes. But he said no. The reason he gave was because he thought that Americans don't like Muslims. I tried my best to reassure him otherwise.

I hope that in the time that I am here, I am able to dispel some of these stereotypes, if even for just a few people.

Another stereotype (I'm not sure if that's the right term) is that swine flu has something to do with pigs. The university is continually hanging up flyers and handing out wet-wipes (yes, please) to "Kill the Flu Before it Kills You!!!" And then there's always a picture of a pig with a red slash through it. Maybe they do it because it makes a nice picture to an otherwise microscopic concept, but I'm rather disappointed in the university for propagating this misconception.

(Edit-I was reminded that swine flu does have something to do with pigs, which I realize. I wasn't clear in my writing. I realize that swine flu originates in pigs, but I don't think it should be the focal point of the issue. I think it should be shifted to prevention rather than origination. Several months ago Egypt slaughtered 300,000 pigs, which destroyed the lives of 70,000 families since the flu was so closely linked to pigs. To avoid a similar situation, I think it's best to try to avoid associating the flu with pigs, and I was hoping the university would realize that.)