Tackling Stereotypes

After arriving to the United States, we often heard the questions: So what do you think about USA? What did you think about Americans before? And I have to admit that most of our knowledge comes from the pop culture and media, and in a lot of cases, it’s not really adequate.

Last Saturday, we had our first field trip to Atlanta. We visited World of Coke and CNN Center. Brands that a lot of people admire and which in some way portray the American success story. It was also a chance to "sniff" the life outside of Chattanooga, act like proper tourists for the first time during our stay in the USA and see the real life beyond those stereotypes.

But are all stereotypes wrong? That’s true that some of them are actually correct. Americans are very open and warm, food portions exceed our European standards and churches on every other corner. On the other hand, there are also misleading stereotypes. As being part of the social entrepreneurship program, we talk a lot about the social obstacles in the given society, and everybody here is not necessarily living their American dream. There’s homeless, poor, disadvantaged etc. But that doesn’t mean that USA is weak; for me it makes this country more humane and more real. It’s not just the polished and posh image we’re often shown, but there are serious challenges too. Like in every other country in the world. And I can’t wait to discover more about the reaI USA and learn about its culture and diversity!