How Others See Us

Coastal North Carolina is not the beach scene I imagined during the winter. Instead coastal fishing communities dominate small towns such as Beaufort. Once off the Duke campus and in a small town like Beaufort, which only has just over 4,000 winter residents, I began to see that they generalize the rest of the US and especially the northeastern states as being part of the process that has created regulations that have affected them, their livelihoods, and the whole community’s way of life. They see the northeast as being a large liberal political power that supports environmental movements such as preserving fish populations. Seeing the rest of America is so far removed from fishing communities there is no understanding for the regulations that affect them.

The members of the community I have meet have been involved in fishing and were open with their opinions that North Carolina fisheries managers do not understand the life of the fishermen and how fishing is actually accomplished. Fishermen criticize the fishing regulations that unduly burden their paltry existence as being poorly conceived and executed. Bradley Styron, owner and operator of Quality Seafood, put it bluntly with respect to North Carolina fisheries managers when he said, “education is the greatest thing, but not in the hands of a fool. There’s nothing worse than an educated idiot.” This damning accusation against fisheries managers resulted from a long and bitter history of restrictive, top-down regulation and bureaucratic decision-making coming from people who “can't even tell gillnetter from a trawler”.

Another fisherman “Big Al” was frustrated by the increasingly restrictive regulations that aim to reduce bycatch to levels they consider to be arbitrary and capricious. Al believes the increased regulations are indicative that the U.S. is moving toward a tighter regime similar to China.

“Its about coming a communist country like China” said “Big Al,” a local independent fisherman

In this area where an old lifestyle still exists, change is unwanted. The northeastern cities/towns are seen to be implementing top-down government regulation that does not relate to the lives of those in small coastal towns. Seeing this is the case, the regulations that are put on the fishermen are disliked as they are taking away from those who have nothing.

How Others See Us (Feb. 28th)

Arava Students enjoying Shabbat together

For my interviews I spoke to two Israeli men that live on campus with me at the Arava Institute. Initially, I was expecting to hear that their views of Americans were based on classic American stereotypes, but was pleasantly surprised when we all sat down to talk.

When I asked how they perceived Americans they didn’t jump to the typical stereotypes of loud, lazy, or unworldly, they actually started talking about politics. Immediately my one friend, Ahmed, said that he thought that Americans had rather good perspectives to share about Middle East politics. Although he agreed, my other interviewee, Yousef, added that overall Americans were very naïve when it came to Middle Eastern politics… and politics outside of the United States in general. Overall, the boys concluded that while Americans know a lot about the Middle East, they do not get their knowledge from the right sources. Because of this, Americans typically do not understand the personal effects of the conflict and are shocked when they live here in Israel. Additionally, Yousef mentioned that overall Americans were really nice and gentle when it comes to politics, but easily get confused. We have a class here dedicated to peace building in the Middle East and both Yousef and Ahmed commented that the American students begin each semester in a positive and inclusive way, but by the end of the semester can’t “keep up the act,” if you will. They want to be friendly and respectful to all parties but once the semester progresses and each personal account is told by the other students it is hard to maintain an unbiased opinion of the situation.

The information that these two have based their responses off of are from two semesters on the Kibbutz. That being said, they both understand that not all Americans are like those that arrive on the Kibbutz each year. Those Americans that attend the Arava Institute tend to have specific, similar opinions and lifestyles (think of your average Environmental Science student) and because of that they are unlike the majority of Americans. Even so, the boys believe that the stereotypes are incorrect.

Socially, it is relatively the same. Neither of them mentioned classic stereotypes and responded uniquely. Each agreed that American women act very mature for their age. Interestingly, they also agreed that overall American boys do not act this way and the maturity divide is jarring. The most notable fact they presented is that American women apologize very often. Actually, too often. They apologize even when they haven’t done anything wrong.

The two boys said that I embody some of their ideas of an American politically, but socially I am unique. That being said, neither of them believed ALL American girls to be a certain way so… maybe we are all simply the same in our uniqueness.

More Shabbat relaxing

How Others See Us

            There are only about 22 students studying here at the Duke University Marine Laboratory, the majority of which attend Duke University. I talked to two Duke students who are both from the west coast to see what their views are of people from the northeast. I wasn’t very surprised by their answers.

           

            Lauren, from Oregon, said that when she talks to family or friends from back home, she usually refers north eastern people as “you know, New York [City] style.” Not only that, but she typically thinks of the northeast as more traditional and less progressive when compared to the western United States. She also believes that it’s harder to make friends in the north east, but once you do, your friends are much closer and much more like family, whereas it’s easier to make friends on the west coast, but they aren’t as close. Lauren continued by saying that people from the north east have a little bit of an accent and that the west coast doesn’t really have accents– more so just differences in lingo depending on where you go. She ended by saying she definitely sees me as someone from the northeast– a traditional, confident, “go-getter.”

           

            The other student I spoke with was Cristina. She lives outside of Los Angeles, California and seemed to have comparable opinions. When I began to ask her what she thought about the north east, she immediately said “…cold!” Afterwards, she continued by saying that she believes the north east is not as laid back and lacks cultural diversity in comparison to the west. Cristina also said that people from the north east are more reserved, but then added “…although, that could just be people from New York.” After I asked her what she thinks people do for fun, she said that all of her friends from the north east seem to go skiing all the time, which leads her to believe that everyone in the north east is very outdoorsy and nature-oriented. When I asked her if she believes I fit the north east image she has in her mind, she said it’s hard for her to see people as a stereotype. Instead, she sees everybody she meets as an individual.

Some of us from the Marine Lab that drove 4 hours to go
to the Duke vs. Notre Dame men's basketball game

            It’s interesting to see how cultures can differ, even within the same country. I know that for me, I even noticed a difference between the language and lingo people used when we first arrived here at the marine lab. Although, it wasn’t long before we all adapted to each other’s style and way of conduct. Now, we all seem to speak quite similarly and use the same phrases. I wouldn’t be surprised if, when I go back home during spring break, my family and friends are confused with some of the words and phrases that I’ve picked up since I left.

How Others See Us

     Even before I started studying the French language, I, as well as many other Americans, was very aware of French stereotypes, whether they were true or false. Throughout my French classes I have taken at Allegheny and in high school, I have learned about stereotypes of Americans; more specifically, how the French view Americans. Now that I have spent some time studying in France and have gotten to know a lot of natives, I can reflect on these stereotypes that I learned about in the United States to see if people really think in those ways.

     It is unfortunate to say it is true that most French people typically think Americans are lazy, loud, and overweight. The French think this of Americans partially because of the statistics of obesity as well as the way that we eat because of our culture. Americans typically eat "on the go" or very quickly because of the intensity level of work, which has decreased the frequency of Americans being able to cook healthy home-cooked meals and take their time eating. The fact that it is normal to walk or bike to most places in France but not in the United States may also be a reason why this stereotype exists. Most of the roads and sidewalks in France have designated lanes for bikers, and not a lot of people drive to work or the grocery store. In addition, public transportation in France is very frequented and well organized. The options include buses, trams, metros, and so on. I can see the difference in the United States, where most people, including teenagers, own or have access to a car.

This is a bike lane in the street

Tramways are a very useful way to travel around the city

     In a more positive manner, French people also believe Americans to be sophisticated and that Americans have a very appealing culture. This includes the way most Americans conduct themselves and their individualism, as well as the pop culture that most Americans share. Every day I have walked into a public place, whether it was a store or restaurant, I have heard American music being played. I have also learned that a lot of French music has lyrics in English because it is considered "more sophisticated" to be singing in another language. It is clear that a lot of French people appreciate American culture and implement it into theirs. This makes me very proud of my culture and intrigued to get to know more about the culture of France.

How Others See Us

While in Morocco I've had the opportunity of living with another Moroccan student, Nouha. She had studied in the US last semester so she told me about her expectations of America before and after her trip. Nouha told me she expected college students to be partying every night, similarly to how it is in movies. She was very surprised to find that not everyone goes out, or even throws parties like the ones on TV. She also said that she thought it was interesting how families are often too busy to have sit-down meals. In Morocco, meals are shared with all the family and there are many courses. She said that she did not expect the lifestyle to be so fast paced.

I was also interested in getting a male perspective of America because the portrayal of women in Moroccan and American culture and media are very different. I decided to ask one of my classmates what they thought of America. He also brought up party culture, and said that he hoped the girls were similar to the ones in music videos from American artists. I attempted to explain that a small amount of girls are like this at all. It was interesting to hear something like this because Moroccan culture is very conservative; I was surprised they would want to be around girls like that.

Even more, he was surprised that I was not interested to go to a party with him sometime. From my experiences here, guys are mostly respectful of women but it depends on the context. A good number of people believe in the stereotype that Americans are sleazy or party all the time and try to take advantage of it. Sadly, some of the other American students are reinforcing some of the stereotypes about drinking; which makes it difficult to convince people that it is not so common.

Reflecting on Experience: Due on Mar. 10, 2015

Reflecting on Experience: Due on Mar. 10, 2015

(Please read “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”)

In her essay, Peggy McIntosh uses race to make readers examine how much of their daily live may be embedded in privilege without their realizing it.

• For this post, please reflect on what it means to be an American student on a study away program, or to simply be American (in the eyes of other countries) in the first place, and what privileges does this bring with it? 

If you are at a domestic destination like D.C. or the Duke Marine Lab, what types of privileges are you enjoying that may/may not center on nationality?

• Think about whether your ability to travel to another destination for an experience you can add to your resume, brings with it certain advantages that are easily overlooked? 
• What does it mean to be able to add intercultural experiences or research/internship opportunities and a study abroad/away component to our marketability, and are we learning at the cost of other cultures/people?

 In the last case, even if you are still in the U.S. think about whether the work you are involved with involves local communities or is knowledge from the top?

• Read the assigned reading and even if you are not in a developing country, think about the argument the writer is making, and what you would bring to that conversation

How others see us: Kibbutz Ketura

Maybe we saw a commercial or something in the news. We sew up the pieces we've collected and drape them on whoever could fit. We assume so much about a person's experience. Which a survival trait wired into us. The characters we imagine when we think about some group are familiar and we crave the familiar... but when we do not ask a person who they are first, we contribute to limiting the life of another human being.

Because this is not problem has some biological roots, it can't be expected to dissolve overnight. We must first see what we were blind to.

So instead of assuming Israelis thought I was anything and assuming that Israelis are anything, for this blog I asked what some of my Israelis classmates thought.

Here are some of the questions and responses:

1.) What is the first thing that you associate the word “American” with?

Loud, spoiled

2.) Do you think Americans exhibit some of the same traits?

 Excited (more so and a lot of the time)

Associations:

3.) America?​​​​Cheeseburger, Power

4.) American Men?​​​Suits, blonde

5.) American Women?​​​Feminism, Makeup

6.) American Children?​​​Blonde, fat

7.) American Students?​​​Well educated [Harvard, Brown, etc]

8.) American daily life?​​​Consumption, stressed(?)

9.) American Politics? ​​​Polarized, Sleazy, talk too much

10.) American Food?​​​McDonalds, Fattening

11.) Music/Movies/TV/Sports/Fashion?    Hollywood, Popular

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12.) Where do you think these associations come from?

Media (pervasive in Israel)

13.) Have I met your expectations of an American? Why or why not?

No, you’re not loud

No, you seem calmer and more authentic

14.) Do you think Americans are privileged? Conferred dominance? Don’t have to worry about some things? And what?

Yes, The US, Israel and the rest of the west feel entitled

Yes, America has more opportunities (jobs, education, etc.) and Americans are treated with more respect abroad.

15.) What do you think Americans think of you? Of your country or culture?

The source of all their problems

They see us as their little brother, but they also pity us. Politicians in Israel look to America. When the Gaza strip was launching missiles at Israel, the US waved a finger at Israel for striking back. If Obama was here, having missiles launched at him, I do not think he think the same.

 And here are a few things classmates said outside of the interviews, which were poignant:

“Venezula IS America!”

When told about a sexist old (but still active in Pennsylvania) law, “Isn’t America supposed to be the greatest country in the world?!”

“American women are beautiful… but easy” 

“When I think of America, I think power.”

“American students are very diligent”

One Israeli couldn’t understand why someone would be upset about a friend of a friend dying suddenly.

When I said a lot of Americans think of Israelis as cool, quick, and tough; that when we see an Israeli, we assume that they have been in the army and could potentially kill us with one thumb, this Israeli said that response was cool, but at the same time she could see that the young Americans she had seen that reaction from didn’t fully understand the gravity of being a soldier. 

How Others See Us - North Carolina

Southerners v. Northerners

Southern United States 

Northeast United States

Interviewing those from my host institution with a foreign perspective of my home was difficult because everyone is from America.  Furthermore, there are only twenty-two students, and only one of them are from this state, North Carolina.  As Duke University only admits a small percentage of students from its own state to ensure diversity, I have not gained significant perspective from “southern” residents. Furthermore, because we are on an island, I do not have a vehicle, and transportation is considerably limited, I have not interacted with the people in the town as much as I would have liked. Therefore, I spend the most time with people from Ohio and California. 

           

However, I was able to find two North Carolina residents.  The first was one of my RA’s, Kelsey.  She informed me that she has always lived in North Carolina but her mother’s family is from Philadelphia so she has slight familiarity with “The North”.  She jokingly called us “Yankees”, as that is what many of the stereotypical southerners call northerners. However, she explained that she does not have very strong feelings about other regions of the country, i.e. she does not focus on stereotypes or notice major regional differences.  I believe this is partially due to the high diversity that Duke establishes as well as the globalization of today’s society.  We are not very limited to our own area as we see other regions on television and movies and can interact with people from across the country with ease.  In other words, there has been significantly more cultural mixing within the country since the age of the Internet. After talking about the significance of Philly cheesesteaks for a considerable amount of time, she finally described people from the northeast.  She said we tend to be unfriendly, busy, and competitive, though she absolutely did not believe this applies to everyone nor held the feelings very strongly.  She elaborated by saying people in North Carolina tend to ask strangers how they are doing more often, even if they do not genuinely care, just to be courteous.  She struggled to answer when asked if I fit this image.  As we do not focus much on our home locations, when getting to know me she did not view me from the scope of “being an northerner”, so her initial reaction was that I do not.  She got to know me as an individual, not as a person from a certain location.  I think this is common among Americans, because many of us do not necessarily hold a lot of value on our regional location.  We tend to view each other as relatively the same as we are all Americans; therefore, I feel like the responses would be significantly different if I were truly studying abroad and getting the opinion of someone who has had little exposure to Americans.  Stereotypes tend to be made stronger about groups with whom you have limited interaction because there is nothing to break those stereotypes.  Kelsey had many interactions throughout her life that broke the regional stereotypes and therefore did not think much of them.  Though she did say it was “weird” I was a vegetarian because people from North Carolina love eating meat.

           

The second person I asked, James, a friendly worker at our dining hall in his younger twenties, had similar responses.  He added a more political aspect to his evaluation: he discussed how he considers the northeast to be considerably more politically and socially liberal than North Carolina.  He gathered this opinion more unbiased by following presidential elections in which he noticed PA tends to vote blue, as in democrat.  But less officially, this view is commonly associated with the north by the many conservative NC residents whom believe that northerners are very left winged, often within a negative connotation.  Though James did not actually have an opinion about the political agenda of the north, as he was not excessively opinionated.  Also, in line with Kelsey’s evaluation he said that he would expect people in the North to be helpful and cordial if approached but would be overall more reserved and less outgoing to strangers, unlike those from the South.  He said this opinion came from the stereotype of the typical angry, callous New Yorker, which often becomes applied to the entire region. When asked if I fit this description, James said I came off a relatively liberal, but explained that it may be more because I am a college student and “we all tend to be liberal”.  He did say that I do not come off as very reserved and unpleasant most of the time as I tend to be friendly and talk every time I see him (we share the same favorite television shows so we often have a lot to talk about).  Later on, James was surprised when I explained that most regions of Pennsylvania are not very liberal, especially Meadville.