Comments on: Cultural Generalizations and Stereotypes, Beware http://interculturaltalk.org/2009/10/27/cultural-generalizations-and-stereotypes-beware/ Stereotypes in Advertising, Intercultural Communications, Multicultural Parenting Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:12:25 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Gori Girl http://interculturaltalk.org/2009/10/27/cultural-generalizations-and-stereotypes-beware/comment-page-1/#comment-2493 Gori Girl Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:23:04 +0000 http://interculturaltalk.org/2009/10/27/cultural-generalizations-and-stereotypes-beware/#comment-2493 I'm always doubtful of those books that describe the ettiqute of a country in a page or two, before moving on to the next country. But other books that spend time going into cultural details of a particular nation - like, say <a href="http://www.amazon.com/German-Way-Behavior-Attitudes-German-Speaking/dp/0844225134" rel="nofollow">The German Way</a> <i>have</i> been quite helpful to me in the past. Obviously, you want to take everything with a grain of salt - and expect that a particular generalization may or may not apply to any particular individual you encounter - but as I've <a href="http://gorigirl.com/categories-generalizations-and-stereotypes-talking-about-cultural-differences" rel="nofollow">posted before</a>, I don't think that cultural generalizations are all bad. And sometimes, even those little rules of etiquette that can be found in the type of books that Cindy is talking about are useful. For instance, the simple rule that it's polite in Germany to eat with both hands on the table (or otherwise visible). Rules like that aren't going to take you far with cultural differences (as I've <a href="http://gorigirl.com/when-in-rome-do-as-the-romans-do-sometimes" rel="nofollow">just</a> blogged about), but following them doesn't hurt either. I’m always doubtful of those books that describe the ettiqute of a country in a page or two, before moving on to the next country. But other books that spend time going into cultural details of a particular nation – like, say The German Way have been quite helpful to me in the past. Obviously, you want to take everything with a grain of salt – and expect that a particular generalization may or may not apply to any particular individual you encounter – but as I’ve posted before, I don’t think that cultural generalizations are all bad.

And sometimes, even those little rules of etiquette that can be found in the type of books that Cindy is talking about are useful. For instance, the simple rule that it’s polite in Germany to eat with both hands on the table (or otherwise visible). Rules like that aren’t going to take you far with cultural differences (as I’ve just blogged about), but following them doesn’t hurt either.

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