Stereotype

I hate stereotypes. Just because I'm of German descent doesn't mean I'm planning to oppress large groups of people or rule the world with an iron fist. I actually am planning to do that but I attribute it mostly to being ambitious not German. What's really disconcerting is when a member of a specific race engages in stereotyping of his own people. I've seen an increase in this behavior recently.

Example 1.
"We Swiss are not just good at making the tastiest chocolate; we can also build the fastest hydrofoil vehicle in the world - even though we're not exactly a seafaring nation" said Frank M. Rinderknecht after setting a Guinness Book World Record for fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle. Read the whole story here.

Example 2.
"The daughters, meanwhile, are as American as you, gabacho: they're spoiled, fat asses who party hard, overeat and don't do quehaceres (chores) after coming home from a day at the office or Chicano Studies class because they have a Mexican to do it, their mami." said Gustavo Arellano in his weekly column "Ask a Mexican" when asked why Mexican girls are cute teenagers but wind up fat women.

This kind of self hatred is completely Un-American. We need to stop tearing our own people down and get back to the values we grew up with, stereotyping others.