Prompt 6: Rethinking Stereotypes & Critical Thinking in Scotland

Cougs Abroad Blog Squad provides an excerpt from an article titled “Slashing Stereotypes,” in which a student studying abroad expressed how he was able to dispel his stereotypes of his host country and replace them with new understanding by talking with locals and learning more about the country’s history. The prompt asks me consider what stereotypes of Americans my host country, Scotland, holds, and conversely what stereotypes I had of the residents of Scotland that have been dispelled or confirmed from my experience here. The cultures of the UK and the US are very similar in many respects, and while I have been here I haven’t picked up on any surprising American stereotypes apart from a poke at our consumerism and “super-sized” industry. In my own experience of stereotyping the Scots, I have found the easy-going attitude that residents are often pegged with is mostly true, but that the concept of “friendliness” is a bit more complex and deserves some interpretation.

In Stirling, my American accent and mannerisms often don’t get a second glance; beyond some playful banter with native students about which words are correct (do you cook on a stovetop or a hob? Is she wearing a sweater or jumper?), my culture is no novelty to the UK, as the English language allows for a lot of similarities between us. I have met Scottish and English students who have seen more American TV than I have, and quite a few people who are very well-versed in American politics (the same is true of some of my American friends in regards to British politics). The University of Stirling itself has a high percentage of exchange students from all over the world, and in several of my classes there are other Americans and a lot of possibilities for interaction with English and Scottish students. However, there is often the stereotype that American portions in every aspect of life – cars, food, etc. – are larger, a statement that in most cases in relation to Scotland is completely true (especially cars; unless you are driving a maintenance vehicle or a larger taxi, your car will not be bigger than a compact). I have heard no remarks about my country while abroad that were vicious or unfounded; while I can attribute this experience to kind, humorous and tolerant friends, I believe that in general the American stereotype in Scotland is no different than our own stereotypes of ourselves.
The one reoccurring stereotype I gleaned from reading about Scotland and its inhabitants is that everyone (the all-encompassing and difficult “everyone”) is friendly. Coming in to the country, I stereotyped the locals as easy-going, genial, helpful, and amiably inquisitive; while I have found that there are many extremely pleasant people in Scotland, the general sense of “friendliness” is instead honesty and a directness, particularly in professional situations, that I am not accustomed to at home. Employees in restaurants, stores and various other occupations on my campus as well as other towns in Scotland can be what appears on the surface as blunt but are really expressing a sort of honesty that would be seen as rude where I am from at home (I cannot speak for the entirety of the US, as the size of the city, the side of the country, etc all play a factor in attitude of a person in a business situation). I have often been surprised by a blatant response to a question directed to an employee, and even professors employ a sort of brutal honesty I didn’t expect from the easy-going Scots. I feel that employee-customer relations in the States exemplify a cautious political correctness and high expectation for positive, efficient service that I have not seen valued to the same degree here. In short, from my experience the average person in Scotland does not “beat around the bush,” and this sort of friendly yet surprising honesty was not what I had has a stereotype when I arrived.

Just as I learn more about the country I am already in my last month of my stay. I hope that in December I will have even more chances to broaden my understanding of the culture and residents of Scotland.