10 Ridiculous National Stereotypes

Nearly every group has at least one or two associated stereotypes. It’s almost a fact of everyday life. Most are just common misconceptions that for some reason have come to be seen as truth, while others are downright ugly. This a list of ten of the more ugly stereotypes out there.

10. Italy

The Stereotype: Italians are mobsters

From the Romans to the Nazis and seemingly everyone in between, kicking the Italians around has been a popular pastime. There are many stereotypes against the Italians, but the most common image of an Italian, especially those from Southern Italy, seems to be the Sicilian mobster. Southern Italians being portrayed as criminals was common in anti-Italian immigration rhetoric during the heyday of European immigration to America, and has become a staple of popular culture; for example, the Godfather series of movies. Italy has a history that has influenced most of Europe and parts of Africa – it is a culture rich in heritage and if for the great artworks alone, we owe the Italians a thank you.

9. France

The Stereotype: The French are cheese eating surrender monkeys

This one took off during the run-up to the 2003 Iraq War, when France refused to aid the US military efforts. The perception in the United States was that the French, who were and still are an ally of the US, were being cowards by reneging on their promise to assist the US militarily. Even today, popular ethnic jokes about French people speak of the country’s military ineptitude (usually in relation to World War II). The truth is, as Rudyard Kipling put it, “Their business is war, and they do their business.” And boy, have they done their business.

Since 387 BC, the French have been in a grand total of 168 major wars and won 109 of them, beating such powerhouses as the Roman Empire, the British Army and the Turks. A Frenchman, Napoleon Bonaparte, conquered most of the world in the 1800s. Sure, they surrendered to the Germans pretty quickly during WWII, but only because they hadn’t picked themselves up from WWI yet (where they suffered over 5.7 million casualties), and even then, the French Resistance picked up the slack and kicked some German tail. Not to shabby I might say.

(Side note, France has the third highest military spending of any country in the world at $65.7 billion, second only to the United States and China)

8. Poland

The Stereotype: Polish people are stupid

Probably one of the most reviled people on Earth, the Poles have had to put up with all kinds of insanity, including the occupation of their homeland by the Russians and later Germans during WWII, and the stereotype of the stupid Pole, perpetuated by their occupiers, has continued to survive today in the form of the “dumb Polack” joke about Polish attempts to change a lightbulb or underwater transport disasters.

IQ tests aren’t perfect, but when the country you’re joking about does better when IQs are averaged together then your own, its time to scale back the submarine screen door jokes. Yes, Poland bested the US in the IQ department, along with Australia, Denmark and Norway (among others) with an average IQ of around 99, as opposed to 98 for the others. A Pole (Nicolaus Copernicus) gave us the heliocentric theory. Also, all the mathematicians who broke the German ENIGMA code hailed from Poland. This isn’t even getting to such greats as piano virtuoso Frederic Chopin and Marie Curie, who won two Nobel Prizes for her research into radioactivity.

7. Russia

The Stereotype: Russians are rampaging drunks

We have a tendency to name just about every drink with vodka in it “(fill in the blank) Russian”, and it all comes from the stereotype of the giant hairy bearded Russian man named Ivan superhumanly blitzed on the stuff and arm wrestling a bear.

But how much do they really drink? About 10.8 liters per capita in a given year, just slightly more than the United States at 8.6 liters. In other words, not much more than most other countries do. Sure, the Russians have their problems that many would like to drink away, but most of them also have jobs they have to go to in the morning, where we’re sure it’s frowned upon to show up to work sloshed and trying to wrestle some hairy guy named Pavel who works in the mailroom.

6. Ireland

The Stereotype: The Irish are slovenly and poor

This one has been a staple of British stereotypes of the Irish people, and for a while was popular in the United States as waves of Irish immigrants crossed the Atlantic to start a new life in America. Political cartoons of the 19th century depict Irish people as slobs who exist only to take up menial, low-paying jobs, the money they spend in local gin joints to get hammered. Irish people were, and sometimes are, stereotyped also as slovenly and lazy, living off of social welfare rather than holding an actual job.

In reality, though the economy has taken a huge hit due to the global economic turndown, the Republic of Ireland is one of the most developed countries in Europe thanks to economic modernization. Although unemployment is currently high (just above 13%) only 10% live below the poverty line, as opposed to 14% in the United Kingdom and over 18% in Spain. Far from being sloths, the labor of Irish workers helped build great American cities like New York and transformed them into modern metropolises.

5. Israel

The Stereotype: The Israelis are bloodthirsty warmongers

Israel has been taking flak since pretty much the day the country was born in 1948. On the day of the country’s birth, tanks from the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Syria stormed across the border. Any history student can tell you how that one turned out, and since then, Israel has been under near constant siege by armed Islamist groups seeking it’s destruction. So where does the stereotype come from?

Arab media routinely depicts Israelis as bloodthirsty monsters who kill just about everything in sight (kind of the same way they depict Americans). Individual atrocities (real or, more often, faked) are overhyped to paint the entire country as evil. The international media doesn’t help, as they will often pick up stories uncritically and run them day and night. More sinisterly, these stories often take a decidedly anti-Semitic tone, often repeating ancient blood libels in whole or redressing them in a modern fashion, like for instance, Arab propaganda that states that Israeli soldiers steal the organs of dead Palestinians to sell on the black market, which carries a disturbing tone of ancient anti-Semitic blood libels.

4. Brazil

The Stereotype: Brazilians are sluts

“Brazil”. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear someone say that? Chances are if you’re a college kid with a library of Girls Gone Wild DVDs in your collection that you hide under the bed whenever mom comes to visit, you think skimpy bathing suits and girls who will sleep with anyone who asks. The stereotype isn’t helped by the myriad of porn sites that offer XXX videos of random Brazilian girls having sex with some oaf with a video camera (don’t ask how I know that, you don’t want to know).

While Brazil’s reputation as a sexually liberal country is well-earned, its no more so than the average Western country. Those skimpy bikinis everyone thinks the country is so famous for? They’re worn because locally they’re considered “cute”, and not usually geared toward landing a man. On the contrary, everything seems to indicate that the Brazilians value sensitivity and tact over forwardness.

3. Great Britain

The Stereotype: British people all have Cockney accents

Britain is famous for many things; London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and something called jellied eels. They’re also the victims of an accent stereotype. When you ask someone to impersonate a British guy, the first thing they’ll usually do is imitate Dick Van Dyke singing one of the happy clappy songs from “Mary Poppins”.

In truth, Britain is like a lot of European countries; a bunch of different cultural backgrounds shotgunned all over the place. As a result, accents actually vary across the place. People from Wales and Northern Ireland of course have their own, and in England proper, there a myriad of accents, all sounding slightly different. The “Cockney British” thing is a stereotype perpetuated by media depictions of British people (Dick Van Dyke), and most British folks will take offense at the suggestion they all have the same accent.

2. Sweden

The Stereotype: Swedes are blond

Nearly every single Swedish person in media has been depicted with the classic fair haired “Nordic” look, from classic cartoon Vikings to the abominable “Swedish Bikini Team” who pitched Old Milwaukee beer.

In truth, the Swedes have a variety of hair colors, from the classic Nordic blond look, to darker colors like brown and red. Gold medal winner at the Vancouver Olympics Charlotte Kalla was a brunette, as were several of her teammates. Sorry guys, but Old Milwaukee lied to you.

1. USA

The Stereotype: Americans are dumb, uncultured and ignorant of other countries

Americans have no clue about anyone else’s culture, so the stereotype goes. Americans are so dumb and have no culture of their own, and are therefore inferior to the enlightened souls in Europe and elsewhere. Oh, we’re racist too. The stereotype is prevalent in European media, and unfortunately the “dumb, redneck American” has become a favorite way for the American left to describe their ideological opponents.

OK, I admit, Americans aren’t all experts at foreign culture, but the idea that we know nothing about them is ridiculous. Most Americans do in fact have a grasp of the rest the world, and some study it as a hobby (myself included). While there are genuine racists in America, it’s a side effect of the right to free speech, not a parcel of the culture. The vast majority of Americans find racism just as repulsive as the rest of the world does. Far from being stupid, Americans score well on IQ tests (98, beating or tying with several European countries), and several Americans have won prizes for scientific achievement. As for culture, American culture is not a monolithic entity like other cultures, but a hodgepodge of various cultures from immigrant communities all rolled into one, hence the national motto, E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one).

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Top 10 Martial Arts for Self Defense

Martial arts are great as spectator sports and a good way to get fit, but they really come into their own when they are used in self-defense – undoubtedly the ultimate result for many of them. This list looks at ten of the best martial arts for if you are especially interested in defending yourself against attackers.

10. Kickboxing

Firstly, and this is true for all these entries, if you’re on the street and a stranger attempts to mug you, or worse, he most likely doesn’t know any particular fighting style, other than “swing for the fences and keep moving forward.”
There are quite a few offshoots of kickboxing, the most famous of which is Muay Thai, which roughly translates to “art of the eight limbs.” Kickboxing for self-defense concentrates on its version of punches, knees, and kicks: fast-paced, distracting, and aimed at all available openings. If the attacker has a knife or gun, and is within arm’s reach, he will use the weapon. The defender is thus armed with more weapons, hands, feet, knees, elbows, head.
Simply walk toward the attacker (who has any weapon but a gun), and throw a front kick straight up against his chin as hard as possible. Kickboxing thrives on this sort of move, and teaches the practitioner to execute it with such extreme speed, faster than the attacker can react, that it virtually rules out the risk of “fancy kicks.” Do it correctly and it will almost always break his jaw, crush his larynx, shatter his teeth, force him to bite off his tongue, etc. He will not fight after this. This sort of kick is well trained to the point that it can, in fact, be delivered efficiently, that is, quickly and powerfully, without being telegraphed.
Alternatively, step to the side, grab the attackers weapon arm, and sling your forehead into the his nose. This will not hurt you nearly as much as you think. The attacker’s nose, on the other hand, will shatter like a firecracker.
Well trained kickboxers practice something called “combat qi”,which is the physical conditioning of any part of the body through repeated damage, until it no longer sends sufficient pain signals to the brain to bother the person. Kickboxers will roll a baseball bat handle up and down the shin firmly enough to cause aching, for about an hour a day for 2 years. The tibia is repeatedly damaged and rebuilds itself stronger and thicker. Eventually, the kickboxer can kick the baseball bat in half with his or her shin, and not feel pain.

9. Karate

Here, special emphasis is placed on attack deflection. Most punches or knife lunges are performed straight toward you, not in an arc. Few fighters are stupid enough to try a looping haymaker.

Thus, step to the side, creating a lateral line toward the attacker’s arm, strike the attacker’s punch or knife hand, then quickly strike his lower side, belly, or back with your other fist. This is very difficult to defend against, and most likely he will not be able to. Push forward and throw a knee into his quadriceps. This hurts like crazy.

Strikes to the face and head are important, but the attacker will expect them, so instead, block his right-handed attack with your left fist (or vice versa), and punch with your other hand straight into the soft spot below his sternum as hard as possible, twisting the hips. This target is the solar plexus, and will incapacitate him as effectively as a strike to the groin.

Or, if he charges forward, snap a front kick straight up with the ball of the foot planted as hard as possible into his stomach or solar plexus, not the groin. If one of the former targets is struck, the attacker will be forced back in agony, by means of his center of gravity. He is leaning forward while charging, and a kick to his groin will cause him to lunge into you.

8. Aikido

An interesting art that is immediately recognizable. It does have a few striking moves in it, but for the most part, it is based on the principle that when an attacker strikes, he leaves some part of his defense vulnerable. If you, the defender, do not attack him, you remain defensively invulnerable.

Do not resist his attack. Use its momentum against him. Steven Seagal is the most famous Aikido practitioner in the Western world. He may be a horrible actor, but he is a genuine 7th degree black belt in Aikido, and his signature move is absolutely essential to any self-defense arsenal: the kote gaeshi, or “forearm return.”

The attacker steps forward and throws a straight punch. You sidestep, snatch hold of his wrist, and twist around in time with his punch. Do it right, and it will fling him completely off balance, using his own momentum, while you whirl around, and twist his wrist toward the outside. He probably will not flip over like the classic theatrics in a Seagal film, but his wrist may well break. He’s unlikely to fight anymore after that.

Most critics of this art point out that it is nearly impossible for the average black belt to catch a person’s punch and turn fast enough to perform this move, but that’s not true. It’s actually a very easy move to learn and perfect.

Aikido thrives on joint locks, which do not require much speed to perform, compared to the kote gaeshi, and are extremely effective in immobilizing and incapacitating an attacker.

7. Wing Chun

Wing Chun Kung Fu is the art that Yip Man taught to Bruce Lee, and which Lee rebelled against as too slow and formal for self-defense. That’s quite misleading. He meant that it was insufficient for him when fighting against professional martial art experts, like Wong Jack Man, with whom he fought a famous duel.

Lee invented his own version of Wing Chun, which became entry #5, because of the inadequacies he noticed in Wing Chun. With this method, he defeated Wong in 3 minutes, when almost any other fighter in the world would have needed a lot more time, and would have suffered much more injury.

He won by delivering Wing Chun’s signature punches: they do not use the hips, but are instead, very fast, rapid-fire left, right punches to the attacker’s chest, not the belly, not the throat, but the sternum or solar plexus.

You block the opponent’s attack with one hand and respond with the other fist straight into his chest, following with the other fist, again and again, walking into the attacker as you punch. The forward motion of your whole body adds power, which, coupled with the arm strength of the average 100 pound woman, results in about 300 pounds of force rammed repeatedly into the attacker’s chest. The only thing left is to practice your speed in doing this. 15 punches before the attacker can react are not unheard of. These punches also have the advantage of keeping the elbows close to the sides, preventing the attacker from grabbing the punching arm.

Then there’s the centerline defense versus looping attacks, like a haymaker or roundhouse kick. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, so instead of picking up extra power by swinging around and twisting the hips, you block the attacker’s strike and simultaneously throw a front kick straight forward into his belly. This will take almost anyone off his feet the first time, if you kick as hard as possible.

The closer range of this method favors a shorter person, like a woman defending herself against a would-be rapist, etc. The closer the two people are, the easier it is for the shorter person to invade the reach of the larger person, effectively penetrating his defense.

6. Jiu-Jitsu

This is the most universal style on this list. It is a true hybrid, incorporating elements of grappling, hard striking, eye gouging, choke holds, biting, joint locks, as well as the awareness of the defender’s center of gravity versus the attacker’s center of gravity.

You throw your attacker by lowering your center of gravity under his, and jerking him over you, or around you. It’s simple and effective. If he attacks with a weapon, you trap this arm, then deliver a knife-hand strike to his collarbone, while shoving him backward and down, locking the weapon wrist and breaking it.

If he throws either a front or roundhouse kick of any kind, he must stand on the other leg. You sidestep his kick, trap the leg, and deliver your own kick into his standing knee, breaking it backward, then whipping him around by his raised leg. He will go down and will be unlikely to be capable of much retaliation.

If he charges forward and grabs your shirt, you do not move backward. You move forward and bend down, ram your hip into his midsection, grab one of his shoulders with one hand, and with the other grab him around his back, and whip him over your own shoulder, shoving upward with both legs. A 100 pound woman can do this very easily to a 250 pound man. You can then trap one of his arms and lock one of its joints while he is down.

5. Jeet Kune Do

Bruce Lee envisioned “a style without style,” which seems nonsensical. But try to understand the concept of adaptation. Lee emphasized this above all: “the worst thing you can do is to anticipate the outcome of a fight. You ought not to be thinking of anything but his attack and your response. Clear all other thoughts from your head, or they will slow you down.”
Thus, you use one stance, the western fencing “en garde” stance. Remain bouncing on the toes in order to switch from left forward to right forward foot, to retreat or to advance, to be able to kick with either leg. Footwork is all-important in a real fight, as it determines how far you are from the attacker.
Elements of Wing Chun include close-quarters trapping of hands and feet; no kicks higher than the waist, since kicking higher than this leaves the groin and standing leg vulnerable; and simultaneous attack/defense (see #1).
Elements of Jiu-jitsu include body throws and strike deflection. Emphasis is placed on the speed of strike combinations, and well trained practitioners can strike the attacker’s throat up to 10 times in one second.

4. Western Boxing

You’ve heard stories of would-be muggers picking the wrong old man to mug. The fight typically ends with one swing. That’s all a boxer needs. In fact, boxers have been imprisoned (wrongfully, in my opinion) for defending themselves from muggers, murderers, bank robbers, etc., on the grounds that their hands are lethal weapons. Boxers throw punches faster, harder and more accurately than any other trained fighter on the planet.
This is because boxers train on average for 4 years to do just that: punch properly. They are not allowed to kick, so their hands are all they have. Consider that Rocky Marciano knocked out Rex Layne with an off-balance, out-of-reach right hand, covered with a 16-ounce leather glove. This punch knocked Layne’s mouthpiece 10 feet across the ring, out of clenched jaws, and sheared off four of his teeth at the gumline.
Boxers also toughen their bodies religiously, every day, to strengthen their muscles for endurance and durability. They don’t look as hulkingly large as bodybuilders, but their muscles are as powerful and hard as a farmer’s.
They punch, block, bob and weave going forward, and punch, block, bob and weave going backward. They are drilled relentlessly with the maxim, “Always protect yourself”. The hands stay on both sides of the head, the posture crouched so that the whole body is ready for explosive power, and that the front of the torso is protected by the forearms.
Your target is the side of the chin, which will wrench the attacker’s head sideways and shut off his brain by pinching the spinal cord in the neck. His strength and rage do not matter. He will black out instantaneously.

3. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

This hybrid mixes Jiu-jitsu’s standing throws and strikes with ground fighting, which emphasizes joint manipulation and overall control of the opponent, effectively ending a fight very quickly. The larger the attacker, the more easily he can be grappled off his feet, using his center of gravity against him, and forcing him to submit (or pass out).
Once on the ground, the first thing Brazilian jiu-jitsu teaches is to seize a limb and break it at a joint: kneebars for snapping knees or ankles, armbars for snapping elbows and wrists, chokeholds and the use of the powerful legs to immobilize the attacker’s torso while the defender ends the fight with fists or elbows to the face.

2. Keysi Fighting Method

You’ll see it in Chris Nolan’s Batman films. It was developed by Justo Dieguez and Andy Norman, based on Dieguez’s street fighting experiences in Spain. Batman’s method of fighting is understood from the comic books to require the utmost efficiency, because Batman is a genius at fighting crime, and will not waste time or effort in putting criminals away. Ten or twenty bad guys at a time routinely attack him, and Dieguez and Norman have developed the style to defend against this many people. It sounds impossible, but after 6 or 7 years of training in it, which is not too terribly long, anyone can perform all the necessary moves. You become a self-defense machine.

Nolan looked around for a style of fighting never depicted on screen, something fast-paced, close-quarters, but quick, dirty and brutal. Classical Tae Kwon Do is beautiful to watch, but terribly inefficient in terms of the street fight, in which there are no rules.
The Keysi Method has almost no kicks of any kind. It thrives on extreme close-quarters combat using every weapon the body can quickly wield in such a small space: fists, head, knees, and especially the elbows.
There is only one stance to know, and when you see it one time, you can do it: “the thinking man,” with the hands clasped on the head, and the elbows raised to protect the head, neck and upper chest. It looks like a man holding his head while deep in thought.
It is designed to strike with the sharp elbows, and lots of hammer fists, which are MUCH more powerful and devastating than straight punches, because they employ the entire upper body in bringing the firm, outside muscle, from the root of the little finger to the wrist, down like a hammer against the target.
This is a hybrid style, using elements of grappling from Jiu-jitsu and Aikido, ground fighting from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, close strikes and centerline defense from Wing Chun, and trapping from Jeet Kune Do. The Keysi Method teaches its practitioners to defend themselves against any number of attackers, 5, 10, 20 and even more, with a 360 degree range of aggression, and to observe all objects in the vicinity for their potential as weapons.

1. Krav Maga

It is Israel’s national martial art, developed largely by Imi Lichtenfeld, and dedicated to no-holds-barred incapacitation for the purpose of street survival. No quarter is expected or given.
It incorporates Western boxing punches, Karate kicks and knees, Greco-Roman wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu ground fighting, Jiu-jitsu throws and grappling, and most importantly, “bursting,” adapted from Wing Chun. This is a simultaneous defense/attack: instead of blocking an attack and then delivering a response, you block the attack and deliver a response at the same time, i. e., block with the left arm and push forward with the legs, striking with the right fist to the throat, all simultaneously.
Also stressed are attacks to vulnerable body parts: the eyes, throat, and groin. Attackers can expect testicular ruptures. Emphasis is also placed on disarming attackers with both knives and handguns, and turning these weapons on the attacker. It also exclusively trains hand-eye coordination, until defense becomes second nature and does not require thought. And a good Krav Maga instructor can teach all of this to anyone, regardless of athletic prowess, in only 3 to 6 months.

bonus
Firearms

It’s something of a joke, and out of regard for the popular definition of “martial arts,” firearms were left off the list. They are, however, by far the most efficient method of self-defense. Bruce Lee carried a .357 magnum everywhere once he became famous as the guy no one could beat in a fight, because there are always stupid jerks who want to prove that wrong. He had no intention of risking injury.
Chuck Norris is well known as a pro-gun advocate, and in response to a reporter’s ironic question, “If someone broke into your house, would you use your roundhouse kick?” he replied, “No, I’d use my 10 gauge.”
The ranking of most of the entries on this list does not account for the length of time it takes to master the given art. Krav Maga is #1 largely because it can be learned proficiently in only 3 to 6 months. But then, you can learn how to shoot the chest and head of a man-size silhouette target from 50 yards (46m) in one afternoon. And most street violence occurs within arm’s reach. No caliber smaller than the .380 (or .38 revolver) is recommended.

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Proses Pembakaran Mayat Suku Dani - Papua

A Dani tribesman prepares to cremate fellow tribesman Tenius Tabuni, found dead during a tribal war against the Damal tribe, in the village of Old Kwaki in Timika, Indonesia's Papua province May 14, 2010. The Dani tribe believe Tabuni's body must be cremated in order to respect his courage and struggle in defending his tribe. The war started because the Damal tribe was not willing to pay a fine in compensation for a rape which Dani tribesmen suspected a Damal tribe member had committed, according to the tribes. One person died, a police officer said on Friday.

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Seni Karikatur yang Menakjubkan Karya Seiler Jason

Sebuah karikatur adalah potret dari orang yang melebih-lebihkan fitur tertentu untuk mengekspresikan esensi pribadi dan masih membuat subjek yang mudah diidentifikasi. Karikatur mungkin dipengaruhi pendapat Anda dan sudut pandang dalam cara Anda bahkan tidak pernah menyadarinya. Jika Anda pernah melihat sebuah editorial karikatur di sebuah koran Minggu, dan sepakat dengan itu, keberatan, atau hanya merasa lucu, maka Anda telah dipengaruhi oleh bentuk seni. Mari kita lihat di koleksi karikatur yang benar-benar mengagumkan karya seni oleh Jason Seiler. Dari Chicago Jason Seiler yang sangat berbakat dalam karikatur artis. Belajar seni rupa di Chicago ilustrasi di American Academy of Art, Jason yang melakukan pekerjaan dengan begitu banyak klien seperti GOLF Majalah, MAD Majalah, WAKTU, Bloomberg Pasar, Weekly Standard, Seminggu, Village Voice, Business Week, Disney, Sony Gambar , Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema dan banyak lagi.

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