5. Talk about stereotyped ideas that people may have about the way of life in other countries. (Section IV, «Traveller'sTales»).

Nobody wants to be average. So generalizations about nations are not usually welcomed, though sometimes they are quiet accurate. The dangers may go even deeper, when someone tries to generalize from his own limited experience.

The Americans, for instance, are the nation, about which numerous stereotyped ideas exist. They are created, as a rule, by the people who have never been to the USA, but nevertheless, they are apt to assure others categorically the country isn’t worth visiting. They invent false stereotypes, which in fact, turn out to be nothing more than inaccurate information, gathered from 2nd hand sources.

For instance, you may hear that the whole pace of life among the Americans is dreadful. It is a daily perpetual strain. The social pressures are tremendous. This may seems appalling to people committed to the idea of actually living in town which is unheard of in America. It is supposed that the Americans are not even awareof slipping away at weekends to some peaceful place in the country, because countryside is entirely occupied by all those immense suburban housing developments. The idea of typical aAmerican housewife is even more amusing. It is believed that she has nothing to do but commit adulteryand go mad from boredom and frustration,

Another prejudice about the Americans is that their habit of taking showers is the mania about personal cleanliness. American food is described as flavorless, stuff with no decent fruit and vegetables. Finally, even American children are said to be unbearable.

However, even coming to the US, you get surprised to see quite the opposite and it wouldn’t be some local atypicality, because in reality the way of an American life is not a dreadful rat-race at all, although it has certain peculiarities, one should be ready to adopt oneself to. As for social pressures, I think, they do exist everywhere. I am sure Americans give a good example of hard work and optimistic life-style. This «can-do-spirit»proves that with the necessary willingness and inventiveness one can overcome all the difficulties. So, the Americans tend to be trendsetters in the lifestyles. And as for stereotypes I’d say that in the modern mobile world of traveling and active interaction, any stereotype ideas will soon be nonsense.

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