Preconceptions
Our first task was to give a description of our preconceptions of each other. On this page you will find the preconceptions of the Danish students.
Task:
Pair work:Read and correct your own text and submit it in a separate box.
Choose one of the others texts that you find interesting.
Task:
Pair work:Read and correct your own text and submit it in a separate box.
Choose one of the others texts that you find interesting.
Preconceptions... Isn't it those biased ideas that everybody has, and which almost never seem to be entirely true? Most of my preconceptions about the American teenager come from movies and tv-shows - who hasn't watched Mean Girls, 10 things I hate about you, American Pie and so on? The image that comes to my mind when I think about the typical American teenager, is a rather immature person who doesn't really care about politics, who isn't very good with a globe, who thinks that the USA is the best nation in the world, who always takes the car, eats lots of junk food and rarely cook for themselves, who listens to mainstream pop music, and is probably partly religious. I'm sure this characteristic may apply pretty accurately to some persons, but as I will hopefully soon discover, not for all - isn't that why they call them stereotypes? A thing I admire about the American teenagers is your ability to find team spirit in sports. It seems like there are lots of opportunities to participate in various activities - and especially this sense of togetherness through sports, is something that I really miss in the Danish high school. It seems like we use a lot of our energy on partying instead - the legal drinking age is 16, but lots of people start drinking way sooner. Another difference I’ve seemed to discover is the school system: In our schools we always take part in the discussions and we have a whole lot to say, when it comes to the way we want to learn. I'm under the impression that the American high schools focus a bit more on tests and memorization, where the Danish school system is built around a more case-oriented strategy, where we have to analyze and discuss different points of views. But in order to oblige and study other cultures, we also have to redefine ourselves and our prejudices, which I am looking forward to with great excitement!
The American teenager is in many ways sort of the same as the Danish teenager – and in many ways completely different. In my head the American teenager is more immature when it comes to many things, especially when it comes to how you feel about things such as alcohol and cigarettes, which are allowed at age 18 in Denmark. But maybe they are also more immature regarding things such as the society surrounding you. I think that Denmark being such a small country has resulted in a lot of open-minded young people – mostly in Copenhagen - when it comes to accepting when people are different from yourself, both religiously, sexually and racially. It has also resulted in a high involvement in our society. Young people in Denmark are very good at protesting, if there is something that they find to be wrong, and maybe the American teenagers are a bit more inactive when it comes to protesting. Also when it comes to music and other cultural events the American teenager is a lot more commercial than the Danish one – in my head the American teenager only watches High School Musical and listens to Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. Of course this is not bad at all – and maybe not even true – but at least very different from the Danish teenager where having a taste for the underground, undiscovered music and cult classics equals cool.
I think that many American teenagers have a lot more respect for adults than we have in Denmark. In my head most American teenagers are more or less religious and are being raised under much more disciplined conditions, and this might also be why our relationship to a thing such as alcohol might differ. Alcohol is a very big part of the way we socialize in Denmark and therefore also a very big part of our culture, where I believe that American culture is much more about meeting each other as people and doing activities together. In my head the American high school is also much more divided into groups where there are people you just don’t talk to and will not be seen with (an idea that probably has more to do Mean Girls than with reality). In my mind you don’t have to do that much to become an outcast – and if you have listened to a single The Doors album or seen a single David Lynch movie you’re automatically a weirdo.
All of this is probably completely different from reality – who knows – but it will be exiting to see for myself whether all of my stupid preconceptions are the least bit true. I will probably be surprised about how much they aren’t – but then again, you probably always are.
I think that many American teenagers have a lot more respect for adults than we have in Denmark. In my head most American teenagers are more or less religious and are being raised under much more disciplined conditions, and this might also be why our relationship to a thing such as alcohol might differ. Alcohol is a very big part of the way we socialize in Denmark and therefore also a very big part of our culture, where I believe that American culture is much more about meeting each other as people and doing activities together. In my head the American high school is also much more divided into groups where there are people you just don’t talk to and will not be seen with (an idea that probably has more to do Mean Girls than with reality). In my mind you don’t have to do that much to become an outcast – and if you have listened to a single The Doors album or seen a single David Lynch movie you’re automatically a weirdo.
All of this is probably completely different from reality – who knows – but it will be exiting to see for myself whether all of my stupid preconceptions are the least bit true. I will probably be surprised about how much they aren’t – but then again, you probably always are.
project_rousseau_preconceptions_2a.docx | |
File Size: | 183 kb |
File Type: | docx |
PRECONCEPTIONS
I’ve been an exchange student for a year in the U.S. I lived in a suburb to Salt Lake City, Utah, which I came to find was a very different state from all of the other U.S. states, because of the large amount of Mormon people living there. Before I went, I of course had a lot of preconceptions of the typical American teenager – most of the preconceptions came from American movies, and most of them I actually found to be completely true.
I was sure when I left that the Americans my age were going to act as if they were younger than me – not necessarily because they were childish, but because Danish teenagers most of the time seem to act older than their age. I think the main difference between Danish and American teenagers is rooted in the amount of responsibility Danes are given from a young age. For example we don’t need hall passes or permission to leave during class, and we get a lot more control of how, when and what we want to learn in school – especially in high school. American high school students are exposed to a stricter way of learning with more tests, pop quizzes and memorization, while Danish high school students have to consider their answers, analyze and elucidate cases from different points of view.
Another fact that differs us from American teenagers is that we are allowed to buy alcohol in Denmark at the age of 16, which means that our parents need to trust us when we first start going out to parties etc. (which is something that actually slowly happens a couple of years before the legal drinking age, usually). And, of course, we still have to obey our parents’ rules about curfews. But I’m convinced that when you know as a teenager that your parents trust you, you don’t feel the urge to rebel against the rules, and thereby you will gain more trust from your parents, and it pretty much creates a sort of “circle of trust”.
I know it sounds a little tacky, but I really came to find it true, when I came to The States. A lot of the people in my year did act younger than me, and I do know there’s more contributing to exactly why they did, but I believe that some of the reasons are found in what I’ve stated here – how mature we act basically comes down to the amount of responsibility and trust, we’re given.
Completely other preconceptions included that American teenagers eat a lot of junk food, they spend all of their time at the mall, they are all into the school spirit, they sit in their little cliques at lunch, and they drive their cars everywhere. These were some preconceptions I came to find (partly) true.
Lastly I want to clarify that I know how this differs from what part of the country you’re in. I just happen to have experienced a state, where most of this was true – and I’m happy I did, since it was an amazing and very learning experience for me, because it was so entirely different from what I’m used to.
I’ve been an exchange student for a year in the U.S. I lived in a suburb to Salt Lake City, Utah, which I came to find was a very different state from all of the other U.S. states, because of the large amount of Mormon people living there. Before I went, I of course had a lot of preconceptions of the typical American teenager – most of the preconceptions came from American movies, and most of them I actually found to be completely true.
I was sure when I left that the Americans my age were going to act as if they were younger than me – not necessarily because they were childish, but because Danish teenagers most of the time seem to act older than their age. I think the main difference between Danish and American teenagers is rooted in the amount of responsibility Danes are given from a young age. For example we don’t need hall passes or permission to leave during class, and we get a lot more control of how, when and what we want to learn in school – especially in high school. American high school students are exposed to a stricter way of learning with more tests, pop quizzes and memorization, while Danish high school students have to consider their answers, analyze and elucidate cases from different points of view.
Another fact that differs us from American teenagers is that we are allowed to buy alcohol in Denmark at the age of 16, which means that our parents need to trust us when we first start going out to parties etc. (which is something that actually slowly happens a couple of years before the legal drinking age, usually). And, of course, we still have to obey our parents’ rules about curfews. But I’m convinced that when you know as a teenager that your parents trust you, you don’t feel the urge to rebel against the rules, and thereby you will gain more trust from your parents, and it pretty much creates a sort of “circle of trust”.
I know it sounds a little tacky, but I really came to find it true, when I came to The States. A lot of the people in my year did act younger than me, and I do know there’s more contributing to exactly why they did, but I believe that some of the reasons are found in what I’ve stated here – how mature we act basically comes down to the amount of responsibility and trust, we’re given.
Completely other preconceptions included that American teenagers eat a lot of junk food, they spend all of their time at the mall, they are all into the school spirit, they sit in their little cliques at lunch, and they drive their cars everywhere. These were some preconceptions I came to find (partly) true.
Lastly I want to clarify that I know how this differs from what part of the country you’re in. I just happen to have experienced a state, where most of this was true – and I’m happy I did, since it was an amazing and very learning experience for me, because it was so entirely different from what I’m used to.
The word that comes to my mind when I hear ”American teenager” is first of all under-educated. Comparing the Danish and the American school systems and just intelligence in general, the amount of difference in knowledge is rather disturbing. I’m solely taking my knowledge from the TV-shows I’ve watched on Danish television though, which probably are rather misleading, but it’s still weird to see such a misconception of things like European politics, religion and sexual education.
A typical day in an American teenager’s life is probably somewhat similar to ours. School from 8 AM until 4 PM and maybe 1 hour of homework every day. Your life hobby-wise is probably also quite similar. The school system is just very different. We are 30 students per class who all have the same lectures together, while you are somewhat alone when it comes to your personal education.
A typical day in an American teenager’s life is probably somewhat similar to ours. School from 8 AM until 4 PM and maybe 1 hour of homework every day. Your life hobby-wise is probably also quite similar. The school system is just very different. We are 30 students per class who all have the same lectures together, while you are somewhat alone when it comes to your personal education.
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN STUDENT LIVING IN NEW YORK
I have never been to New York and I have never known any kids from New York, and therefore my look upon the average student from New York might be coloured by the many American movies and TV-shows that I have seen through the years.
If you are a kid from New York I will place you in one of these two columns I have in my head. The first column is filled with rich, snobby New Yorkers – we know them from the TV-shows like “Gossip Girl” and the book “Twelve”. They live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and to them money grows on trees. Their lives are filled with luxury, fashion and drugs and their biggest worry is their reputation or getting in to the right university.
The other column is filled with kids, whose parents do not have a lot of money. They live in bad neighbourhoods (the first one that comes to mind is Harlem) and life is more of a struggle. We know these people from films like “Precious” and DEN DER MED BASEBALL!
I have a strong feeling that I am wrong in my prejudices towards young New Yorkers and I know that there must be a large middle class of young people who lives by very normal standards and probably have lives similar to mine. But because I have never met anyone and because Hollywood is not making many movies about these people, I have a hard time picturing and describing them.
If you are a kid from New York I will place you in one of these two columns I have in my head. The first column is filled with rich, snobby New Yorkers – we know them from the TV-shows like “Gossip Girl” and the book “Twelve”. They live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and to them money grows on trees. Their lives are filled with luxury, fashion and drugs and their biggest worry is their reputation or getting in to the right university.
The other column is filled with kids, whose parents do not have a lot of money. They live in bad neighbourhoods (the first one that comes to mind is Harlem) and life is more of a struggle. We know these people from films like “Precious” and DEN DER MED BASEBALL!
I have a strong feeling that I am wrong in my prejudices towards young New Yorkers and I know that there must be a large middle class of young people who lives by very normal standards and probably have lives similar to mine. But because I have never met anyone and because Hollywood is not making many movies about these people, I have a hard time picturing and describing them.
Preconception
I really do not know what I expect from American teenagers. I suppose I expect them to drink significantly less than us Danes. If drink at all. But I guess that is a matter of alcohol culture. Otherwise I really do not know. I think teenagers all over the world have quite a lot in common. There may be a slight variant in the kind of clothes we prefer to wear, or how we act when we are among friends. But if I were to visit American I do not expect to be massively chocked by the difference in culture. Nor do I think that an American would be overwhelmed by Danish culture, if one were to visit Denmark.
I think the western world share a great deal of culture. There is a very fancy word to describe this particular break in cultural barriers between nations, globalization. Essentially it is just a way to explain the effects the Internet have had on the world. You can talk to people from all over the world, and you can read about, pretty much anything on the web. I think that is pretty much how it works anyway. It seems like a descent explanation.
That is my view on American teenagers. I do not really have one.
I think the western world share a great deal of culture. There is a very fancy word to describe this particular break in cultural barriers between nations, globalization. Essentially it is just a way to explain the effects the Internet have had on the world. You can talk to people from all over the world, and you can read about, pretty much anything on the web. I think that is pretty much how it works anyway. It seems like a descent explanation.
That is my view on American teenagers. I do not really have one.
American teenager
When I hear the phrase “American teenager” a lot of different things come to my mind. I have not learned things from personal experience, but from movies, TV shows, news and the Internet. And from what I have heard we are not all that different. An American teenager tends school, and hangs out with their friends. I can imagine some schools have uniforms. Outside school hours I would think that some parties would be held. But as I have heard from some people, in America the parties are big, but not held as often.
From what I have learned there are many similarities between every teenager, I can’t put my finger on a significant difference.
From what I have learned there are many similarities between every teenager, I can’t put my finger on a significant difference.
An American teenager
When I think of an “American teenager”, my first thought is that they are probably pretty much like “us” – the Danes. They attend to school, play sports, do homework, and hang out with their friends and family. But I also think that it depends on where in America you find these teenagers. As mentioned above, I believe the majority of teens in New York City are like us. They are living in a big city so I think the behaviour and way of being is similar to us.
When that said, I also believe that some of them are a little immature. We hear a lot of about “soccer moms” and it seems like the parents hold onto their kids a bit longer than here, and therefore they are not as mature and independent as we are. Another thing is obesity – and if we look at the facts, there are a big percentage of young Americans who deal with obesity. In Denmark it is very rare to see a teenager who is suffering from severe obesity.
American teenager
American teenagers are after my opinion and understanding very cultural. They often appriciate art in form of music, paintings or theater. They seem very creative. American teenagers also seem very interrested in sports. Some play basketball, some play soccer, some play baseball and some play american football. But from what I hear, almost everyone has a favorite sport. Then there is the differences of, when we are able to drive and drink. It seems kind of crazy to me that you are able to drive at age sixteen, but it must be fun.
Then I feel it is really crazy and different that you’re not able to drink before age twentyone. So that is certainly some big cultural differences, that you have to get used to. And I think that american teenagers are very social, and want to know about other cultures. Not that our culture is that much different than their’s. But I can’t wait to come to New York and discover it all for myself!
Then I feel it is really crazy and different that you’re not able to drink before age twentyone. So that is certainly some big cultural differences, that you have to get used to. And I think that american teenagers are very social, and want to know about other cultures. Not that our culture is that much different than their’s. But I can’t wait to come to New York and discover it all for myself!
Cultural differences
Young Americans – Young Danes
If my answer to this question was to be as a general opinion, I would believe that young Danes is more open minded when it comes to surrounding societies. Denmark is such a small country, and it is in many ways influenced by other countries, which results is an open-minded teenager who relates to a lot of different opinions and cultures. As for young Americans, I get the impression that they are not as well educated about other countries situations, but mostly relate to their own country’s situation, as the US in many ways is the centre of the world. Even though Danes are very open-minded to a lot of cultures, Danes do not feel the same way about integration. I think that Denmark, as a small country, is very afraid of loosing the Danish tradition, and finds immigrants as a burden instead of a possibility. This discourse is deeply integrated in the Danish citizen, and I think that our generation is the first trying to change the Danish discourse about integration. To me, it seems like the American approach to integration is much more open-minded, and maybe this was a result of the civil rights of the African-American in the 50’s and 60’s.
I imagine that all of my classmates have written about alcohol and drinking in their essays, as this is a very big part of the Danish teenage culture.
I do not think that Danes is more mature, just because they have the ability to drink at the age of 16 (alcohol with a low alcohol percentage) and 18, but I do think that because of the low age, the government is much more informative when it comes to drinking. We all know how much damage it can create, but instead of drinking in secrecy, it is something that is openly discussed, and is very well regulated. I think it is double standard to give young Americans the responsibility of driving the most killing vehicle at the age of 16, and still think that they are not mature enough to drink before the age of 21. To me that does not make any sense. It is much more responsible to teach young people the responsible way of drinking at the age of 16, before they get their drivers license at the age of 18. It is not very often in Denmark you hear about crashes that involves young and drunk teenagers, and I think that this is a much more common situation in the US
Also, it seems like young Americans is more influenced by media than Danes, and that they sometimes relate more to movies than real life. This might be completely wrong, but that is the impression I have got.
Denmark has a fully functioning welfare system, and instead of taking care of the weak individually or as a community, all responsibility is given to the government. I think this has made us bad at helping each other, and in many ways we might not be as nice and welcoming as in the US. I absolutely love our welfare system, but this might be the downside of it. To me it seems like there is a way stronger community in the US, and everyone helps each other, because the welfare system is not as extensive as for an example in Denmark.
The typical American teenager
American teenagers – How are they different from Danish teenagers? Well, this is the question that I have to ask myself. It is funny how my prejudices completely take over; ‘Junk food, commercials, weapons, fundamentalism etc.’ examples of some of the typical associations I get when I hear people say ‘USA’. So now that I’m reflecting over ‘American teenagers’, you could assume that I will write lots of negative things, but actually no. I imagine a boy wearing a cool pair of sneakers - slim pants, black T-shirt, Baseball jacket and a cap on top. This is how I imagine a boy from N.Y.C. to look like, but of course I would describe a teen from Texas in another way. I just get this feeling that boys and girls are very hip-hop in New York. But, New York is a very international city, and because of that, I do not think that teens look all the same. This was just a very superficial note. I imagine one of their typical days, to be much like a Danish teen’s. Wake up, go to school, hang out with friends, head home, study and finally sleep. I actually don’t think their behavior and hobbies are much different from us Danish teens. The things that make us different from each other are our surroundings.