Every country has its own stereotypes. “Americans are all fat.” “Italians love their moms.” “Canadians apologize for, well… everything.”
These ideas inform the way we think about other cultures and the way we treat people from those cultures. Taking them seriously can be the difference between meeting with someone as an individual and meeting someone you think of as a representative of every other person who shares their heritage. And no one wants that. Representing an entire nation should never be the job of one person.
So on that note, watch this video by Berlin-based fashion designer and vlogger Justine Leconte, a French woman with a lot to say about what not to say to French people. Most of them should be pretty obvious, but as Justine tells it, if it weren’t still a daily issue she wouldn’t have made a video about it. Essentially, if a stereotype pops into your head, do anything, anything at all, as long as you don’t say the stupid thing out loud.
