Sorry.
Whoops! Here I am apologizing out of the gate, another Canadian doing what we do, a walking, talking stereotype.
Sorry again.
Because stereotypes are bad, right?
My wife and I took a trip to Italy recently. It was a wonderful place full of helpful, friendly people. And there were a lot of stereotypes walking around, right from landing at the airport. Honestly, it was perfect. The volume, the brilliantly melodic Italian, the gesticulations, the occasional strutting officiousness, so much was recognizable from frankly stereotypical depictions in mass media.
There were many other national stereotypes at hand, of course. There were the loud – and I mean really loud – Americans, closely-shaved and sculpted blond Nordic types, as well as apologetic and dressed-for-hiking Canadians. However, the country was full of local tourists for a couple of national holidays, so, thank goodness, we were surrounded by the Italianness of the place most of the time.
We’re not supposed to use or even notice stereotypes anymore, given that they lean into racist, sexist, agist, and xenophobic ways of thought. But, there they were. Walking and talking. My writer’s brain engaged, though, as I examined my own work for stereotypes and wondered if I fell into them.
You try not to, of course. The simple trope is not something worth reading. It’s lazy and often insulting. Having said that, I found a big one in a novel I finished a few months ago, a minor character who is mostly a stereotype of a Russian brute. He’s profane, blunt, and drinks to excess. A stereotype.
But I’m keeping him. He adds something to the story and doesn’t require a lot of effort to understand his motives or actions. There are, I must say, several other Russian characters who are by no means stereotypes, fully functioning individuals, two of them major characters within a larger historical context. I also had a little bit of fun with a Prussian character and a bit with a character who was pretending to be American, a stereotype within a stereotype, in a way. But it was always a small point of contrast that served to develop a small point of character.
That’s my excuse. If the prevailing wind is from one direction, the occasional gust from another is not too important as long as it does no real damage.
And if that’s wrong, well … sorry!