Once you label me you negate me.
—Søren Kierkegaard
The subtlest and most pervasive of all influences are those
which create and maintain
the repertory of stereotypes. We are told about the
world before we see it.
We imagine most things before we experience them.
—Walter
Lippman
Americans are fat. Dutch people never wait their turn.
Germans love schnitzel. Ah, stereotypes. They come from somewhere; don’t
they? But as I like to point out, people
see what they are looking for.
Before we got to Lisbon, before some man on the subway just
about went haywire scolding a young couple for leaving their suitcases in
his way, before seven days of watching or riding in cars going waaaay too fast
on city streets, I was told how…um…let me be more pc than usual…I was told that
although Portuguese people are extremely helpful and more than willing to help
tourists, they are aggressive. Their reckless driving tendencies were used as
evidence. Yeah, like I said, stereotypes come from somewhere. Need an example?
 |
| Waiting for the metro |
Gwaz got us to Lisbon. She got us to the underground, and she
even got us on the right metro train on the first leg of our vacation in
Portugal. Finding the first two available seats put us directly across the
aisle from a young couple that was obviously doing something very similar,
except for the amount of luggage they possessed. Seated in a typical
arrangement of four seats two-facing-two means that someone is riding backward
(so to speak) no matter which way the train is moving. It also means that when
filled to capacity, two couples will face each other. In this case, the amount
of luggage gathered around them precluded anyone from sitting comfortably
across from them. Then this happened…
As the metro made its usual stops, the car began to fill. As
usual, many people stood up for all the usual reasons. They prefer it. They are
not riding very far. They have large parcels. They are accompanied by a dog.
There are no seats. Or, as was the case for the man who made this inconspicuous
trip rather memorable, there were no seats for a man with a dog. Uh…yeah…back
to the stereotype thing…this guy was a poster child for Stereotypes Anonymous.
My man took one look at the two folks minding their own
business doing everything they could to stop their suitcases from rolling away,
he saw the two unoccupied yet unavailable seats in front of them, and, like I said, he lost his
damn mind—in Portuguese. Because I was told that Portuguese people are helpful
to tourists, here’s what I imagine he was trying to say: Good afternoon lovely
tourists. Thank you for bringing your much-needed money to our struggling
economy. Although it is not clear to you, it is customary for anyone with
luggage to stand in the open areas nearest the exit doors. That way people like
you would not block others from using all the seats.
I won’t even attempt to translate what he actually said. Oh
mind you, he said it, and said it again, and again, then he repeated it just in
case they missed it. He was even considerate enough to raise the volume
throughout his explanation just so they were sure to hear him. (Not many people
know this, but metros are noisy.)
 |
| Just glad it wasn't us! |
Funny thing though, as I watched this real-life Fawlty
Towers scene play out, I imagined John Cleese yelling at poor Manuel who
couldn’t understand a single word he was saying. And, now, remembering just how
uncomfortable those two folks probably were, I am reminded of a philosophy
professor I had many years ago. He argued that anyone upset over waiting on
line (or in a queue as the Euros call it) was making a statement that the
people in front had no moral right to be there. I just say that life is timing.
Had the man and the dog been first, the couple and their luggage would never
than chosen to sit near. (Who sits near a strange dog that will
kill you just for looking at it?)
I cannot imagine them screaming about the
rudeness of bringing such a dangerous animal in such tight quarters, unless they were Portuguese.
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