Latino Stereotypes

Furthermore, understanding the main differences between two cultures can help to break stereotypes. Stereotypes are common between Americans and Latinos, but they are not good because they build cultural barriers which don't allow healthy relationships to be established. For example, one common stereotype some Americans have about Latinos is that all Latinos are Mexicans. This idea can build an emotional barrier in the lives of Latinos who are not Mexicans because it makes them feel that the different Hispanic nations don't have any value since they are not recognize for their names; this stereotype can also makes Latinos think that for Americans all Latinos are people who came to this country for the same motives and under the same circumstances. Another common stereotype between Americans and Latinos is that some Latinos think all Americans look down to Latinos. This idea makes some Latinos believe that all Americans are racist and it creates hatred in the heart of many Latinos. Because stereotypes negatively affect the building of healthy relationships between Americans and Latinos, they must be broken. Three important steps that contribute in the breaking of stereotypes are performing a sincere self-examination, searching for knowledge, and practicing objectivity (Kabagarama 56). Performing a sincere self-examination is necessary for people to understand who they are and how they view the world around them. Also, it helps to identify the stereotypes people have about others. Searching for knowledge helps replace the wrong information people have about others with the right one; “...unless we are ready to seek knowledge from other cultures, we cannot fully see their strengths and our weaknesses” (Kabagarama 57). It also helps people to fill their heads with valid information so they won't have space to create or receive wrong information. Finally, practicing objectivity helps to avoid the building of new stereotypes by setting up personal rules and adhering to them. Some examples of these personal rules are, “I will not assume that people from other cultures are intellectually inferior or in my cross-cultural encounters, I will always make the first move and try to understand other people better or I will refrain from judging people solely on appearance” (Kabagarama 57). Finally, understanding the cultural differences between two cultures can also help to avoid misunderstandings. Most of the time misunderstandings are caused by miscommunications. Miscommunications between Americans and Latinos are common because as explained before, the style of communication of Americans is direct and the style of Latinos is indirect. For example, Maria is offended because she asked Tyler his opinion about her new backpack and he said he didn't like it. Tyler is American so is normal for him to directly say what he thinks, but Maria is not used to this because people of Latino cultures are inclined to be indirect. “Latins are inclined to be indirect so as not to embarrass one another. Criticism, accordingly, has to be handled with the utmost delicacy and in any case must never appear to be what it is...Most Americans, given to directness, are suspicious of effusive …show more content…
Empathy is the ability people have to place themselves in the position of others. This attitude helps to be comprehensive about others' situations and attitudes. “Working with people from other cultures demands a great deal of flexibility, an ability to change our behavior and courses of action according to the situation” (Kabagarama 48). In the building of healthy relationships, flexibility is crucial since it helps to first put into consideration the feelings of the other person in order to make him or her happy. The third attitude, a child-like learning mode, is also important to avoid misunderstandings because it helps to have genuine interest and eagerness to learn about other culture. When having enough information to understand the culture of other person, it is almost impossible to have misunderstandings.

In conclusion, learning and comprehending the main differences between their cultures can help Americans and Latinos to destroy wrong stereotypes that make it hard to establish healthy relationships. Also, it can help them to avoid common misunderstandings people from these two cultures have due to their different styles of communication, and finally it can help them to build healthy relationships based on their differences seen as strengths and not