Potenza, Italy - Contribution of the Czech Team

Prejudices

Gymnázium Hladnov, Slezská Ostrava, příspěvková organizace

Contents

     1. The most common prejudices

Authors: Sabina Šrámková, Zuzana Lusková, Tereza Měsícová, Anna Doležalová, Jana Kodrlová, Veronika Cholevová, Hana Pastorková, Barbora Kalousková, Aneta Plačková

      2. Slapstick

Authors: Denis Kubajura, Hana Pastorková, Barbora Kalousková, Nina Bajuszová

     3. Mixed marriages – interviews

Authors: Ivana Kadlčíková, Sandra Ogrodníková, Lenka Žárská

     4. Famous immigrants from Czech republic

Authors: Lucie Gőrlichová, Lucie Křesťanová, Natálie Konečná, Kateřina Koutníková

Coordinators: Mgr. Martina Baseggio, Ing. Zdena Ruszová 

The most common prejudices

All of us have prejudices. It can be prejudice about animals, government or love. But the most common prejudices are about people. Preferentially about people from different countries.

We don't think that it is great to have a prejudice. We don't like if someone says that every Czech is a thief. We also don't like if someone says that everyone in Italy is mafioso. And we can actually go on without end.

Because of that we chose five most common prejudices about every country which cooperate with us in our project and overcomed those presumptions. We hope you will agree with us. 

So many countries, so many customs

As we know, each country has its own customs, habits etc. If you are an emigrant in country which is unknown for you, you have to face many different ways of living.

You may think that the naked truth is to adopt the different ways of living. But is it the real true? Do you realy have to pray before dinner if you are in Turkey? Or do you have to celebrate Christmas on 24th Deceber if you are in Czech republic?

We don't think that all of these ones are true. Of course you have to adopt some customs but you can also bring some of your traditions to other countries. You can mix your customs and different customs. In the end we have union of two different cultures, of two different countries. Isn't it lovely?

This is the right way how to adopt immigrants with the view of understanding and intelligence. We can be friends no matter if he prays before dinner or celebrates Christmas on the other day.

In this article you will be shown many customs in Italy, Turkey, France, Romania and in the Czech republic. We decided to make this list for you because maybe you'll take a fancy of some different custom and assume it for a rest of your live!

ITALY

1. Do Italians really eat only pizza and spaghetti?

No, because Italy is really famous for special food. Of course, pizza and pasta come from Italy but the Italian cuisine is more diverse and also every region in Italy has a specific food. We can say that Italy is “cradle of the world cuisine” which is wide-spread in the whole world because of migration of Italians in different periods and it is a base for many cuisines around the world. The typical Italian food contains a lot of dishes, mainly if it´s a seafood. Really delicious are also Italian starters.

1. Italians and mafia – not every Italian is Mafioso

The term Mafia really comes from Italy and then was extended to the other countries of the world but today organized crime is marked with it in the whole world.

Concretely, the Mafia (often marking real misters of Italy like Cosa Nostra) is a secret company which originated in 19^th century in Sicily and then appeared on the east coast of USA with Italian immigrants.

It is also important to mention some Italian personalities like Paolo Borsellino, Rocco Chinnici and Giovanni Falcone. They were the Italian procurators and fighters against the Italian Mafia and helped Italy in a big criterion.

It is true that there is really big problem with Mafia in Italy but on the other hand we can´t predicate that in other parts of the world or in the concrete countries not!

2. Italians “In the summer sleep and in the winter dance

There is a proverb about Italian people. But do you really think that it´s true? No it isn´t! Italy is developed industrial country!

For example heavy-machinery industry is really significant in Italy. There are ports like Taranto, Piombin, Torin and Milano where we can find metallurgical works.

In machine is a main industrial field production of cars. For example Fiat in Turin, Milano (Alfa Romeo), Naples (Alfa Sud), Maranello (Ferrari) or freight cars from partnership Iveco, shipyards in Genoa (Voltri), Livorn, Naples, Tarant, there are farther put out airplanes, motorcycles, scooters or bike. The next important branches are electronic and office technology (Olivetti) or consumer electronics (Zanussi, Candy, Ariston, Indesit, Ardo).

In chemical industry is a significant petrochemical use, sow of gas stations Agip. The most important centers are Milano and Turin. Rubber is made in Ravenna, rubber industry resides in Pirelli, glassmaking is in Murana and Pisa and so one and so one…

Italy is also famous for a textile industry and fashion. I think that every from us has already heard about the fashionable marks like Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace, Donatella Versace, Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci, Valentino, Disel or United colors of Benetton, the mark of Italian footwear Varese or marks of sporting goods like Fila, Diadora or San Marco.

3. Characteristic of Italians and nonverbal communication in Italy

Is it true that Italians only scream and spread with their arms? It´s really true that Italians are a little bit noisy in compare with some countries and sometimes are tracked vigorous and expressive gesticulation but maybe it´s evoked by their big temperament and intense emotional content. For Italians is also important to keep a really good family and kind relations.

And what about nonverbal communication in Italy? It is said that for Italians aren´t enough even two arms. I don´t know if it´s always true but I think that nonverbal communication is for Italians important and when we take for example Europe so Italians, French and Spaniard are in contact very often and they like it and whereas English people, Germans, Finns or Latvians not. Italians, French and Spaniard have also all zones from near to public small. It means that they maintain a small distances during the communication and so one.

There are also some examples of gestures in Italy: 
- Italians wave with open hand towards you during the leave-taking 
- In Italy cuckold (= a bent little finger and thumb of one hand) is really offensive

4. Do Italian have only black curly hear? 

People fancy Italian like lively man or women with black hear… and maybe it´s true…

There are some pictures of famous Italian people on approval

1) Typical Italian…

Rosario Fiorello

comedian, singer, radio and television presenter

Maria Grazia Cucinotta

actress

2)……but these exceptions confirm the rule…

Francesco Totti

World cup-winning footballer

Massimiliano Rosolino

swimmer

Raimondo Vianello

film actor, comedian

Lorella Cuccarini

dancer, singer and actress

Illari Blasi

showgirl, model, actress

Costanza Caracciolo

ballerina and showgirl

Alessandro Feliú

TURKEY

1. Is Turkish coffee a real coffee that is made in Turkey?

Turkish coffee in the Czech Republic. We need only hot water and ground coffee. We pour coffee with hot water and the process is overCoffee in Turkey - The preparation is a long process. They need coffee and chalva. They boil water and then add ground coffee slowly conect a foam and give it to the cup. When you have a cup full you can drink.

2. „Man, you smoke as a Turk.“

In the Czech republic people say “ you smoke as a Turk“. But we want to show you a table where is written that turkish people don´t smoke as much as for example Bulgarian people.

3. Prejudice about turkish toilets

People around the world think that in Turkey are not europian toilets. It is fact that in Turkey are a lot of turkish toilets, but most of the families are modern and they have European toilets. We have our own experience.

FRANCE

1. French eat only frogs and snails 

France is known as a gourmet paradise. Sure most of the chefs came from France and if you travel to France you must visit one of the France restaurants where you can order specialty like snails, oysters, shrimps or frogs legs. So the main question is: Do you really think that France people eat this every day on lunch or dinner? It is only specialty for France people as for us. 

2. Are French alcoholics since an early age? 

This statement implies perhaps from the fact that France is also known for their wine and there was allowed to drink alcohol from 16 and the same for buying, but in year 2009 it increased to 18. Some people think that parents give to them children wine in every opportunity. But if some parents give to child try taste they must be alcoholics? In my opinion every parents give to our child try beer or wine etc.. French just like they own wine like tourist which really often drunk alcohol on public places in the night and that´s why in 2009 was allowed drinking alcohol in about 200 streets.

ROMANIA

1. Do they ride the carriages?

One of prejudices is that people use only carriages for transport. But it is not true. They travel by train, subway, plane and of course by car. There are two airports and subway in capitol city Bucharest. They have also motorways and not only in capitol city but all of them are in the building proces. In smaller towns they travel also by buses but they ride very rarely. 

2. Romanian = Romany?

3. To Romania on holiday?

For lots of people it is a country of horrific stories although not at all are true. Tourist infrastructure is not perfect, but visitors are always welcome here. Romania is the country full of interesting places.

Slapstick

Slapstick

Slapstick is a type of comedy film which is funny and hyperbolism but which is also point at
real problems in society.

The most famous slapsticks are e.g. The Kid and Modern Times where Charles Chaplin plays or Laurel and Hardy.

There are also cartoons (animated slapstick) like Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes. 

You can't judge a book by it's cover

We decided to make a one short slapstick about prejudies for this project. It named „You can't judge a book by it's cover.“

The main charracters are young imigrant, young lady with prejudies and young ordinary man. You can see there that no only migrants are bad but it can be your patriotic hansome neighbour who is the man which stole someone yesterday.

We want to other people start thinking about their own prejudies. Is it right to hold your bag really rigidly when you see some black guy gets into a bus? Is it right to charge people which are not from our country with increasing criminality? And what about you? Do you do this things? We don't want to say that every imigrant is good and every local citizen is bad. We just want to be objective to everyone. No matter if he is black, white, yellow or green.

It can seems as a cliche. But if we make a cliche from this serious problem we become xenophobic and racist. Through our own slapstick we require you to think about that just for a while.

We bet you can do this! 

Mixed marriages

NATHAN and LUCY CRIGHTON

 
He is an English teacher from the USA and she works for the Christian organization called Young Life (They met in New Hampshire, USA, while working at the Christian summer camp for teenagers)

1. What documents did you have to go through to get married?

Nathan:

-I had to prove that I wasn’t already married in the USA

-I had to get a sworn statement from the US embassy saying that I willfully was getting married to someone from the CZ

-I had to prove I had no criminal history

Lucie:

- Just things that are typical for Czechs to get married.

(She had to have questionare for closing intermarriage, Volid identity card, birth certificate, legitimate sentence about divorce of last marriage or a dead certificate od departed spouse) 

2. Nathan, was it difficult decision to move to other country?

-It was not a difficult decision.

(He had a job lined up and many friends already established in Ostrava. He had visited Ostrava twice before he moved here, so he knew what he was getting into.)