National Character

Is there such a thing as national character? Any truth to stereotypes?

I looked up a few national stereotypes - bear in mind that such stereotypes are usually created by enemies. A few samples:

Spaniards: – lazy; party animals; womanizers

Irish – loud; no sense of cuisine; impulsive; glass of whiskey or beer in his/her hand;

Greek – big and overweight; lazy; eat souvlaki and olives and drink Ouzo or red wine all day;

French – good lovers; best cuisine in the world; chaotic; irresponsible;

Germans – mechanical; organized; boring; no sense of humor;

British (UK) – drinkers; lousy food; stiff upper-lips; ultra-traditional;

Read more: http://www.nationalstereotype.com/55-nations-stereotypes-that-will-ruin-or-make-your-day/

I shortened all the lists, but more or less everybody eventually gets accused of being a drunk. Full disclosure: According to 23 and me, my ancestry is German, French, English, Irish, Czech, and Norwegian, in more or less that order. I wouldn't put too much faith in these stereotypes. After all, the one for Czechs starts out:

Czech – agreeable; heavy beer drinkers; bohemian lifestyle; live and let live attitude; tolerant;

Let me see. How well does that fit the internet Czech I know best?

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