So, at one point I was in a singing group on the Sing! Karaoke app by Smule (I'm still on Smule, just not in a group anymore), and we all used the Line app to communicate. Everyone was always using voice clips instead of typing, and I still remember the first time we all spoke because for me it was enlightening and humorous at the same time. Now, before I get into how, I'm going to tell you what happened. I was the only American in this group. Most of them were British, and the others were from the Phillipines, Iraq, and we had one Canadian. So, when everyone was sending voice clips, I immediately freaked out over their accents (in a good way) and finally sent one saying how much I loved theirs, and that's when they all freaked out over mine. Now, as an American, I never really thought that I had an accent, because to me, everyone else sounded different, but that's because they were a part of a different culture. To them, they didn't think they had accents either because that was the normal for them. This however isn't the enlightening bit. After about a week, we had all became close friends and would kid around with each other, and I of course at one point tried to impersonate each of their accents and finally, they all tried to do an American accent.. Which, to them.. was the stereotypical redneck kind. This was the enlightening part. We as people, always assume that people from a region are all the same. Stereotypes. We tend to believe them and don't seem to realize, that their is a vast world out there.. and no one person is the same and not all people from a certain culture fits that image that has been embedded into their skull. Not all Americans are hicks. Not all Asians are smart. Not every person that speaks Spanish is Mexican. Not all African Americans are good at sports. Not all French people are hopeless romantics. Muslims are not all terrorists. Christians are not all kind. Jews are not all frugal with money. Mormons don't all have multiple spouses. My point is, religion, race, where you come from.. None of that matters. Sure, it has some to do with who you are culture wise, but that doesn't give anyone the right to place you into a category. Every single person on this planet is their own person, and not one of us is the same. We are ALL beautifully unique. Think about this before you go assuming something about someone. Take the time to get to know them, because you might like what you learn. (*´˘`*)♡
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