Do certain European ethnic groups act differently?

[Eliades]

I mean this personality wise. So for example, is it normal for one Euro ethnic group to be more aggressive than another? Like comparing a Serb to a Finn, or a Russian to an Englishman. And, do other ethnic groups have different behavior, or they more prone to a certain illness (mental or physical.).

This can be applied to race as well. Like with Asians and Africans.

If this topic is controversial or odd, I apologize. I do not mean to offend one group or another. This was just something a friend and I were talking about the other day.

Thanks

[Albion]

Yes they do. It is the source of many stereotypes, for example the Dutch are meant to be cynical and sarcastic, the Italians are supposedly very loud and do a lot of arm waving - they're just stereotypes but they perhaps have some grain of truth in them.
Research European stereotypes, that'll give you some information.

Different European groups do act differently but there are similarities between different ethnicities in Europe and ethnic groups close to each other.
For example the peoples of the British Isles today, however much some of them might hate this fact are actually in many ways rather similar, its only as you delve into the culture deeper that the differences become more apparent.

[Grumpy Cat]

Well I made several posts relating to this while in troll mode:

I find people who speak English to have a rather black and white mode of thinking. You know, if you think/do x you must be y. This is why I left Heathenry (I have a couple rap songs on my playlist, I must be a universalist, etc.)

It's something that grinds my gears smooth so when they do it I just back out of the argument and walk away.

[Eliades]

Yes they do. It is the source of many stereotypes, for example the Dutch are meant to be cynical and sarcastic, the Italians are supposedly very loud and do a lot of arm waving - they're just stereotypes but they perhaps have some grain of truth in them.
Research European stereotypes, that'll give you some information.

Different European groups do act differently but there are similarities between different ethnicities in Europe and ethnic groups close to each other.
For example the peoples of the British Isles today, however much some of them might hate this fact are actually in many ways rather similar, its only as you delve into the culture deeper that the differences become more apparent.

Alright that's very helpful. I will research more, and I was also wondering if there's anything genetically that causes these differences.

Well I made several posts relating to this while in troll mode:

I find people who speak English to have a rather black and white mode of thinking. You know, if you think/do x you must be y. This is why I left Heathenry (I have a couple rap songs on my playlist, I must be a universalist, etc.)

It's something that grinds my gears smooth so when they do it I just back out of the argument and walk away.

Lol. Not all english speakers.

[Grumpy Cat]

Lol. Not all english speakers.

Not all, but many. Especially Americans (although among English-speaking Canadians it's also found, but generally only among NDP social democrat types, maybe because they're influenced by the American left, I don't know).

I get it all the time.

To an English-speaker:

I agree with eugenics, therefor I'm a Nazi (even though my belief in eugenics has nothing to do with race).

I don't date outside my race, I must be a racist.

I like some rap, I must be a universalist.

I lean to the left on some issues, I must be a communist.

I lean to the right on some issues, I must be a fascist.

Guess what, I, and most people have more depth than that.

[Wyn]

Guess what, I, and most people have more depth than that.

That's a pretty existentialist attitude you've got there.

[Treffie]

Not all, but many. Especially Americans (although among English-speaking Canadians it's also found, but generally only among NDP social democrat types, maybe because they're influenced by the American left, I don't know).

I get it all the time.

To an English-speaker:

I agree with eugenics, therefor I'm a Nazi (even though my belief in eugenics has nothing to do with race).

I don't date outside my race, I must be a racist.

I like some rap, I must be a universalist.

I lean to the left on some issues, I must be a communist.

I lean to the right on some issues, I must be a fascist.



Easy to generalise, isn't it?

[Eliades]

Not all, but many. Especially Americans (although among English-speaking Canadians it's also found, but generally only among NDP social democrat types, maybe because they're influenced by the American left, I don't know).

I get it all the time.

To an English-speaker:

I agree with eugenics, therefor I'm a Nazi (even though my belief in eugenics has nothing to do with race).

I don't date outside my race, I must be a racist.

I like some rap, I must be a universalist.

I lean to the left on some issues, I must be a communist.

I lean to the right on some issues, I must be a fascist.

Guess what, I, and most people have more depth than that.

I agree that definitely applies to most Americans especially the ones in high school, it's something that you have to used to over years.

[Svipdag]

IMO, all of them do.

[Magister Eckhart]

Not all, but many. Especially Americans (although among English-speaking Canadians it's also found, but generally only among NDP social democrat types, maybe because they're influenced by the American left, I don't know).

I get it all the time.

To an English-speaker:

I agree with eugenics, therefor I'm a Nazi (even though my belief in eugenics has nothing to do with race).

I don't date outside my race, I must be a racist.

I like some rap, I must be a universalist.

I lean to the left on some issues, I must be a communist.

I lean to the right on some issues, I must be a fascist.

Guess what, I, and most people have more depth than that.

I think that has more to do with simple-mindedness than ethnicity. Peasants of all ethnicities and races generally have these sorts of reactions. Take urban Negroes, for example; they are the same way, but certainly not English or under English influence.

Americans are given to this because we're a largely peasant nation, and peasant-mindedness is encouraged; there are a few of us not given to this sort of thought, but again I think this has less to do with ethnicity than just one's station.

That having been said, different ethnicities do have different ethnic traits that relate to personality. There is a reason why only the Germans have a word for Schadenfreude.

[The Ripper]

There is a reason why only the Germans have a word for Schadenfreude.

Lot's of languages have that word. Is it a patented German invention? :D

In Swedish it is skadeglädje, in Finnish it is vahingonilo, in Danish its skadefryd..

[Breedingvariety]

There is a reason why only the Germans have a word for Schadenfreude.
Having such word should be embarrassment, not a source of pride.

[Magister Eckhart]

Having such word should be embarrassment, not a source of pride.

Does it have to be one or the other? It seems to me that everyone has Schadenfreude as a concept but only the Germans (and perhaps the Finns, as pointed out above) have a word for it, making them more introspective than the others. The material point is that it definitely points to a unique ethnic quality.

Also, @Riippumatto, those Scandinavian words (except the Finnish) are in fact loan translations from German because the Scandinavian languages are so similar, but the word Schadenfreude and all subsequent forms is definitely German in origin.

[Eldritch]

There is a reason why only the Germans have a word for Schadenfreude.


Lot's of languages have that word. Is it a patented German invention? :D

In Swedish it is skadeglädje, in Finnish it is vahingonilo, in Danish its skadefryd..


ἐπιχαιρεκακία, biatches, ἐπιχαιρεκακία !!

[Ouistreham]

Americans are given to this because we're a largely peasant nation, and peasant-mindedness is encouraged; there are a few of us not given to this sort of thought, but again I think this has less to do with ethnicity than just one's station.

Maybe this specific simple-mindedness was just the factor that made America possible.

The U.S. of A. have been able (so far) to build a remarkably homogeneous Anglo nation with people from various backgrounds (as long as they looked reasonably white, OF COURSE) thanks to that mindset.

[Agrippa]

Definitely. To name all the differences would be a long list though and I think that social type differences are overall bigger than national ones.

[Don Brick]

Lot's of languages have that word. Is it a patented German invention? :D

In Swedish it is skadeglädje, in Finnish it is vahingonilo, in Danish its skadefryd..

Yes and we also have the saying "vahingonilo on paras ilo" which in English is "schadenfreude (or apparently the rarely used word epicaricacy) is the greatest joy". Hmm.... :icon_ask:

[Logan]

Definitely. To name all the differences would be a long list though and I think that social type differences are overall bigger than national ones.

Cultural and linguistic pequliarities are as well significant factors.

In Scots Gaelic there is no word for 'Please'. There is rather an expression; 'If it is your pleasure'.

I remember the phrase, but not the Gaelic spelling so I do not present it here. It was a few years ago in Edinburgh, and I've not kept up.