just for fun - stereotypes and misconceptions...

[alter ego]

There are so many stereotypes portrayed about many people, Id love for someone to answer my questions, and Ill do the same
- is highschool football/cheerleaders REALLY such a big deal in the USA?
- is it true that lots of people cant afford health care and go without?

 

[GavinH]

- yes (why this is so is beyond me).
- yes (without is relative however - without in the US means free emergency or critical care. Without in Africa means you die.)

 

[Xero]

Sadly yes, and yes!

Is it true that there are tons of kangaroos in Australia? lol

 

[mom2many]

Sadly yes, and yes!

Is it true that there are tons of kangaroos in Australia? lol

I hope so! When I think of Australia I think Koala's and Kangaroo's lol.

I can't think of a question though :no:

 

[IADad]

I hope so! When I think of Australia I think Koala's and Kangaroo's lol.

and beer

 

[IADad]

Cheerleading - Kind of varies by school and by region, but in general yes, it's a pretty big deal.

Health Care - Like Gavin said - The real problem is people who have just enough money not to qualify for government padi health care, but not enough money for private or even group insurance, so for them they can go to an Emergency Room and be treated, but that's really their only option, chronic conditions are probably more tragic, people who can't afford their following treatements or prescriptions.

 

[alter ego]

Sadly yes, and yes!

Is it true that there are tons of kangaroos in Australia? lol

there are more kangaroos than sheep here
but it depends where you are. I live rurally, so we have them here, when I was living in the inner city, there were none.
No koalas in my area, but they are in the wild on the other side of the country

 

[Mulligrubs]

Ooooh a fellow aussie!!!!

 

[bssage]

IMHO

Cheerleading and Jocks are a type of subculture. So while I agree that the short answer is yes. It also has to be taken in context. I was never part of that peer group and had no interest in it. And probably a larger number of people than is assumed really don't give a S about cheerleaders and jocks.

The health care issue is much more complicated that what can be covered in a simple post. Again IMHO the problems are "Driven" by ins. Under-insured go in debt often times due to a lack of coverage exaggerated medical prices which I believe are inflated to cover the reduced agreed upon prices by the insurance company. And so on. If you make some money but not enough for good insurance. A simple visit to the ER is enough to put you in a financial tail spin that you may not be able to recover from. The elderly can easily become destitute and drain a entire life worth of savings just trying to maintain quality of life.

Its very complicated and very bad. IMHO

 

[stjohnjulie]

I think the football/cheerleader thing depends on where you live. Seems like some areas put a lot more importance on sports in general. But I do think that it is a defined peer group in most of the US.

I don't have health insurance. I am in that gray area. Not poor enough for Medicaid, not enough money to pay for private insurance. The area of the US that I live in is kind of screwy. There are not a lot of options for health insurance here. There are different restrictions and many health care insurance providers have pulled out all together. I haven't had health insurance in 11 years. It is the first thing that I am going to get once I have enough money to do so.

I guess something I would like to know is biracial relationships. Are they accepted where you all live? I know this will vary in the US and other countries. So, everyone, are they accepted and/or common in your particular neck of the woods?

 

[Jeremy+3]

They are very common here Julie, the UK has the largest number of mixed race marriages per population than any other country in the world, mixed race marriages have been fairly common place for a very long time here as well. My wife's grand mother on her mothers side is from India, but no one would have batted an eyelid at all when they married.

 

[Xero]

Yeah Julie mixed relationships are really common in my area, but it's probably due to the set up. The city of Erie (right next to me) is honestly comprised of mostly black people. You're the one that looks like a weirdo walking around in it if you were to go in the city for something lol. However, all of the surrounding townships are like 99% white. Like, in the high school I went to there were maybe two black kids all together while I was there. Eli's preschool is all white. It's just a matter of the area. The highschools in Erie are the ones with like maybe two white kids, you know? Anyway, my point is that we have these areas that are incredibly close together that have large amounts of each type of person, so we end up coming together in relationships more commonly. I'm sure the farther you get from the city, the less likely it is.

 

[alter ego]

biracial relationships are common here too! Im married to a mixed man (eurasian) my older sister married an Aussie, and my younger sister is engaged to a Tamil man
One of my cousins is Aboriginal (many mixed families in my town) and noone ever comments.
Unless I have all our kids out together, as Im blonde, my children are Chinese and her kids are Aboriginal, so noone can figure if we are all related or not hahaha

 

[mom2many]

I think bi-racial relationships are very well accepted by most people anymore. However, there are always those who will have an issue with it, but we can say that about anything really; Tattoo's, piercings, wearing all black. I mean there is always going to be someone who thinks they are entitled to an opinion.

This reminds me of a few weeks ago. My sister had called to tell me about something my nephew had done, they are bi-racial. Most of them are half black/white one is Hispanic and then she is raising her fiance's boys (full black, different momma) while he is having a vacation courtesy of the state .

Anyhoo, she was out shopping with most of them, when a man in his 40's approached her and asked if she was babysitting. She was like "No they are mine", he get's this look on his face and goes "Don't you think they are the wrong color?". My nephew, who's around 10/11 goes off on this man, and may have said a few things he shouldn't, I will grant, but my sister was not concerned with what the man said, only with what my nephew said.

I told my sister my nephew was right, maybe not his choice of words, but that that man had no business saying what he said. That she should not have "just accepted" it and moved on. That by accepting it she was letting her kids think that he was right and there was something wrong with her kids. Not to mention how those kids felt hearing someone say that about him.

I wasn't telling her to give the man a beat down LOL, just that she needs to have comebacks for when she runs into that kinda negativity.

So yes, racial bigotry does still exist, but in small pockets. As a whole I think people don't really care, but ignorance is every where.

 

[MomoJA]

The football/cheerleader thing is definitely dependent upon area. When I was in school, cheerleaders were pretty popular, though perhaps not like you see in the movies. However, where I've taught, cheerleaders are sort of the nerds. Football players are still somewhat popular, but only because a lot of people think that they might become famous someday, which is sort of sad since they can't win a game.

Bi-racial children are commonplace in my area. Bi-racial couples are rarer, but it isn't due to racism. The South has a much higher than average black population, so races mix more than in other places in the country.

We've never experienced any racism, but just when I forget that racism exists, we go someplace we've never been before, and I realize that we may not be received openly. It's always a possibility.

As for inter-racial couples other than black/white, I don't think there has ever been much reaction to that in my area, but I could be wrong.

 

[Mulligrubs]

I guess something I would like to know is biracial relationships. Are they accepted where you all live? I know this will vary in the US and other countries. So, everyone, are they accepted and/or common in your particular neck of the woods?

Yes very much so, we are a very multicultural nation.

I have a question of those of the US. What is 'college' is it the same as university? Why is it so devastating if kids decide not to go to college? If they don't want to go but go anyway do they just study any old thing just so they can so "I went to college"? Or do you only go to college if there is something specific you wish to study?

Are apprenticeships and traineeships acceptable? Is choosing to forgo college and go at a later stage of life acceptable? Do kids defer college for a year or too and travel? Is it acceptable to work straight after highschool and work one's way up in their career that way instead of going to college?

 

[Mulligrubs]

Sorry for bad spelling and grammar up there but I haven't yet worked out how to go back and edit.

 

[IADad]

Yes very much so, we are a very multicultural nation.

I have a question of those of the US. What is 'college' is it the same as university? Why is it so devastating if kids decide not to go to college? If they don't want to go but go anyway do they just study any old thing just so they can so "I went to college"? Or do you only go to college if there is something specific you wish to study?

Are apprenticeships and traineeships acceptable? Is choosing to forgo college and go at a later stage of life acceptable? Do kids defer college for a year or too and travel? Is it acceptable to work straight after highschool and work one's way up in their career that way instead of going to college?

In the US, "College" and "University" are essentially the same thing. You go after completing HS (12th grade) usualy at or around age 18. Here we say "go to college" but you could go to college at a University. By definition, "Universities" have multiple colleges within them (i.e. College of Liberal Arts, College of Nursing, College of Dentistry, College of Veterrinery Medicine, College of Law." Whereas a school named "College" in it's official name is usually a Liberal Arts College. Colleges and Universities both grant 4 year (Bachelor's) degrees, and usually Universities also grant Masters degrees (2 years, post graduate) and Doctoral Degrees, (3-5 years post graduate.) We also have "Community Colleges" which offer training and certification programs as well as 2 year "Associates" degrees. Community colleges are usually state sponsored, and are sometimes called "Junior college" as many students use them as a preliminary step before a 4 year program.

No, there aren't really many apprenticeships. So, the trend over the last few decades is to pay more and have more jobs available for college graduates. I think it's a little misguided because it pushes too many kids down one path. There should be more value placed on vocational education and training, even without degrees. There are also trase schools that are usually private and teach a specific career and usually give out some kind of certification. Often they cost more than they are worth and the kids don't figure it out until they're in debt for a student loan.

 

[IADad]

in my area bi-racial relationships are pretty accepted. But I live in a very liberal part of a pretty conservative state. So, gay marriage is legal here and gay weddings is a grwoing industry in this area. but back to race. It's pretty accpeted here, but only about 6 pr 7 % of pur population is black, so it's not really that common. It's certainly not as well accepted 75 miles from here....

 

[MomoJA]

Unfortunately, our entire school system in the United States is based on the concept that anything less than "going to college" is somehow inferior. I don't yet fully know the "common core," which is the curriculum most states will be adopting next year, but what I do know about it seems to suggest that aspect has not changed.

There are some very good "community college" programs that are gaining respect, but our curriculum still assumes everyone needs to be prepared for "college." Anything else would be "setting standards too low."

I wish we would go to an apprenticeship system with an option, of course, to go to college if that's what you wanted. But, IMO, "going to college" shouldn't be the be all and end all. "Community college" or some other sort of career training shouldn't be a consolation. But that's another topic.

We do not have a "leap year," but a lot of colleges do allow students to defer their acceptance for a year. I almost wish it were mandatory that students had to do something between graduation and the next level of education. I know I didn't really know what I wanted to do until I had lived on my own for a while. But again, that's another topic.