features

Coming to America: Danish students discuss stereotypes

Meghan Gerke and Chloe Pacha • October 2, 2015

Danish students Julie Rønsholt, Melanie Møller Vandborg and Anders Borg Nielsen chat about their time so far in America and what’s to come. After leaving GV, they will travel to New York City and Washington, D.C.

When a group of 33 Danish students came to Grand View this past week, their ideas of typical “American life” were put to the test, and the stereotypes they held were questioned. We asked four of the students to share a few stereotypes they had of Americans. Then, after they had been in the country for a couple of days, we asked them if they had found the stereotypes to be true.

Do you think Americans are obese or fat?

“I would say people are fat according to Danish people, but of course it depends on what you eat. Over here, there are more fast foods than we can eat in Denmark.”
Julie Rønsholt ,18

“I think it’s not as bad as I thought it was. I know I’ve heard that 60 percent of (the) American population was so obese or fat.”
Anders Brog Nielsen, 18

Do you think Americans are racist?

“No! Not at all! I think we are actually more racist in Denmark than you are here.”
Rønsholt

“Americans are not as bad as the Danes.”
Martin Jessen,19

Do you think we are a gun-loving society?

“In Denmark it is illegal to have a gun. I was actually holding one in a photo yesterday, and I sent the photo to my mom, and she was like ‘Oh my God! Take that away! That’s scary.”
Rønsholt

“Yes, I think so. I think it’s very insane (that) all the people are carrying a gun—well Danes think that. I get it for self defense if you live in Chicago or some bad place. If everybody has a gun, I would like one myself because I wouldn’t feel safe.”
Melanie Møllne Vandborg, 18

Danish students Martin Jessen, Melanie Møller Vandborg and Julie Rønsholt enjoy CJ’s Place in the new Student Center.18

Do you think America is environmentally negligent?

“Yeah, your car’s engines (are) much bigger than ours.”
Jessen

“Yeah. We have windmills all over the place and—what do you call?—solar cells and stuff like that.”
Brog Nielsen

Do you think Americans are optimistic and hardworking?

“Yeah, you have to be in a liberal country like America. In Denmark we are a much (more) socialized country, so you don’t have to be really hard working—not that we are not work hard, but you don’t have a (public) health care system as we do. We also we get free education. I get like 400 bucks a month for studies.”
Brog Nielsen

“Yes, you are hard working. You have to do everything for yourself to be successful and such. In Denmark, you have support from the government, and people will help you. Here, you have to fight for it yourself.”
Møllne Vandborg

Fair is fair. After the Danes were done dishing about Americans, we turned the tables on them and asked them about stereotypes of Denmark. Here’s the result.

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