Word of the Day #8: Dilatory

Main Entry:

dil·a·to·ry

Pronunciation:

\ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French dilatorie, Late Latin dilatorius, from Latin differre (past participle dilatus) to postpone, differ — more at differ, tolerate

Date:

15th century

1 : tending or intended to cause delay <dilatory tactics> 2 : characterized by procrastination : tardy <dilatory in paying bills>

— dil·a·to·ri·ly \ˌdi-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

— dil·a·to·ri·ness \ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs\ noun

This word is ideal for addressing stereotypes in both of my target cultures. Fantastic!

First stop, German stereotypes. Last week I went to Woodland Junior High to give a presentation for my German multiculturalism class. During the course of the presentation, my group had to adamantly profess that not all Germans are Nazis, not all Nazis are Germans, and Germans in general hate Hitler and neo-Nazis and would just as soon spit in their face as look at them. Although Nazism is by far the worst German stereotype, there are several others. For example, the idea that Germans wear Lederhosen and drink lots of beer. In fact, the image on the right is the first one that came up when I typed in "German stereotypes". Another one is they loath any kind of dilatory behavior and are "Nazis" about being on time. In the U.S., the word "Nazi" has become a kind of pop-culture reference refering to anything strict or somewhat crazy, such as the famous "soup-Nazi". This is a little disheartening for Germans who are guests here, and even though I am guilty of sometimes loosely throwing around this word, I would ask that people be a little more aware of how the term is being used. So, here's the definition to help you determine when is a good time to use it.

Now for Spain, which means I get to talk about my partner again :). When it comes to being on time, I am definitely the sterotypical, type-A American. If you're on time, you're late. So, this clashed largely with my partner's idea of always being "in time" as opposed to "on time". In addition, all those from Spanish-speaking countries seem to have this same stereotype attached to them. This dilatory fashion of my partner has often caused conflict. However, it truly is a stereotype. For example, my partner's father is perfectly capable of being on time, in fact he is apparently known for being an hour early. Along with the dilatory stereotype, there are the stereotypes that all Spaniards love bull-fighting and are loud and fanatical (as seen in the left picture), and that Spain only has seafood. My partner, for one, doesn't enjoy bull fights, and a lot of the people who run with the bulls are in fact tourists. And the picture is probably from a soccer game anyway. In addition, one of the most famous foods, other than paella, is the Spanish omelette, which has no seafood. And, there are some paella recipes that don't call for any seafood.

With all this being said, I have to question why stereotypes exist. And, who decides what these stereotypes are? If people exhibit a stereotype, is it due to their upbringing, culture, societal expectations, all of them or something else entirely? With the exposure to so many different societies through technology, are these stereotypes disappearing? These are questions that especially need to be addressed by the U.S., since we are constantly exposed to different cultures as a multicultural society. As a melting pot, will all these stereotypes eventually blend together? And if that happens, will stereotypes actually disappear?

Although I try to be an optimist, I think stereotypes are the result of ignorance, hate and fear, which are unfortunately aspects of every society and are therefore here to stay. Stereotypes are perpetuated by the media, thus exposing us to a never-ending cycle of assumptions and misconceptions. Although technology is closing the gap between countries and oceans, only those who seek out knowledge will be able discount stereotypes, and therefore those who are ignorant will remain so. The U.S. has been given the name "melting pot" but has never fully accepted it. Our neighborhoods are still segregated along racelines and there are still people who strongly support eugenics.

So, what are we educators and future educators to do about stereotypes? Take charge. We can no longer be dilatory concerning these issues. We have to get them out in the open now. This is something I'm obviously passionate about, but I think there are certain things you have to have an opinion on. Ignorance, hate and fear are on that list of things.