Stereotypes…Let’s Not!

Let me begin by saying that I am a week behind on the postings, in my defense, my solo show was AH-MAZING and took a lot of my time away from me! but I’m back and I hope you missed my rants!

So I have been living in America for a while now, well Houston specifically and let me begin by saying that thus far I really like it. I could do without the random torrential rains and devilish temperatures, but nothing some A/C and staying indoors can’t fix.

Anyways, before coming to this country I was not aware of the fact that I couldn’t swim… not because I simply couldn’t swim.

Stereotypes are a big thing on this side of the water, don’t get me wrong we have them in Italy too, but they are mainly based on cultural differences, southerners are friendlier than northern Italians, Romans are loud, people from Milan are bougie so on and so forth. But whatever part of Italy….we ALL love watermelon. The stereotypes I have been familiar with my whole life never involved abilities and or palate or perhaps I just didn’t really paid enough attention to them to notice their existence.

Fast forward to my beginning years in America, I remember expressing my love for watermelon to someone and their response being ” you’re so black”….hummm HUH??? I was a bit lost but ok. Then I was told I or rather “we” do not swim ( Ok I most definitely cannot float, something to do with an above average bone density…lol ) but hmm I like being in the water, I like NOT looking like Phelps, and I love dunking my head in the water. Scuba diving with dolphins, parasailing or jumping off Rick’s Cafè cliff were some of the things I cannot wait to do all over again!

I can’t stand cool aid, or any drink that tastes like my pancreas should fail soon after and for the first few years in Texas, I used to take the skin off of fried chicken. Being black, Asian, white,  Hispanic or Native should not automatically add, or rather remove attributes from your persona.

If every black child is told we don’t swim how are we supposed to have more black swimmers in the Olympics?( Guess France didn’t get the memo) I don’t know but I would find it pleasurable to break every single stereotype I could break if it involved my abilities, wouldn’t you?

What stereotype do you absolutely abhor?

EDIT: As I tune in the Olympics I see Simone Manuel winning the Gold!!!!!!!!

Ciao for now!

Be Art,

Aby