Many see Norwegians as people that love and resist extreme cold temperatures. It’s common to hear that Norwegians are good at skiing and also eat a lot of fish due to their long coastline. Norwegian parents often say to their children that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet since there is a lot of snow in the winter and, therefore, the possibility to practice winter sports.
I have often asked my friends and other Norwegian peoples about what they think about the different stereotypes and they often replied to me the opposite of what the stereotypes said. A lot of my friends actually don’t enjoy skiing and nearly all of them don’t like fish either. However, a lot of them don’t feel that it is cold when it’s -5 degrees Celsius and I am freezing. I think that it is in their genes as they are
often referred to as vikings.
To conclude, most of the stereotypes are not true. Stereotypes are mostly statements made by looking at someone or their environment, like Norway where most say that Norwegians enjoy skiing when they actually don’t. It is easier to truly understand when you live in that country. I have learned a lot about Norwegian culture and I think that it’s a key factor to stop stereotypes.
-Bastien Champay-Norway