triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Stern's Gallery of Stereotypes

David's Mediankritik is a German blog specialising in German media coverage of the United States, and this time they have found for us a masterpiece. Leading German news magazine Stern ran a photo essay depicting the USA as a divided land.

The only black face in the collection is of a prison lifer. There is no discussion of why he's behind bars. He could be a victim of past injustice or a heartless vicious murderer. If they had come to Milwaukee I could have introduced them to the owners of a grocery chain who would have been glad to pose for them. The only Latinos they depict are working a hard and dangerous job, but there is no mention of what kind of wages they are earning. If they had come to Milwaukee I could have put them in touch with the owners of a grocery chain who would have been glad to pose for them. I don't do as much shopping at El Rey's as I do at Lena's but I think it worth mentioning that the one bank officer who was willing to take a chance lending startup money for the city's first Mexican grocery is now a senior vice president largely because of the business the community brings to the North Shore bank.

The picture I found to be most stereotypical is the one of Snailtrail and Usnea. If there is one place in the country where you could count on finding anarchist vagabonds without checking the calender, it is Garberville, California. I would love to get a look at those kids' teeth. Emrack tells me that is the sure way to spot the trustifarians, who make up about thirty percent of the scene.

I'd have been glad to pose for them too. Elbow-length hair, business casual attire, live in the inner city in an integrated neighborhood, own far fewer than 75 guns but will be buying more, voted for Bush but don't always agree with him. I could pose in one of the parlors of our 100 year old home, with the hardwood paneling and molded plaster trim, and give them a pithy quote about the time we had to choose between our phone bill and our mortgage payment, but somehow I don't think they'd be interested.