Being a Kentucky native, my decision to come to Alaska was met with some significant naivety concerning the nature of Alaska culture and climate.  According to my fellow Kentuckians, my decision to travel northward brought with it a land of perpetual ice and darkness dotted with igloos and ice roads, only to be traversed by the occasional dog team driven by a wild-eyed Alaskan hell bent on fending off the scores of ravenous penguins as they descended upon his or her freshly killed walrus.  My vision of a pristine Alaska wilderness was interrupted with questions from fellow "Suu-thaa-naas" like, "What's an Alaska?" and "What happens if them there penguins overrun Anchorage, whoos gonna save ya then? It ain't gonna be the NRA."   Upon arriving to the "come freeze your butt off" state, I found that all of these outrageous stereotypes were utterly unfounded and downright wacky.  Obviously there are numerous roads and people and seasonal ice, snow and darkness.  Unfortunately, I have yet to encounter one of those man-eating penguins I have heard are quite common. These obvious misconceptions leave one to wonder if Alaskans' harbor similar far-out stereotypes of us Kentuckians. 

When UAF students were asked about the first thing that come to mind when they thought of the Lower 48's southern region, the interviewees' responses painted an intriguing picture of southern-white girls dressed in hoop skirts, serving lemonade to a bunch of related coal miners as they danced barefoot to country music, waving pitchforks and chewing on the South's designated vegetable, tobacco (taa-baa-cee).

"I picture hicks, cock- fights, horses, moonshine, and cowboy boots," said a student who wished to remain anonymous. 

Being a native Kentuckian and having traveled throughout the southern states, these stereotypes hold little merit.  In reality, some of us "Suu-thaa-naas" actually do wear shoes, avoid tobacco and moonshine, and distain hoop-dresses and lemonade. 

In reality, it is hard to discern much difference between the cultural practices and qualities of Alaskans and Southerners aside from a few variations in accent. Maybe they actually share more traits than the common stereotypes imply. Several Alaskans interviewed thought Alaska should be considered a nation in its own right. Not a new idea for the South.

 Stereotypes, regardless of their humorous simplicity, can ultimately have negative impact because they can limit the scope of one's worldview and can negatively affect the individuals being grouped together.  It is hard to not be swayed by stereotypes. After all, stereotypes exist because there is some kernel of truth to them. However, as gross generalizations, they paint with too broad a brush for the individuals they supposedly represent.

If one allows a stereotype to sway his or her worldview, only ignorance can result.  All of us can recall an instance in which we were mistaken due to taking a stereotype too literally. It is a safe bet that many of us have missed the opportunity to meet someone interesting simply because of a pre-judgment of who the individual might be, based upon a stereotype.  All that is required to remedy societal stereotypes is an open mind and the guts to avoid the simple route and its' vast generalizations.

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