It's times like this that I realize how often and how easily I marginalize,categorize and otherwise "otherize" those who are in some way different from me.
Here is a conversation I had with a neighbor this afternoon(non-German, I want to point out) while taking out the dirty diapers:
D: In Germany, we separate our trash. Paper goes in one bin, glass and plastic go in the containers at the end of the street and the rest of the trash can be put in the bin out front.
M: Thanks - we've been careful to put everything where it goes. Did you see something in the trash that we missed and weren't supposed to put in?
D: No, but recycling is important to Germans. Americans don't really care about our resources.
M: That's not exactly true. Even back home, we are careful to recycle and use our resources wisely.
D: No, Americans don't care.
Then he walked away. Perhaps he wants us to use cloth diapers. But regardless, I didn't like being lumped in with his stereotype of what he thinks Americans are like.
Truth be told, we do that all the time. Perhaps not in such an obnoxious way. Whether it's the snake-handlers, the "Mexicans," pregnant teens, moped drivers, Muslims, SAHMs, or any other category of person, we're all guilty of it.
So this righteous indignation I feel toward my neighbor is hardly justified. Now, if only I can put into practice what I preach...
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