While I was reading M&J, I found page 383 table 14.2 rather hilarious. Reflecting on my own experiences I realised that I too have assigned traits to many people. Looking back on 20 years as a flying crew serving thousands of people and working with a diverse set of colleagues, I thought of sharing my experiences of serving and interacting with people.
When I first started 20 years ago, I was such a green horn. I did not know much about other countries much less about other peoples cultures etc. The basic courses I attended gave me some knowledge on the so called norms of the types of customers I would encounter and their needs as well as their sensitivities.
Looking back now, I truly believe it is very important to have a sort of starting point on a sort of general view of what racial and national groups are like and what is expected. In the service industry, if one does not have a basic guide book..boy are we gonna be in trouble! Misunderstandings, fights, hostility, anger, hurt etc could all be the result of the lack of understanding and acceptance. However, through my experience, I have been surprised and shocked many many times by the behaviours and actions of certain cultures/groups which turned out to be totally opposite of what was considered the norm. So my job is indeed challenging,surprising and fun as I always meet all sorts of characters.
The following is my experiences and how I view certain nationalities as I have served and interacted with them over the years (this is only general). Many nationalities have evolved over the years and have changed; from dressing to communication to behaviours/mannerism to even their food/drink preferences.
Indian Nationals:-
20 years ago many passengers could not speak English. My company has been transporting plane loads of Indians to the the USA and Canada daily as far back as I can remember. So by my calculation, heavy migration movements to these countries and not surprising the Indian passenger we carry...