About Me
- Kristi
- The Boy, 2 Muttleys and I have finally realized our dream of living 1 mile from the Lindt Chocolate Factory. Leaving Atlanta (the World of Coke) for Zurich (the World of Chocolate) hasn't come without challenges, incredible fun or giggles. Follow along as I chronicle our adventures as we acclimate to this new Swiss lifestyle.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Shame on You Zurich
There is no Utopia. There is no heaven on earth. Even if there was, we couldn't truly enjoy it as the human condition requires us to be constantly dissatisfied during the course of our lives. We are wired to think there is always something better out there and it is because of this "grass-is-greener-itis" that we always strive to make things better. It is nature's way of ensuring our success (and excess unfortunately). Since landing in Zurich, I have been its defender. I have yet to meet anyone who is completely in love with the place and just like any place on Earth, it has its flaws. Part of the reason why I always come to Zurich's defense is I truly believe you are responsible for your experience in ANY place you live. In addition, if I gave merit to every complaint thrown Zurich's way, I may just start believing all the negative stuff myself and not enjoy my experience as much. Defending Zurich is my defense mechanism against Expat unhappiness and I happen to truly like the place.
So what are some complaints that people have about my new city? Here are a few along with my defense:
1. The weather blows: Are you talking about the "Foehn"? The pressure system that the Swiss named after the German word for hairdryer? Well if so, you are right...there is a giant hairdryer in the atmosphere that blows crappy weather into Zurich. It isn't Zurich's fault and that cloud we have been under for 4 weeks seems to be hovering over all of Europe.
2. The people don't smile: Well if you were constantly being blown by a giant hairdryer, would you smile? All kidding aside, I just conducted an experiment. I smiled and said hello to 5 strangers. All 5 said hello back and 4 of 5 smiled. Not a bad ratio. Let's be honest with ourselves. In our past lives, were we walking down our streets smiling like lunatics? No...if I smiled walking down a street by myself in Atlanta, the likelihood I would be swooped up and taken to the nearest methadone clinic was pretty high. So unless you invented the "glum chum-o-meter" and can actually measure smiles, give the Swiss a break on this one.
3. It is hard to integrate into Swiss society: Well, holy crap. The city of Zurich happens to agree with you. They have even gone so far as to start a campaign teaching us foreign folk how to integrate into Swiss society. There is even a department in Zurich dedicated to foreign integration called "Intergrationsfoerderung" and the new campaign they released almost reads like a 10 Commandments of clean Swiss living.
This particular poster is one example of many designed to get the message out to us foreigners. It happens to be quite benign and I actually like the message:
I am not sure what this necessarily has to do with integration though. Perhaps there is a perception that foreign people come here, live beyond their means and drain Swiss society. I suppose I can't really fault a campaign designed to combat this, if it is in fact a real threat. Other messages include "Try other food besides Kabobs..." and "When you ask for something, ask politely" and "Don't fight with your fists, if you have an issue with someone, talk it out". These are all great snippets of wisdom but there is a catch...almost every poster is paired with a person from a different culture and each culture represents a stereotype. For instance, the poster with the "Try other food" message has a picture of a man of African descent. The poster containing the "Don't fight with fists" contains a picture of a man in a wife beater who appears to come from Eastern Europe.
For the first time since moving here, I can't defend Zurich. In my opinion, the city took the easy way out. On their own, the messages they are trying to get out are fine and actually have some merit. I am all for integration and it being the duty of the visitor to at the very least honor the new culture and place they are inhabiting. However pairing these messages with a stereotype is offensive and narrow-minded.
There are so many other pictures this campaign could have used. Instead of pairing the food poster with an African male, how about showing us this great Swiss food you want us to try? Instead of pairing the fighting poster with a Eastern European guy in a wife beater, how about showing two mouths talking to each other? All this does is serve as further proof that Zurich, and even the country of Switzerland, is afraid that us foreigners are going to irreversibly change their country. Switzerland may be known for being neutral, but is becoming increasingly evident to me that they are more afraid of change and willing to do whatever it takes to prevent it. I suppose that is their prerogative, but it sure doesn't make Zurich feel warm and cozy to the Expat.
Shame on you Zurich. I wish there was a corner for ill-behaving cities I could put you in, but alas one doesn't exist. If you want to see more on this campaign, visit (just don't ask me to translate): http://www.integration.zh.ch/internet/ji/integr/de/schaufenster.html
This post was written for AffordableCallingCards.net, a community linking Expats and soon to be Expats. In addition to being a great source of Expat information, they offer affordable calling cards, keeping you connected.
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5 comments:
Two things.
One: I'm constantly reminded that Europe is generally far behind the US in dealing with immigrants and, along those lines, way more racist. I admit we have a ton of problems in America with race, but we're at the forefront globally, and in general the most accepting country in the world. That comes from our long history with immigrants and also from our shameful past with slavery. That doesn't mean we don't have a long way to go. I'm just saying we've had the sad opportunity to learn a lot from our mistakes.
Two: Don't fight with your fists. Using shovels or perhaps a brick is just fine.
Wow. I need to see these.
I thought the minarets poster took the cake, but these might top it.
Today I met a woman from Serbia. She speaks perfect German but can't find a job because she has to write her nationality on her resume...I find this ridiculous. The required photo and birthdate is also crazy. Talk about upfront discrimination.
The whole page is fascinating. It's like a short instruction book in anstand, which reinforces my theory that many Swiss assume foreigners were just not properly brought up. Apparently different foreigners have different gaps in their education.
The same languages aren't used for each injunction. There's an English translation for the one about recycling but not on the one for respecting women. So the English are slobs but at least they're polite to women?
Also, all of the commands are in the 'du' form. Is this because foreigners are like children? Or is there some new level of informality that's gripping Zürich?
Really interesting. Thanks for posting!
Brady- I think it depends on where you go in Europe. Some countries experienced a huge influx of immigrants, especially post WWII. I think Switzerland hasn't seen any sort of influx until recently, when they opened their borders to the EU. I think they are relatively new to this and don't know how to turn their filters on...I think in the States the filters are too PC at times. It would be nice if a country got it right.
Chantal- I still can't get over what you have to disclose here to get a job. I have heard that the age thing isn't ageism, rather they have to pay more if you are over 35...which sounds like paymore-ism.
Kathy- I think they are doing the "du" here and it isn't necessarily the Swiss talking down to us like children. I only say that because all of my Swiss neighbors do the "du" with me and think the "Sie" is nonsense. I also see "du" and "man" on posters more often.
I love Zurich as a city, but the Zurcher peeps are rude, grumpy, unhelpful, intolerant and seem to constantly have a stick up their butt.
So my tip for integrating? Ignore them. Just enjoy the pretty views and don't let the annoying grumpy people bug you. Works for me ;-)
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