STEREOTYPES ABOUT SLOVENIANS

TREATED AS UNDEVELOPED COUNTRY

• Slovenia is seen as an undeveloped country in the Balkans- without computers.

• Slovenian people are believed to have caused the war in ex-Yugoslavia when they decided they wanted to be independent.

SMALL NATION WITH SMALL TERRITORY

• It is believed (and 90% true) that everyone knows everybody in this country and when you open an umbrella you have to be careful that you don’t “hurt” Austrians or Italians.

CONFUSION WITH SLOVAKIA• A big problem with Slovenian identity abroad is that

Slovenia is often mistaken for Slovakia.

ENVIOUS OF THEIR NEIGHBOURS

• Slovenians are happy when their neighbours have a worse job, garden, car and they compete with them if they have something new or better.

• There is a joke about such an envious neighbour. His cow died and he wished that his neighbour’s cow would die too because the neighbour wouldn’t come to him to ask him for milk.

INTROVERTED• Slovenians are seen as introverted and unsociable to

strangers but when we drink something we change our mood and we become sociable.

EVERYTHING FOR A HOUSE• They put great effort in making their house and

surroundings beautiful. Every house has flowers on windows. Every house is in a different colour.

STEREOTYPES ABOUT SLOVENIA BY OTHER NATIONS

• Germans see Slovenia as a great country for holidays.• Brits think Slovenia is a country which produces good

cakes.• The French haven’t heard of Slovenia.• Americans think that Slovenia is some kind of food.