The concept of stereotypes is often viewed in a negative light. This is especially true in current times, where everyone is trying to be politically correct all the time. Mostly in order to prevent anyone from getting offended, as that is apparently a common occurrence nowadays. But we already know what I think of political correctness. I don't think of it at all. :)
Instead I insist on laughing with it. Politically incorrect humor is exactly the type of humor we need to depower certain stigmatized concepts like racism or stereotypes. If we can all laugh at ourselves and each other, no one can get mad. So, that being said, here are a few fun stereotypes of Surinamers to laugh at. Feel free to compare with your own country.
🌴 We're Always Late.
A popular one, especially in the country of our ex-colonizers, the Netherlands, is that we are always late. It's also the one I am the biggest culprit of. Well, used to be anyways. A few years back I couldn't be on time to save my life, but in recent years it has gotten less intense, since I have more responsibilities and all.
🌴 We LOVE food.
If you are planning on rationing or calculating exact portions of food with a bunch of people from Suriname, don't. Don't even dare to think about it. If we love something, it's food. The diverse amount of dishes available due to all the different ethnicities probably have something to do with this.
Apparently there's an abundance of tagged food pics of me on Facebook. No idea why.
🌴 We're Lazy.
Another one popular with the ex-colonizer is that Surinamers are lazy. While this is definitely not true for any hard-working person in the country, there are some who ruin the reputation by literally doing nothing and depending on the government for support. But that's probably not unique to this country.
🌴 Not your Man. Our man.
A running gag among my countrymates with a funny bone is that your man is not your man in Suriname, jokingly hinting that someone's man/woman always gets stolen or shared by someone else. Of course this is not true, as we have many loyal people here, at least the ones I know. But its always a good gag to laugh at.
🌴 We love to have Fun and Enjoy Life.
As a true South-American/Caribbean country Suriname knows how to party! Music, booze, food, upbeat tempos, and wonderful happy people all around. If I ever moved to another country this is one of the top things I would miss. Check out the inner city vibes from this end of the year video.
Joking is also another form of fun. To some, not everything is a joke or a meme, but in Suriname it can be. The most serious criminal thing can happen within our political system and I can be sure at least a handful of memes being forwarded and shared through social media. It's never a dull day here.