Texas in Europe?

By Debbie Sehulster – Mindset Wizardry

Most cultures are ethnocentric to some degree. We see and interpret things from our cultural point of view. Americans and Brazilians both fit this mold. When we see things from a restricted lens, we often incorrectly interpret information.

Here’s a simple example of this. My husband and I are visiting Brasilia, the capital of Brazil this week. We’re doing a little work but also doing some sightseeing. Last night, Roberto stopped by a local mall to buy a sweatshirt and was talking to the salesperson. He commented on Roberto’s accent and asked where he was from. Roberto said that he recently moved back to Brazil from Texas. The salesperson commented that he has seen a lot about Texas on TV. He then asked what part of Europe that is. Europe???

Roberto couldn’t believe it – Texas as a part of Europe? As an American, our first reaction is to not believe that someone wouldn’t know that Texas is in the US. Of course, everyone should know about our states. Our immediate reaction might be something like “this guy needs a geography lesson.”

If we look at this objectively, why would a random guy who works at a mall in Brazil know where Texas is? What do most Americans know about Brazil? I doubt that most people could name 3 major cities in Brazil besides Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. If I weren’t married to a Brazilian and hadn’t traveled here, I probably wouldn’t know much about Brazil either. So instead of saying “Bless his heart” and feeling sorry for this random mall guy, I am choosing to look at the situation through a new lens.

That’s my random observation today.