church of awesome: stereotype maps

See these at full size, as well as many others, at Alphadesigners’ Mapping Stereotypes.

Lest you think these maps represent Tsvetkov’s own prejudices, and aren’t satirical and intended to make us think, the Guardian explains:

Tsvetkov himself is nowhere near as narrow-minded as his maps. He speaks several languages, currently lives in Spain and feels comfortable throughout Europe. "I have friends in most major European countries," he says. "I work as a designer, so we are a big community. We're like the European ideal." Has his cosmopolitanism also made him an expert on local prejudices and stereotypes? "Yes, there are things that you can only perceive when you are among the people, but the internet helps."

...

Arguably these maps could do as much to reinforce stereotypes as ridicule them, but their primary purpose is to entertain. "If there is a serious problem, I prefer to present it in a funny say," Tsvetkov says. "I think there is enough serious coverage, and loads of people who can analyse it way better than I can."

(Have you found something online that’s really awesome? Send a link or an image, and I might post it!)