The document contains several short jokes and stereotypes about different European nationalities and their perceived characteristics: - One joke suggests a UN survey on world hunger failed because Europeans didn't understand "shortage", Africans didn't know the meaning of "food", Argentinians didn't understand "please", Americans didn't know "the world as a whole", and Cubans were confused by "what you think". - Another describes heaven having French chefs, English police, German mechanics, Italian lovers, and Swiss bankers, while hell is the opposite. - A third joke is about a sinking ship where the captain gets passengers to evacuate by telling the British it was traditional, French it was fashionable,

1. Stereotype jokes An exercise in debateable taste

2. The UN Survey The UN has just completed the largest survey of public opinion in its history. The question was : 'Please say honestly what you think about the shortage of food in the world as a whole' The results could not have been more discouraging. The survey was a total failure, because: The Europeans didn't understand the word 'shortage' The Africans didn't know the meaning of the word 'food' The Argentinians didn't understand the word 'please' The Yanks had no idea what was meant by 'the world as a whole' The Cubans were confused by the phrase 'what you think' And in the Ecuadorian Assembly they are still debating what might be meant by 'honestly'

3. European Heaven & Hell In Heaven: the cooks are French, the policemen are English, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian, and the bankers are Swiss. In Hell: the cooks are English, the policemen are German, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss and the bankers are Italian.

4. The Sinking Ship A cruise ship full of English, French, German and Italian holidaymakers was sinking in the middle of the Mediterranean. The captain radioed for help, and was told that if the passengers jumped into the sea then they could be picked up. So he sent his young First Officer off to give the passengers their instructions. Five minutes later, the young officer came back looking disappointed. "What's wrong?" the captain asked. "They all refuse to jump into the sea just like that - they won't listen to me," replied the First Officer. So, the captain went off to do it himself. He came back ten minutes later, looking very pleased with himself. "How did you do that?" demanded the First Officer, staring at the hordes of passengers hurling themselves into the sea. "Well..." said the captain,"I told the British it was traditional, I told the French it was fashionable, I told the Germans it was an order, and I told the Italians it was forbidden!"

5. Three Wishes An Englishman, an Irishman and a Frenchman find an old lamp and free the genie. So the genie grants each of them a wish. The Irishman says that his country is beautiful, green and lush. His wish is that it will always be so. The Frenchman says that his country is suffering from foreign influence and wishes for a wall to keep everything and everyone out. The Englishman considers this and asks the genie: "Tell me more about this wall." "It's a high wall," replies the genie. "It surrounds France, nothing can get in or out." "Then," says the Englishman, "fill it with water."