Putting Stereotyping into Context
Often the media portray stereotypes as thoughtless and without merit. However, like most things in life it’s not always black and white.
Thomas Sowell has a habit of saying that where you pick up an injustice is often not where it originates.
Earlier today, I heard the story of an incident that happened at Ibeju Lekki. An Uber driver was requested via the app. When he got to the location, the guys who requested him proposed that he takes the trip offline. Attractive proposition: The Uber guy gets to make more money without remitting commission to the ride-hailing company. So he allowed them cancel the ride. Along the way, they overpowered the driver, hijacked the vehicle from him, and went away, but not before they slit his throat and left him lifeless.
I don’t know how brave you are, but I bet it’s difficult for this story not to send shivers down your spine. Depending on how close to this dead person and how graphic you can relay this story in your mind, you may decide on the following if you’re a Uber driver:
- Never ply the Ibeju Lekki route again
- Never take more than one passenger again
- Find another job
Whatever you decide, you have just stereotyped based on a single incident.
Is this stereotype thoughtless? Of course not. Is it without merit? Of course not.
When I was younger my mom warned us against taking things from strangers. That’s likely because of the incidents of child kidnapping she’s heard. My mom stereotyped all strangers.
Right now, my wife tells Pearl not to go into any of our neighbors’ house unaccompanied. Pearl never understands but you do, right? You know why she’s stereotyped all adult males. (BTW, there are places in the world that this fear does not exist.)
While in boarding school, someone I know had his mathematics notebook stolen three days before his WAEC exams. This rendered him disorganized and unable to prepare adequately for the exam. He failed and had to wait another year before getting admission into a higher institution. He later found out it was stolen by one of the only two Yoruba boys in his class. It was only in his 40s he let go of the notion that Yoruba people are heartless.
Stereotypes are evolutionary mechanisms we have developed through our own personal experiences and/or those of others. We evolved it to protect us against dangers. When we were hunter-gatherers, any sound that resembles that of an animal that may harm us, we fled. Stereotypes contributed to the reason our specie is at the top of the food chain now. We learned to stereotype much better than other animals.
This is the reason why policies that focus on guilt tripping those who stereotype others instead of educating them and importantly, changing the behaviors of those who are being stereotyped almost always backfire.
Condemn the road user who sees all LASTMA officials as rogues all you want, but unless you replace his bad experiences with great ones through the same people in uniform, his stereotype will remain in place. It will not just be in place, he will influence and indoctrinate others.
And it’s why beyond government policies, each of us owe it to ourselves and others of our kind to be the absolute best example of whatever we represent.
Be the man who will make other women say, “No, all men are not rapists. Have you been close to Psalmie?”
Be the woman who will make other men say, “No, it’s an absolute lie that women cannot lead in the corporate world. Look at Clare.”
Be that Nigerian that people from around the world would say, “I don’t know about you guys but the most trustworthy people I have done business with are Nigerians. Some of the most hardworking people I have worked with in this gig economy come from that underachieving country in West Africa.
I mean, what can you tell me about Muslims that will make me change my mind? I have them as relations. Two of these families accommodated me for the first three years of my arrival in Lagos. Try again if you want to tell me Yoruba muslims are good-for-nothing.
A certain Adamu Garba disgraces himself on Twitter and I see people cast derision on his name, but I don’t join them. Why? Partly because I know another Adamu Garba who is one of the smartest people I have worked under. He has unbelievable acumen.
Yeah, traveling helps too. That’s why some of my favorite people are those from Akwa Ibom. An exhilarating experience when I worked at Uyo.
That’s the message: Behaviors brought about by experiences will not be unseated in the mind by logic or reason. It can only be replaced by other experiences. And being the conveyor of those experiences is the only thing within our control.
