social sterotypes: The bane of our societies

The societies in which we live today has a lot of little defects that has been initiated by ignorance and arrogance and these defects cause discord, disharmony and a general divide in how we relate with each other. A stereotype is one such defect. The stereotypes that we hold consciously or subconsciously determine our relation with each other, and in Kenya they seem to be causing more damage than they are beneficial and they have unmistakably permeated all the social classes. Consider these examples.

Those students with a closer resemblance to the Somali community, or those Somalis with Kenyan descent have had it hard socially when it comes to these stereotypes, especially, following the war on Al-shabaab. Comments like “Warriah, so you haven’t joined your brothers in Ras Camboni?” –how prejudicing can that be.

The other day I was having a couple bottles with my friends down at the pub and I overheard some lady whisper “na huyu warriah wa kulewa ametoka wapi?”, in her mind the warriah’s are not supposed to have some good time, they should be in the Mosque praying or something. One can’t just have some good time in the face of this social badge that is stereotype.

The ladies from Nyeri have become mortal and very dangerous partners overnight because of the very publicized “wife batterers” tag they have been labeled- quite stereotypic if you transfer a few cases to become the badge of the whole society.

The other time an acquaintance came looking for me, he wasn’t sure about my name so he tapped on my room and found my roommate and then he asked “yuko wapi Yule muislamu anaisha hapa?”; another stereotype. In his mind since I come from upper Eastern I can’t be anything else but a Muslim.

Stereotypes are prejudicing social maladies. They are socially biasing, reductive and they are marginalizing. They are so many other negative things. They isolate, undermine creativity, inhibit socialization and propagate social ills and evils. We all have used them and we still use them in our everyday social interactions.

The problem comes in when people fail to see beyond the social stereotypes and it becomes the “definitive story” of individuals or a whole society. We fail to notice the innate differences and capabilities that people bear. We fail to fully embrace and accept individuals because of many stereotypic beliefs we have created about them, they thus become socially marginalized and oft times misplaced.

Chimmanda Aditchie that young sensational Nigerian writer gave a talk on TED.com on “THE DANGER OF A SINGLE STORY. She passionately talks about how “The single story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but that they are incomplete. They make one story the only story”. And in the face of stereotypes there is “No possibility of a connection as human equals” Stereotypes emphasize how we are different rather than on how we are similar.

The sheer bias created by stereotypes puts many on the receiving end. I disregard many as Ignorant morons when they call me ‘Al-shabaab’ or something that prejudicing because of stereotypic beliefs; I see downright stupidity when someone makes a comment like “Hawa watu wa north eastern manze wanaweza kuwa na nundu hata usijue!!”

Let’s embrace diversity and look at the many stories that make individuals.
(this post was published in  maseno universities :equator weekly)