The world has to be commended for successfully, though not completely fighting off racism.
At least most people can today walk any street they would like to walk on and join any school that pleases them. They can also buy meals from any restaurant without the fear of racial discrimination.
In fact, I have a feeling that in the generation of our great-grandchildren, most people will never imagine that there was a time when racism existed within their neighborhoods! To them, it will only be a movie in which Martin Luther King Jr. played Jack Bauer.
Regardless of us having fought off racism, I feel that we have not been able to notice and fight of its incarnation.
People are no longer ‘racists’: They have become stereotypes. They have mastered the art of putting everyone in a box and labeling these boxes with tags that describe their biased perceptions about the people.
It is important to understand that racism is only based on skin color while stereotyping goes beyond color.
Stereotyping is when every blond is thought to be dumb, every unschooled child thought to be illiterate, and every slim woman thought to be weak.
It is so sad that people are often judged based on their outward appearances or age rather than based on their actual abilities. Even geeks have been stereotyped as being boring people.
Let us be honest and admit that the ancient racism has reincarnated itself as modern-day stereotypes.
Technology has failed to salvage the situation as social media provides a platform where those who have already been stereotyped are bullied and called names. Amidst all this, the world seems to have trashed this as a non-issue and is more concerned with cases of the financial meltdown and international trade.
For now, those who stereotype others can go to bed, knowing that they are as safe as countries that contribute significantly to global warming.
Thinking about this, it seems like the world has a soft spot for pollutants: In this case, verbal pollutants.
I have to admit that certain stereotypes sound impressive.
However, are they really impressive? For instance, when you stereotype all left-handed people as being geniuses or wise, does that help? To me, the answer is no. People are different and have completely distinct characters that define who they are. These are characters that can only be discovered through one on one interaction. Just because you know a good number of left-handed geniuses does not in any way mean that all left-handed people are geniuses. In fact, I believe that such positive stereotypes are what contribute to cases of negative stereotyping. For instance, an illiterate left-handed person would be stereotyped as a disgrace to left-handed people since he does not exhibit the positive stereotype of left-handed people.
In other words, we just need to stop stereotyping: whether positive or negative.
Let us approach people with unopinionated minds and only wait to form an opinion based on our experiences with them rather than going in with already formed opinions.
This article is written by Guest Writer Steve – Head of Media at Home Of Transformation – H.O.T., Nairobi, Kenya.
I’m excited to introduce you to Steve; our new weekly KENYAN Guest Author.
Steve grew up as an adopted child (You can read his BIO at the base of this article) and knows firsthand what it is like to grow up without encouragement.
He is set to change Kenya. To change Africa. To change the world.
Please read this article he wrote exclusively for Exploramum.com.
We have chosen to commit long-term to support Steve as he sets to mentor Kenyan youths and also as he seeks to establish a Kenyan Orphanage, and we hope you will join us with partnering with him in the future too.
His wisdom, encouragement, and motivation are astounding.
Read Steve’s articles here.
- Encouraging Children To Give Them A Future
- Are You An Introvert?
- When People Forget Who They Are
- Why Are Your Words Following Me Into My World
- Employers Are Becoming Cons: Don’t Let Unemployment Define You
Steve is serious about mentoring the youth of Kenya
STEVE’s BIO – About me
“My life seemed perfect until the age of 11 when I realised that I was adopted!
Such a realisation became a battle for me since I had to secretly change my perspective about the people who surrounded me.
I could even barely figure out what was right from wrong, since what I thought to be right was now being confirmed as wrong through the mouth of a stranger.
By the age of 19 years, both my adoptive parents had died, and we had to re-adjust to the reality of facing the world without them. They had been amazing and supportive people and I thank God for them.
Something surprising about me is that I was never bold enough to speak up for myself during my early stages of life. As a result, I took people’s insults and reproaches with no defence. Anything nasty that was said about me became a part of me.
I was never the most outspoken kid on the block and got compared on numerous occasions to peers who people thought acted cooler than I did. All these ‘reproaches’ and the ‘hate’ broke me into bits and for over 10 years, I cried secretly, no one ever understanding the reason behind my chronic gloom.
I thank God that regardless of the hard times He was there by my side, always encouraging me and telling me that I would one day be what everyone thought I would never amount to.
Today, my head is up high and I am seeking to uplift the spirit of every child or youth who has been made to believe less in him/herself. Now I have been privileged to speak before students and children alike, something that seemed impossible before.
I bet it is the reason why my dreams of starting an orphanage and mentoring as many children and youths as possible have lingered on – despite financial hardships and discouragements.
I feel like this is just the beginning of me.”
Hobbies: Walking in the park, Videography, Cycling Passion: Mentorship
We are looking forward to Steve being a regular weekly author on Exploramum.com, and we hope he encourages you with his passion to help the youth of the world.
