Stereotypes. And conversely, hipster stereotypes. Because yes, they do it too - its just the flip side of the same coin (and yes, I do recognize the irony that I am stereotyping here too). It's like being a non-conformist by rejecting everything that is popular just because it's popular.
For those of you who don't go to AU - I go to a school that is sometimes very challenging. Both in good ways and in bad. Because everyone is so into rejecting stereotypes and being "enlightened", that sometimes people miss reality altogether. It can be very elitist.
Today, for example, I was in my contemporary Africa class. Talk about a class that tries to defeat stereotypes... Africa isn't inferior. Africa isn't all poor. Africa isn't "tribal". Africa has civilization. Africans are smart. Africans are the same as Europeans, when it comes down to it. Africa deserves study unique to itself. And on and on and on.*
But sometime the sterotypes merit close examination. Because sometimes they are completely true.
We have been told that stereotyping is wrong. That assuming others are inferior is wrong. That acknowledging that differences are bad is wrong. Cultural relativity is something that has permeated our culture so deeply, that we do not even recognize it's fingerprints sometimes.
In comparing Switzerland (a country with 4 official languages because of it's great diversity) and Nigeria (a country which has 250+ recognized ethno-linguistic groups), I offered up the analysis that Germans, French, and Italians have a strong common underlying culture, that often overrides the differences, allowing them to live peacefully together despite the differences. Meanwhile, the 250+ in Nigeria have an overwhelming number of differences rather than similarities, which override the potential unity of cultures and creates intra-state conflict and interstate conflict. Which makes unification, operation, and involvement in the international community extremely difficult.
[In retrospect, I could have articulated this better. What I meant was that the actual, statistical number of things that could be classified as "different" and "common" might be exactly the same, or even in favor of Nigeria. What I mean (and this is strictly my perception) is that the RELATIVE number of differences and commonalities are extremely different. As in, the relative strength or weakness of each.]
My professor quickly shut me down on my "differences over commonalities" theory. She did it respectfully, and I appreciate that, but it was quite clear that she thought I was dead wrong. And we then proceeded to discuss the extreme difference between various countries and groups within countries for the next hour. And there are many significant differences. It was a nuanced thing, probably something only I noticed (although perhaps that is not affording my classmates enough credit)... But it frustrated me. Because this, folks, is cultural relativity in action. This is my professor telling me that the stereotype is wrong, because no culture can be wrong, and then proving that she is wrong in the span of an hour and a half. [Welcome to AU].
The inverse-stereotype that exists in this academic sphere (especially, in a most extreme version, on this campus and in the IR department) is that Africa's countries are not inherently any different than European countries, they were just unfortunately involved in some of Europe's shadier moments and came out with the short end of the stick, because of various factors beyond their control. To suggest otherwise makes you an uneducated rat who doesn't deserve to be in college. But the truth of the matter is, they ARE different. In a lot of ways. In attempting to avoid stereotyping with "common" stereotypes - the stereotypes that were part of the "old age", the less enlightened way of thinking - She inadvertently fell into intellectually dishonest territory. She (and many others in the class who reacted to my statement), in attempting to be "fair and equal" actually found themselves being dishonest. They were analyzing the situation and history based upon their presupposed conclusions rather than allowing the history to tell them what truly happened. And the honest truth is, that with a vacuum of strong leadership virtually anywhere on the continent, factions rivaled one another as soon as the common enemy left. Once the relative strength of that unifying factor was eliminated, the relative strength of the differences grew.
Clearly, people in Switzerland are not having problems with genocide, toppling various dictators every other decade, collapsing economies, rebel armies, or stolen resources. So people with vast and numerous differences CAN live together. And despite the fact that they may not even like each other, the underlying issue is that they do not FEAR one another. The problem in much of Africa is that everyone who is different poses a threat. Because they might try to take away your water resources. Or your land. Or your children. Or your virginity. Or your government position. Or any other number of things. And so people protect. And they take up arms to protect. And they fight to preemptively take out anyone who might be a future threat. Because that's just how it is. The fear exacerbates the differences, and makes them stronger than the similarities.
And that's an issue that needs to be honestly addressed before Africa is going to come anywhere close to being as stable as Switzerland. I don't care what you believe about the superiority or inferiority or equality of Africans - there is nothing good about a state that is that destabilized. It doesn't have to resemble Switzerland in any other way, but stability is a necessity.
So there you have it. Intellectual dishonesty makes me CRAZY. As do stereotypes. And sometimes, hipsters.
*Please understand - I'm not saying these are false. They aren't bad or dishonest. I am not saying that Africans are unable to overcome differences. I am not saying they are "worse" or "lesser" people than the people of Switzerland. But these are the converse stereotypes - the reactionary version of colonialism in a post-modern enlightened era, if you will - which dominates the field in general. And sometimes things are more complicated than stereotypes. But also, sometimes there is truth in the "old, uneducated" way of thinking. And this needs to be recognized.
P.S. You know what else makes me crazy?! When people ramble. So if you made it all the way through this - congratulations. And my sincerest apologies.
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