"It is like being told I can't live because I'm black."
Those were the young man's words as he spoke to the Reporter about living as a black teenager in a White community.
I was watching '101 East' on Aljazeera and the story was about 'Black Gangs' in Melbourne, Australia.
According to the report there has been an increase in gangs of black teenagers who commit criminal activities in Melbourne.
A young white woman who was interviewed narrated her experience with some black teenagers who broke into her home in the middle of the night. Her husband managed to drive them away but they stole their two vehicles.
As she spoke she cried stating that the sight of black people bring back memories of the night. She noted that she knows it unfair to judge people because of their colour but she couldn't help it. I do not blame her. It is what trauma does to a person's mind - it causes paranoia.
The young man who was interviewed stated that he is judged because of his colour and cannot get a job because there's the fear that he may be a criminal. When he goes to shop, he is watched like a thief. He decided to start what he called the first black owned record label in Melbourne and released a rap video. Guess what he and his team raps about? Crime, drugs and violence - that's what they promote in their song.
He says they wanted to take advantage of the criminal reports but it back fired as news spread that they were actually gang members. It's like hammering the nail on one's own coffin. I guess sometimes being stupid and reckless is part of being young.
As I watched the report, I empathized with the white woman who was robbed as well as the young boys who are suffering from the crime of a few black teenagers.
It is what stereotyping does.
We judge a group based on the actions of a few. In philosophy it is called the 'fallacy of hasty generalization'.
I have had people tell me that they are surprised to see a calm Warri girl when they hear I grew up in Warri because in their opinion 'Warri People' are crazy. Nigerian comedians haven't helped with this image as in their attempt to crack jokes they talk about how in Warri violence is the order of the day and that even old women carry guns and break bottles. Even those who have never been to Warri have milked this narrative.
It is what Chimamanda talked about in 'the danger of a single story'. I wrote about it HERE too.
Stereotyping results in us making subjective judgements. It promotes our differences and not our common humanity. There are bad people every where just as there are good people and this isn't limited to one race, tribe or gender.
Listen to both sides of a story before you draw your conclusion and don't always take everything you read hook, line and sinker.
The reason we have brains is so we can think/rationalize and the reason we have a heart is so we can empathize and remember our humanity is the common denominator for us all.
Use your brain. Use your heart.
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