Culture and stereotypes

While growing up in the neighbouring country Uganda, the act of spitting was associated with the Rwandan community. My fellow classmates always asked me why I didn’t spit at all yet I was Rwandan. This was when I told them that an individual’s character could not entirely be associated with culture. I asked them if most pregnant women were Rwandan since pregnant women spat a lot.Some pregnant women spit so much that one would not wish to be around them, but it’s an involuntary action that comes as a result of the hormonal changes occurring in their bodies at the time. Its usually caused by irritation and therefore can’t be blamed its nature‘s course. A stereotype is a belief that is usually adopted about individuals due to the certain ways they do things, yet the belief in most cases doesn’t reflect the reality.How one behaves or what they do doesn’t entirely portray their culture. For example there is hypothesis that some of the children of religious leaders are the most rebellious in school yet they are raised in a humble and God fearing manner. Most people use stereotypes to try to differentiate cultures. Regrettably, many stereotypes are inaccurate since they are based acts of a small group of people. The discipline and spirit of appreciating other people‘s culture should be enhanced and encouraged thus getting rid of stereotypes. My young sister’s cultural shock of the year was when she witnessed two men feasting on a boiled goat’s head during her visit in Kisumu, Kenya. I think if she had grown up seeing people in our home area eating a goat’s head it would have been normal. Cultures are diverse and what seems normal in one’s culture is seriously bizarre in another’s. But it’s important not to stereotype or judge people based on their ways of living because we can also face the same fate. The beauty of a diverse cultural environment is that we get to learn and appreciate other people’s way of living. We get to learn new and exciting things rather than leaving a monotonous and boring life. If we get to learn about other cultures and get to know why they do things and the essence of specific cultural traits, stereotyping will be dealt with as well as its related dangers to society.