More often than not, people exhibit one common
trait. You must be wondering what I am talking about. All right, in my first
year Economics class, the lecturer had talked about Economic theories and two
common fallacies or mistakes made when developing a theory. Now one of such
fallacies was what he called "fallacy of composition". This fallacy
arises when one infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that
it is true for some part of the whole. In other words, because something is
true of one, you therefore deduce that it is true for all.
Beyond Economics, this fallacy rings true in the wider world. People no matter their station and place have the tendency to judge others based on the actions of one person. Consequently, a whole tribe, community, group, clique, sect and oh, even nations have been labeled as “such and such” just because a member(s) of that group exhibited a certain behaviour, usually negative. Here are a few case examples: because a few Nigerians have decided to take the corrupt route, then the foreign world looks at all Nigerians as potential criminals; because a few Northerners are unsavoury, then all Northerners should be treated with caution because they are violent!; because it has been said that some Yoruba women are dirty, then all Yoruba women are dirty (we have made a lot of jokes about this one); because he steals, then his family members are potential thieves. The list is endless. Most of the time, these opinions are formed by people not due to personal contacts or experiences with such people, but from “hearsay.”
Each time someone asks of my tribe and I mention it (Ebira), they pause and I have come to expect that reaction all the time. And am trusting you must have heard one story or the other about Ebiras, so you know what I am talking about. Much later, after they have gotten to know me, I get statements like “I would never have pegged you for an Ebira” or “You are different from what I know of them”. You would think that as intellectuals and students, we would reason a lot differently from others. Well… that is not the case. Oh! Yours sincerely has been guilty of this attitude at one time or the other. I had not fully discounted the story about Yoruba women before coming to the university. And now?...A close friend of mine and my present roommate are Yoruba and they are just as hygienic as the next person...if not more.
Pals, I have learned that a person’s personality is not always influenced by background or identity. The society and environment plays a key role in shaping who we are. So give that person a chance before you go judging him based on where he’s from or who his parents or friends are. Look at people in terms of what they are, not who they are. To do this, you have to get to know them. Look beyond what you see.
Beyond Economics, this fallacy rings true in the wider world. People no matter their station and place have the tendency to judge others based on the actions of one person. Consequently, a whole tribe, community, group, clique, sect and oh, even nations have been labeled as “such and such” just because a member(s) of that group exhibited a certain behaviour, usually negative. Here are a few case examples: because a few Nigerians have decided to take the corrupt route, then the foreign world looks at all Nigerians as potential criminals; because a few Northerners are unsavoury, then all Northerners should be treated with caution because they are violent!; because it has been said that some Yoruba women are dirty, then all Yoruba women are dirty (we have made a lot of jokes about this one); because he steals, then his family members are potential thieves. The list is endless. Most of the time, these opinions are formed by people not due to personal contacts or experiences with such people, but from “hearsay.”
Each time someone asks of my tribe and I mention it (Ebira), they pause and I have come to expect that reaction all the time. And am trusting you must have heard one story or the other about Ebiras, so you know what I am talking about. Much later, after they have gotten to know me, I get statements like “I would never have pegged you for an Ebira” or “You are different from what I know of them”. You would think that as intellectuals and students, we would reason a lot differently from others. Well… that is not the case. Oh! Yours sincerely has been guilty of this attitude at one time or the other. I had not fully discounted the story about Yoruba women before coming to the university. And now?...A close friend of mine and my present roommate are Yoruba and they are just as hygienic as the next person...if not more.
Pals, I have learned that a person’s personality is not always influenced by background or identity. The society and environment plays a key role in shaping who we are. So give that person a chance before you go judging him based on where he’s from or who his parents or friends are. Look at people in terms of what they are, not who they are. To do this, you have to get to know them. Look beyond what you see.
Personality NOT identity should be the criterion
for building opinions and relationships with people. Believe me, our world will
be a friendlier place for it.
By: HABIBAT, Salawu
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