Questions about Africa

[Winston]

I was wondering a few things about Africa:

1. Why is it that the media always show starving children in Africa or Ethiopia with barely any flesh left? If the kids there have nothing to eat and all die in childhood, then where do all the parents come from that keep having so many children?

Is most of Ethiopia like that? If not, why doesn't the rest of the population there that have food just share some with the ones that are starving?

2. Are there any safe and modern parts of Africa? If so, where?

3. How come whenever I had a college professor from Africa, he was always very strict and anal about little things and overloaded us with work? Is that how Africans are when they come from the educated class? They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

4. Is most of Africa really that primitive? Or is that just Hollywood propaganda?

Anyone know?

[ladislav]

1. Why is it that the media always show starving children in Africa or Ethiopia with barely any flesh left? If the kids there have nothing to eat and all die in childhood, then where do all the parents come from that keep having so many children?

These happen in very remote areas because of war mostly. And temporarily.

Is most of Ethiopia like that? If not, why doesn't the rest of the population there that have food just share some with the ones that are starving?

These are in very far away areas. Also food drives produce money and jobs from donations.

2. Are there any safe and modern parts of Africa? If so, where?

Most of it is safe and modern.

3. How come whenever I had a college professor from Africa, he was always very strict and anal about little things and overloaded us with work? Is that how Africans are when they come from the educated class? They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

This I do not know. Africa is not a country.

4. Is most of Africa really that primitive? Or is that just Hollywood propaganda?

You be the judge:

Let us see some African cities:

Harare Zimbabwe:



Addis Ababa-capital of Ethiopia:




Another Ethiopian city



Ivory Coast, Abijan



Lagos, Nigeria





Maputo Mozambique





Windhoek Namibia



Luanda Angola



Nairobi Kenya



Johannesburg South Africa



Capetown South Africa



Wanna listen to anymore Hollywood bullcheet?

[Asp]

3. How come whenever I had a college professor from Africa, he was always very strict and anal about little things and overloaded us with work? Is that how Africans are when they come from the educated class? They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

I have experience of working with a fair number of Africans, with whom I'm in contact, who are based at my organisation's London headquarters. Almost all have been the way you ask about.

[Rock]

I was wondering a few things about Africa:

1. Why is it that the media always show starving children in Africa or Ethiopia with barely any flesh left? If the kids there have nothing to eat and all die in childhood, then where do all the parents come from that keep having so many children?

Is most of Ethiopia like that? If not, why doesn't the rest of the population there that have food just share some with the ones that are starving?

2. Are there any safe and modern parts of Africa? If so, where?

3. How come whenever I had a college professor from Africa, he was always very strict and anal about little things and overloaded us with work? Is that how Africans are when they come from the educated class? They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

4. Is most of Africa really that primitive? Or is that just Hollywood propaganda?

Anyone know?

Here’s my point of view, that of an outsider who has spent some time in a few African countries (mainly Ethiopia, Kenya, and Cameroon). I’ve also researched many posts written by guys on the ground in such countries as Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, and even Madagascar.

1. I think those gruesome photos and vids you see are from charities trying to drum-up donations. They need to show the ugly side to generate maximum sympathy. When people starve like that, it is usually a result of some sort of famine, civil war, or heartless dictator. Situations are dynamic and change over time.

2. I don’t think most of Ethiopia is like that. But it is still extremely poor. Only the main streets in Addis Ababa are paved. Everything else is dirt or gravel. When you go into regular neighborhoods, you see lots of undernourished children and people who look like they have AIDS.

3. Many of the big cities have central sections which look very modern from first glance. Nairobi, Lagos, and Johannesburg are three examples which come to mind. South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya are probably the most developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Capitals and major cities in other countries tend to be less impressive visually. However, even the most developed cities have lots of dire ugliness. Large percentages of their populations live in huge slum areas, some of which look like big garbage dumps. There’s a lot of violent street crime and general danger. As a white person, you feel like a constant mark. Power outages are common, even mid-day. And their version of hi-speed Internet is dial-up slow. Decent hotels tend to be expensive given the infrastructure challenges faced.

4. Danger of violence varies dramatically from place to place. Ironically, it may be somewhat correlated to development levels. The more built-up cities and countries I mentioned above are also very high risk for street assaults. In contrast, less developed cities such Kampala in Uganda, Accra in Ghana, and Douala or Yaounde in Cameroon are generally much safer. Ethiopia, an icon of African poverty, actually has a very safe capital (Addis Ababa) even though it is one of the least developed and poorest.

5. A lot Ethiopians, along with Somalians and Eritreans, generally appear quite distinct from the most other Sub-Saharan Africans. Ethiopia is a good destination for guys who are generally not attracted to black girls. These people look more like a mix of black and Middle Eastern. The best ones are gorgeous to a wide range of tastes.

6. Besides street crime, Africa is well known for conflicts, wars, and genocide. A visitor should do some homework and avoid current and potential hot-spots. In South African townships, locals often beat, lynch, and burn to death refugees from neighboring Zimbabwe fleeing Mugabe’s regime while local police passively watch-on. They are simply perceived as economic competition. Kenya, which had been known as a stable nation for quite some time, erupted into widespread tribal violence after presidential elections in late 2007. It took a few months for things to calm down. Nigeria has ongoing problems between the Muslim north and Christian south, frequent oil worker kidnappings, and is generally an extremely corrupt and dangerous country. Somalia is a civil war no-go zone. And tragic events which played-out during last couple decades in Rwanda, the Congo, and Liberia are widely known.

7. Don’t let one college professor represent your view of a whole continent. Even for one African country, you need to meet lots of people from various backgrounds to start getting a general sense.

[globetrotter]

"Africa is not a country. "

Many Chinese seem to think so. They cannot name a single country in Africa. They also don't know if Mexico is a city or a country (that was my college educated assistant), or where it is. This week when I asked my students to list countries where people are thin, Africa kept popping on to the list.

The geographic and conceptual knowledge of anything south of the Rio Grande is not there. To the Chinese, and the media in China is like this as well, South America and Central America just are not there.

As I have posted many times before, America and China have MUCH more in common than either are comfortable with.

"5. A lot Ethiopians, along with Somalians and Eritreans, generally appear quite distinct from the most other Sub-Saharan Africans. Ethiopia is a good destination for guys who are generally not attracted to black girls. These people look more like a mix of black and Middle Eastern. The best ones are gorgeous to a wide range of tastes. "

This is because Ethiopians and Somalis are of the Caucasian race, as are Indians from the country of India.

Unfortunately almost everyone is so ignorant or indoctrinated by PC that no one knows this anymore.

Going to school in the 1960's can be a curse sometimes.

[globetrotter]

1. I think those gruesome photos and vids you see are from charities trying to drum-up donations. They need to show the ugly side to generate maximum sympathy. When people starve like that, it is usually a result of some sort of famine, civil war, or heartless dictator. Situations are dynamic and change over time.

6. Besides street crime, Africa is well known for conflicts, wars, and genocide.

1.) Listen to the Sam Kinison classic comedy sketch about World Hunger. He basically infers that they stage the shots to cause you to feel guilt.

2.) Europe is also well known for genocide.

In 1995 1995! Bosnian Serbs massacred about 300,000 in another European Genocide. Bosnia is in Europe.

This was one year AFTER Rwanda.

[ladislav]

...America and China have MUCH more in common than either are comfortable with.

It would be much easier for an American to get along with a Chinese woman than a Russian one even though Russians "look" more like Americans and the Chinese do not. The cultural differences between Russia and America are vast but not as much as between China and the US. This is why China and US generally get along but never Russia and US.

[ladislav]

...Ethiopians and Somalis are of the Caucasian race,

Well, yes, they are kind of like black Semites, and many Kenyans are the same way too. Many Masais are totally Caucasian.

Although if a bunch of Somalians walked into a redneck bar in Alabama, they would have hard time convincing the locals that they are, in fact, of Caucasian race.

[The_Adventurer]

That is complete and utter nonsense. Ethiopia has one of the longest histories of any land on this planet, being mentioned (as an already developed and trading nation) in Egyptian records going back as far as 3000 BC. Both Ethiopia and Somalia have historically contained numerous tribes and there was plenty of ancient mixing with semitic groups and even greeks. Saying that Ethiopians or Somalians are anything, let alone caucasian, is absolute rubbish, for they are not any one thing. They are racially and culturally diverse, from the Falasha people of the highlands (who claim direct lineage to King Solomon) to the Eastern Rift, to nomadic Taureg and to Amharic peoples.

Caucasian has generally meant "peoples of the Caucasus" region. Ethiopians do not come from the caucasus region. They come from Ethiopia. Aside from previously mentioned racial mixes, they are indigenous. Granted, some might wish to subscribe to more modern linguistically based definitions of caucasian, but you might notice that that would make sub-sarahan Nubians from Cush caucasian as well.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I was wondering a few things about Africa:
They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

Just as you are questioning why Africans are stereotyped, you just stereotyped Black Americans. Newsflash: Just because NBA players, Hip Hop artists, and your buddies from your hometown are laid back, most black Americans are not "laid back."

I often confront this myth when I take on a new department or new employee. People have this perception of me being "laid back" or easy going when I am just the opposite. I have had people file complaints against me because they believed I was singling them out only to learn that I am just as demanding on all my employees.

In addition, a huge proportion of poor blacks are angry at the world and wear their anger like a chip on their shoulder.

I think if you are to understand the depth of the African stereotypes, you should first look inward at how Hollywood and the media have colored (no pun intended) your perception of black Americans.

People are people. The slight variations of disposition in groups are exaggerated by the media. You might therefore meet eight black assholes and two others that are laid back, and VIOLA, you come to think it's true that "blacks are laid back." Not a chance.

[Winston]

...America and China have MUCH more in common than either are comfortable with.

It would be much easier for an American to get along with a Chinese woman than a Russian one even though Russians "look" more like Americans and the Chinese do not. The cultural differences between Russia and America are vast but not as much as between China and the US. This is why China and US generally get along but never Russia and US.

One major thing that the US and Chinese have in common is the inherent "live to work" mentality. Life is seen as a business and people are groomed to be an economic resource that serves an economic function. Productivity is what their souls chime to. In other words, they love being "robots".

Of course, Hollywood shows Americans as being more expressive and outgoing.

Also, when American or Chinese groups gather, there is a lot of fake politeness, cliches and "going through the motions" rather than deep substantive conversation.

[Winston]

I was wondering a few things about Africa:
They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

Just as you are questioning why Africans are stereotyped, you just stereotyped Black Americans. Newsflash: Just because NBA players, Hip Hop artists, and your buddies from your hometown are laid back, most black Americans are not "laid back."

I often confront this myth when I take on a new department or new employee. People have this perception of me be "laid back" or easy going when I am just the opposite. I have had people file complaints against me because they believed I was singling them out only to learn that I am just as demanding on all my employees.

In addition, a huge proportion of poor blacks are angry at the world and wear their anger like a chip on their shoulder.

I think if you are to understand the depth of the African stereotypes, you should first look inward at how Hollywood and the media have colored (no pun intended) your perception of black Americans.

People are people. The slight variations of disposition in groups are exaggerated by the media. You might then meet eight black assholes and two other that are laid back, and viola, it's true that blacks are laid back. Not a chance.

That's not my experience at all. Almost every black American that I know has been VERY laid back, easy going, relaxed, down to earth, and easy to talk to. No question about it. They are not as uptight as whites in America. That is a definite pattern. No mistake about it. I know what I experienced. I can't remember a single uptight black person except the ones from Africa that come to the US to teach.

[Rock]

I was wondering a few things about Africa:
They are nothing like the laid back and relaxed blacks in America.

Just as you are questioning why Africans are stereotyped, you just stereotyped Black Americans. Newsflash: Just because NBA players, Hip Hop artists, and your buddies from your hometown are laid back, most black Americans are not "laid back."

I often confront this myth when I take on a new department or new employee. People have this perception of me be "laid back" or easy going when I am just the opposite. I have had people file complaints against me because they believed I was singling them out only to learn that I am just as demanding on all my employees.

In addition, a huge proportion of poor blacks are angry at the world and wear their anger like a chip on their shoulder.

I think if you are to understand the depth of the African stereotypes, you should first look inward at how Hollywood and the media have colored (no pun intended) your perception of black Americans.

People are people. The slight variations of disposition in groups are exaggerated by the media. You might then meet eight black assholes and two other that are laid back, and viola, it's true that blacks are laid back. Not a chance.

That's not my experience at all. Almost every black American that I know has been VERY laid back, easy going, relaxed, down to earth, and easy to talk to. No question about it. They are not as uptight as whites in America. That is a definite pattern. No mistake about it. I know what I experienced. I can't remember a single uptight black person except the ones from Africa that come to the US to teach.

Winston, have you ever lived in or near an African American community? If you had, I believe your perception about this issue might be more balanced.

For example, before I came to Taiwan, I got the impression from my university campus that Taiwan people were serious and educated bookworm types who tended to wear glasses, lol. But when I got here, I saw all types. My old impressions were shattered.

[globetrotter]

"In other words, they love being "robots"."

There is a difference between working a lot and working hard, and being a robot. The image of the Chinese you have does not have much bearing upon what I see in my small rural city. I see lots of smiles and joking and playing chess and cards and mahjong and stuff. When you look at them acting as such, they 'serous up' their face, but in truth the people in my area are happy people. You should have felt the vibe this afternoon when school let out at noon.

Taiwan is not Mainland China and the two cultures are different.

"Also, when American or Chinese groups gather, there is a lot of fake politeness, cliches and "going through the motions" rather than deep substantive. conversation."

Yeah, I will remember that the next time the headmaster and I run into each other and he tells me about how someone got killed due to falling debris from the building that is being repaired and that's why it is being worked on so fervently, and why he is stressed out, and why his mobile rings constantly.

Yep, totally non-substantive.

[Winston]

Winston, have you ever lived in or near an African American community? If you had, I believe your perception about this issue might be more balanced.

For example, before I came to Taiwan, I got the impression from my university campus that Taiwan people were serious and educated bookworm types who tended to wear glasses, lol. But when I got here, I saw all types. My old impressions were shattered.

No but if I did, I'm sure I would have the same observation.

A very high percentage of people in Taiwan ARE bookworm types with glasses, very shy and introverted too. I see them all the time. Of course there are different types. There are different types of people at boxing matches too, but that doesn't change the pattern there that it's mostly men. Patterns exist.

Are you claiming that patterns don't exist? Or that everything is in equal percentages everywhere?

Stereotypes are not absolute, but they are not false. They exist for a reason and are based on truth. Only politically correct people deny that.

Stereotypes are not always from Hollywood. Often they are based on people's firsthand perception and experience. I don't get why they are a taboo. Insurance companies stereotype people all the time when they assess risk. It works. If stereotypes were all false, then it wouldn't work. But it does.

8 x's and 2 o's is a pattern of x's. The 2 o's do not erase the x's. Surely you understand that don't you?

Are you challenging my claim that most black Americans are laid back, relaxed and down to earth? If so, why? All the ones I've met that I remember were like that. Why is that hard to believe?

It does seem that more Asian students wear glasses than White students. You never noticed that?

Why do people get defensive at obvious patterns when they are applied to people?

Races are not all the same. There are differences of patterns and tendencies. Why is that so hard for many to understand? Weird.