
Fortune News | Sep 24,2022
Apr 30 , 2022
By Kidist Yidnekachew ( Kidist Yidnekachew has degrees in psychology and journalism and communications. She can be reached at kidyyidnekachew@gmail.com. )
We become like those we spend time around. I used to think for a long time our behaviour was influenced by our genes, which inform our personality traits. I never rejected the notion that our environment was also instrumental in shaping our behaviour. But it only seemed that this was the case only until we reached a certain age, when our mind is still a sponge ready to absorb most of what is thrown at it. In adulthood, our personalities harden, making it unlikely that we are affected by the environment in which we find ourselves.
But behaviours can be transmittable, especially the bad ones – it is probably why most social media is a cesspool of hate and anger. The more time we spend with someone who approaches others in a poor way, the more comfortable we become with people being treated that way. Eventually, we will start acting in a similar manner, echoing the harmful behaviour. The same is true on the other end. If we are surrounded by people who are open-minded, the chances are that those behaviours will rub on us. Sometimes we are defined not by ourselves but by those around us.
Have you ever been in a situation repeating someone else’s rhetoric and finding oneself surprised?
We are confused at the same time because our beliefs have aligned with that of the person we copied the thoughts from and it did not even happen on a conscious level. Whenever presented with circumstances, we find ourselves reflecting the other person's thoughts. At times we get lost because we do not know who we are anymore. We do not know if we copied the other person’s ideas as our own because we too believe in them or because we are agreeable and confirm to things by nature. It is a mysterious phenomenon that takes place at the subconscious level.
I found myself reacting to stereotypes the same way a very close friend of mine would respond. My friend and I share a lot of things in common, one of them being not giving into stereotypes. We tend to believe that there is always an exception to the rule. I have been engaged in discussions with various friends and using the same lines as that of my friend to defend the group stereotyped. I have also been doing a lot of research on my own, but using her points somehow came naturally to me, making me doubt whether it was her talking instead of me.
Of course, this is a good disposition to echo, not a bad one. The misconceptions we have are based on blind hate, which is also a behavioural phenomenon that is transmittable like a pandemic. I understand hating something we know, but how can we hate something we do not? Of all the stereotypes, perhaps the worst one is still perceiving a group in a bad light even when we know and like an individual from the same group, but we hate the group all the same.
I was shocked to learn that someone I thought would least hate a group because his friends are from the same group, turns out that he has very negative attitudes toward them. Although he stereotypes left, right and centre, his understanding about them is limited. This is what happens when we copy and paste others' world views and behaviours without nuance. We begin to turn on others without having a clue why we are doing it. Only being open-minded can help us constantly question the beliefs we hold and adjust accordingly.
PUBLISHED ON
Apr 30,2022 [ VOL
23 , NO
1148]
Fortune News | Sep 24,2022
Viewpoints | Apr 02,2022
Radar | May 15,2021
Radar | Jan 09,2021
Radar | Jan 01,2023
Radar | Jan 01,2023
Fortune News | Aug 30,2019
Radar | Aug 22,2020
Radar | Nov 02,2019
Radar | Dec 12,2020
Photo Gallery | 63966 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 55846 Views | Apr 26,2019
Fortune News | 50926 Views | Jul 18,2020
Fortune News | 50508 Views | Sep 01,2021
Dec 24 , 2022
Biniam Mikru heads the department of cabinet affairs under Mayor Adanech Abiebie. But...
Jul 2 , 2022 . By RUTH TAYE
On a rainy afternoon last week, a coffee processing facility in the capital's Akaki-Qality District was abuzz with activ...
Nov 27 , 2021
Against my will, I have witnessed the most terrible defeat of reason and the most sa...
Nov 13 , 2021
Plans and reality do not always gel. They rarely do in a fast-moving world. Every act...
Jan 21 , 2023
Eyob Tekalign, state minister for Finance, took to social media platforms last week t...
Jan 14 , 2023
The longing for normalcy and a semblance of individual and collective security in Eth...
Jan 7 , 2023
The hallmark of Ethiopia's contemporary leaders could be a fascination with grandeur...
Dec 31 , 2022
A change of guards in 2018 gave Ethiopians hope for better circumstances from the pre...
Jan 21 , 2023
Fewer couples tied the knot in 2022 than the year before; the post-pandemic environment could be attributed to over 12,000 more married coup...
A women's rehabilitation and skill development centre foresees construction as Mayor Adanech Abiebie laid...
Contractors are apprehensive about buying a policy from insurance companies as the requisite for collateral is half the performance bond. Af...
Jan 21 , 2023
Two federal offices of the highest stature saw newly appointed young leaders installed last week. Parliam...