So, yesterday and the day before, the Featured Topic was Stereotypes, and we talked about how stereotypes have affected people. Eating deep into society and basically putting people through unwarranted trauma. The idea of just living your life while people will be hating on you for no reason can be mind-bending at times. However, it is what it is.
We now live in a world where such things are the norm, and people expect you to live up to their expectations, not what you want. And as long as you don’t live the life they have planned for you in their heads, then you’re doing it all wrong. And that could make you a recipient of ‘dragging’.
But then, reading so many entries on the topic, a thought crossed my mind. It turns out that stereotypes have not affected just individuals or cultures, or even tribes and races. It has even found its way into professions. And mind you, these are the bad kind of stereotypes.
One that I might consider kinda good is the saying that Igbo men don’t joke with their money. This creates a kind of reputation for Igbo men, which is good. Because when dealing with clients, such stereotypes make them come correct and ready to pay. They also don’t have hopes of buying on credit, or paying you in such a way that the money would be useless. But that does not mean that it also can’t be offensive, because I’ve seen such cases as well.
But then, there’s the bad side of stereotypes and their effects on whole industries. One major victim here in Nigeria is the Masseuse. Whether the person (male or female) works in a spa or does home service, people just immediately assume that they’re also into prostitution. I don’t know if that is how it is everywhere else, but in Nigeria, the ‘Happy Hour” feature has so eaten into the massage culture that when you tell people that you massage for a living, it'll feel like you're committing a crime and admitting it in public.
This is a profession that used to be honorable and quite lucrative for the people involved, but now, the decent ladies and men are avoiding it like a plague because they don’t want to be associated with the bad press that comes from that industry.
Another one is Only fans, which is even more heartbreaking. Only fans is a social media platform like any other, and the idea was for creators to earn money through subscriptions from their fans. And it was a good thing, so many creators were earning good money from them. Until the adult industry took over, and it basically became a pornsite. And now, if someone tells you that they have an Only fans account where people pay to view their content, you’re gonna think they’re adult performers by default. Whereas, many creators there are athletes, musicians, and even motivational speakers. Sadly, many creators and consumers are avoiding the platform due to this stereotype.
I’m sure that it went this bad because they were lax with their guidelines and policies. If not, Instagram and TikTok would have had the same problem if Meta and Bytedance had not been so strict with their rules. But then, even with how strict they are, people are still finding ways to post adult-themed content on the platforms. People will always find new ways to push boundaries and fool the algorithm.
I can go on and on... hotels are now seen as a destination for cheating and affairs, dating platforms are simply sites for hooking up, anything at all that has to do with home delivery… 0mo, I don’t even know how we got here. These are platforms and professions that used to command respect back in the day. However, a few people doing some things have given it a name that is just so hard to ignore.
It’s crazy, honestly. But what can we do? Whenever you try to make people see why they’re wrong, you’ll only end up looking like you’re defending such acts. In the end, no one gets wiser, but those affected by this stereotype remain burned. We really need to do better.
