I know that we already did a response about that picture, but it is still kind of getting to me. The picture really brought home how little mental space Africa takes up in the minds of the people of the western hemisphere. We do not think about it much at all, do we? And I think that it is really a shame how little we think about it, and how much we generalize it when we do. The part of the discussion that talked of the generalization of Africa really interested me. Because I realized that I DO generalize Africa, I DO think of it as a country, not a continent comprised of many different countries. One reason that we shouldn't generalize Africa is that it is probably one of the most diverse places in the world, culturally. If you think about it, their's is a very tribal culture, meaning that two towns a day's walk away from each other could have developed completely different cultures. Think of the Hutus and Tutsis of the Rwandan genocide. They developed two tribal cultures despite living side by side. I think that if the people of Africa knew how we thought, with our generalizations they would be almost offended. I know I would be offended if people assumed all Americans (including me) were fat, lazy, and really into football. It just really enforces the stereotype that we are ignorant of the rest of the world in America.
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