We, humans, love to stereotype and judge. Reaching conclusions with no concrete evidence is our favourite past time. Probably that’s why one-half of the Earth thinks the other half is a crazy place to be. If the idea of making the world a global village has to come true then myth-busting is a very important task.
Here are some unbelievably popular myths about countries that we all believe are true.
1. Middle Eastern Arab countries are always fighting
Absolutely not true! Majority of the Arab countries have experienced long spells of calm and unrest is just a temporary phenomenon. For instance, take Lebanon; the country hasn’t had any violent uprising in a really long time. Lebanon is one of the most literate and developed country in the Middle East. Another great example is Turkey.
2. All Africans are tribals living in jungle
Indeed Africa has the highest number of tribes but the country also has an equal number of cities and educated people. Modernization hit Africa just as it hit every other place. Education spread massively and new cities came up. Lagos, Windhoek, Nairobi are great examples of developed Africa. Surprisingly, Kenya has more number of Starbucks than India.
3. South Africa isn’t truly Africa
To be honest, it is true that South Africa has the largest concentration of whites in Africa. But more than 80% of South Africans are of African descent. South Africa also has a large number of natural parks and some of these are right in the middle of the city. There are rules and protocols that people follow while trudging through these parts of the city. One such rule is that “if you see a rhinoceros nearby, put your car in reverse.”
Read More: Demystifying Why Neighbouring Countries Fight So Often
4. India
Indians love spices and cricket is our national sport. All Indians are good in Math and are IT geeks. Not true! We are the largest producers of various spices so yes- we eat what we grow! Indians are just passionate about cricket because well, it’s a gentleman’s game. And we might be known worldwide as IT geeks but keep in mind that an equal number of Indians also suck at Maths!
5. It doesn’t snow in Mexico
If this is what you believe then you have either seen too much Hollywood or you’re a Clint Eastwood fan. Truth be told, Mexico experiences enormous snowfall each year and only a part of Mexico is a desert. Also, most Mexicans do not speak Spanish, a majority of them cannot play guitar and cartels don’t run the country.
6. Canadians live in Igloo and secretly want to be Americans
Most Canadians aren’t fan of America. They just see America as a land with no culture whereas Canadians have ice hockey, donuts, and lumbering. It’s just their unfortunate fate that Canadians have to deal with Americans. Our prayers go out to the people of Vancouver!
7. Americans are snobbish!
No, they are not. America is the most benevolent country in the world. Iraq had a problem in 2005, Americans rushed in to save them and it had nothing to do with oil. They ‘saved’ Afghanistan from Osama. Just because they have weapons and Donald Trump does not make them snobbish! OR maybe it does!
It’s a long way to actually let people believe that the world is a good place to be and people are not mad. While some such myths are entertaining others are upsetting and unfavourable. There isn’t much harm in actually not judging!
Image Credits: Google Images
Read On:
http://edtimes.in/2015/08/5-misconceptions-about-stocks/
