Eagle-Eying Beyond Stereotype

Introduction

One pervasive societal issue that was discussed by Warren St. John in his book, Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference is the stereotype complex nature and how it skew’s a person’s perspective. According to (AIC,) Stereotyping is an overly simplified and pejorative attitude that is held by people towards those who are outside their own experience. According to St John, stereotypes are not a one sided issue, but preconceived notions of some religious, ethnic and nationalities groups which exists not only amid the original residents of Clarkston, but also in the diverse refugee community that arose overnight from Southern town. Both the American White citizens and multi-ethnic refugee population thrusted in to a world full of unknowns who made each respective group to file persons of a particular religion, nationality or race under labels.

Amidst the melee of several scuffles and misunderstandings, was Luma Mufleh who was a woman with the determination of uniting the disjointed young boys’ group in to a more disciplined Fugees soccer team. Mayor Lee Swaney was also present during these scuffles having both personal and political agendas complicating his position on the presence of refugees. In his book, St John uses Clarkston as the miniature of the whole society. Stereotyping has become part of nature. 

The city council member of “old Clarkston,” was Mayor Swaney, who ran as a mayor in 2001 using the platform of “old -fashioned American hamburger joint to open up within the city limits” to attract followers. The political platform that he is using is a reflection of his belief of maintaining the comfort zone walls which were essential for the survival of the state. The old Clarkston would remain immune to change and original in uniformity. However, the vision of the town to resist the outside forces was destroyed by the news of seven hundred Somali Bantu who were settling in it. This town was unprepared for the resettlement haphazard method which had been utilized by the voluntary agencies. The unprepared state of the town led to development of resentment among the residents thus setting the inception of stereotypes. 

Stereotyping is illustrated by the reaction of Clarkson natives with fear due to the disruptions on the patterns they were accustomed to. For example, the African refugee like Beatrice Ziaty restrained her boys from braiding their hair, as the author explains, they “associated braids with black Americans, whom many African refugees further associated with Clarkston’s street gangs” (St. John 111). The street gangs are associated with gangs, violence and deaths which were the thing that the refugees were escaping from while entering America. 

This stereotyping is based on behavioral observations which are more common among a group of individuals who share physical characteristics. In addition to the way the residents of Clarkson formulated stereotypes about the refugees due to their cultural value, there was validated generalization among African refugees about black Americans that was based on the valued traditions in their respective countries. For example, “Respectable African men, Beatrice believed, wore their hair short and neatly trimmed” (St. John 111). According to Naurette Rick, labelling of people in a negative way and has a detrimental lasting impact on the individuals experiencing prejudice.

In contrast to Mayor Swaney, Luma was able to empathize easily with the refugee community for a variety of reasons. After Luma moved to America, her father who was living in Jordan disconnected all the communication and her grandmother was the only link to her home. Her granny died and she was left alone and lonely after total isolation from family (St John 23). Similarly to other refugees, Luma was trying and struggling to live with a society that was different from her own.  Due to her close associations with the refugees, Luma developed an understanding of stereotypes that were held by refugees about other population. 

The way Luma dealt with stereotypes can well be illustrated when she upholds some personal beliefs of the refugees. She did this to her advantage after realizing that refugee mothers disregarded braided hair on their boys. It is ironical that Luma’s decision about the boys’ hair also stemmed from the fact that she had knowledge of the American society. This is because the rival team already had preconceived notions about Fugees based on their names and accent and she was not ready of forming stereotype with their hair styles. Black American had braided hairstyles that were associated with gangs. 

Luma made decisions that prevented religious and ethnic tensions among the refugees community from entering her team. She is living looking for potential cliques composed of boys sharing same language. These groups would be organized with team members from different nationalities. She was determined in uniting young boys that had disarrayed lives and she ended up providing a refuge where they simultaneously become a bigger community to discover their personal identities. Despite being an outsider in the town, Luma, held a unique position as she comprehensively understood both the refugee community and the Clarkston community. This enabled her to reach out to the community in a way that is to be remembered and appreciated. 

She was a bridge between the refugees and the white community. One day she attended Clarkston’s monthly city council meetings when she wanted permission of using Armistead Field for the Fugees’ practices. This decision displayed that she was willing to corporate with Clarkson citizens in a context that was unfamiliar at the time. This was irrespective of Mayor Swaney’s words, where he had stated that no one was to use the field except baseball team (St John 189). Due to her understanding of the Clarkston’s resident way of solving issues, she attended the meeting to request of permission irrespective of Swaney’s public statement. Through this, Luma displays genuine willingness of working with the system which the old Clarkson were accustomed to, as to arrive in a democratically decision from the city council. 

On the other hand, Swaney’s connection between refugees and soccer was totally different and complex. This state was influenced by personal values and his political position. According to St John in the introduction, Swaney was born in 1939 in Clemson, South Carolina, during the time that segregation was the norm (St John, 11). This provided a wider context that explains the actions of Swaney, and partially explains the difficulties that Swaney had in understanding the complexity of the refugee community. This is illustrated by his explanations behind his actions which were always contradictory and vague, changing every moment he was speaking with a different person. The situation that was Clarkston was brought up by behaviors and the norms they learn early in life, which impacts strongly the stereotype of an individual.

Conclusion

In diverse social environment like Clarkston, failure of understanding that individuals varied background shares similar goals and values despite their differences, leads to a stagnant, fragmented society. When individuals are put in unfamiliar environment, they tend to refuge in what is familiar to them that helps them in making easier generalizations but when they eschew good judgment or allowing stereotypes in making their decisions, perpetuation of bigotry is allowed in the community. Although stereotyping may be instinctual inclination that is influenced by history biasness or personal backgrounds, this aspect is never an accurate way to define an individual. Therefore, even though individuals may inevitably interact with others through snap judgments, they should remain diligent to suppress initial biases and understand that an identity of a person is not defined by stereotypes.  

References

AIC,. “What Are The Effects Of Stereotyping?”. AIC Publishing, 2016, https://www.reference.com/world-view/effects-stereotyping-cda5eec1fbeac009.

Naurette, Rick. “Long-Term Effects Of Stereotyping”. Psych Central, 2016, http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/08/11/long-term-effects-of-stereotyping/16675.html.

St John, Warren. Outcasts United : The Story Of A Refugee Soccer Team That Changed A Town. 1st ed., New York, Delacorte Press, ©2012., 2012