Amy Adoyzie

Stereotypes are tough to shake. They’ve pervade our collective psyche and have ingrained notions of other cultures and people into our tiny brains.
I’m not better, or worse, when it comes to harboring unfair preconceived ideas about folks. Examples: Don’t all white folks love butter? Asian dudes aren’t into me. Is it true that the French love wine and won’t admit they have race issues in their country? If, when you speak, you have a propensity to end your sentences with a question mark, you’re probably from California.
Folks say that stereotypes are stereotypes because there’s some semblance of truth in the generalizations. Fine, I will concede to that. But what I’m not cool with is when people rely solely on stereotypes to judge an entire peoples. The stereotype that I have a bone to pick with (pun accidentally intended) is this: All western (ostensibly American) women are floozies, sluts and crazy-ass nympho fiends. And apparently we can’t live without pre-marital sex too.
It’s believed, in these parts, that the act of pre-marital sex is solely of western influence and the increase of the act in contemporary society can be blamed on cultural imperialism. As my students pointed out, “It’s all over the movies and on TV, ma’am. Pre-marital sex is a western influence.”
“Oh,” I retorted, “is it because no one was having pre-marital sex before the invention of movies and TV? Sex before marriage never occurred in these countries ya’ll are from? Is that so?”
I’m just so tired of this idea that the west is only populated with heathens and folks who have all secured a spot in Hell. How can I introduce a different mode of education, something that is completely opposite of their Asian rote learning, that encourages critical thinking and just sit idly by when they don’t practice it?
“Well, I’m from the west,” I declared. “And I’m here to influence you!” I thrusted my arms at them and wiggled my fingers like an evil witch. “So how come you’re not all having sex before marriage then? You’re obviously not learning enough from me! You’re all bad students!”
Their chuckling grew louder and some students began slapping their desks as they inhaled deep laughter.
“I got it!” I clapped my hands together. “Your homework for this weekend is to have sex! Go! Go be influenced by your western teacher now!”

For the record, this did happen in class.
For the doube-record, no one did the assignment. For shame.