“Given the country we live in, it’s no surprise that you often find yourself with your hood up, fighting what seems like never ending wind and rain.
So it wasn’t any different one cold night as I waited for the train at the station, huddled behind a pole in a vain attempt to protect myself from the wind. As I boarded the train, I noticed that several other people had also done the sensible thing and put their hoods up.
I didn’t give this much thought until I sat down in the train and it occurred to me that in certain countries and to a certain generation, I might come across as a ‘Hoodie’. While I found this amusing, given my size and stature (definitely not particularly intimidating), nevertheless, it got me thinking. For those unfamiliar with the term, a ‘Hoodie’ isn’t merely an item of clothing with a hood on it, but rather a slightly derogatory term associated with troublemakers: mostly young males who hang around street corners and are a general menace to society. While the term may not be as common in this country, the same cannot be said of the UK, where it has passed into common usage, and where the people to whom it applies have proven to be such a nuisance that there was a time when certain shopping malls banned people wearing the offending hoods from entering their premises!
While taking a moment to mourn the reputation of the hoodie, a much maligned garment, it does bring us to the crux of the issue, which is, ultimately, about stereotypes, about seeing someone with their hood up and automatically making a judgement about what type of person they are. Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard the same story about how stereotypes are bad – and I’m not here to preach – but nevertheless we all do it. As far as human nature is concerned, and living in the world that we do, we all have to make assumptions, and sometimes they’re based on nothing but appearances. The differences comes when you then have to decide whether you allow that initial judgement to influence your decision as to what you think of the person, or if you keep an open mind and allow yourself to be (hopefully pleasantly) surprised.
On the same night in question, in my quest for the warmth and comfort of home, as I got off the metro I noticed a couple about to get on. From their appearance one could conclude they were big fans of the punk movement/lifestyle. From the boots, to the multi-coloured Mohawk hair, it was all there. ‘Punks’ Not Dead’ it seemed. Then I realised that one of them was carrying a box labelled: ‘UPC Digitale TV’. At which point I made a mental U-turn: first, that anyone was buying UPC products in the first place (personal experience says is there a worse service provider?), and second, that they were buying a digital TV at all! I mean, you wouldn’t necessarily associate punk, a style of music and culture that’s anti-establishment, with digital TV, which is very much establishment and has been accused of ‘dumbing down’ society.
It was at this moment I realised that I was making horrendous assumptions about these people, starting with how they were dressed, and ending with what I thought they believed in based on how they were dressed . when in reality, I had no clue! Maybe they got the TV as a gift? Maybe they were simply using a box they had found to carry something in. Maybe it was in fact digital TV; after all, who says punks don’t want more than 50 channels, too? Who knows? I certainly don’t. But what I do know is this: if you see me with my hood up, it just means I’m trying to avoid the cold.
Lucia Wamiti, from Kenya, is a BSc student studying Aerospace Engineering.
“Given the country we live in, it’s no surprise that you often find yourself with your hood up, fighting what seems like never ending wind and rain. So it wasn’t any different one cold night as I waited for the train at the station, huddled behind a pole in a vain attempt to protect myself from the wind. As I boarded the train, I noticed that several other people had also done the sensible thing and put their hoods up.
I didn’t give this much thought until I sat down in the train and it occurred to me that in certain countries and to a certain generation, I might come across as a ‘Hoodie’. While I found this amusing, given my size and stature (definitely not particularly intimidating), nevertheless, it got me thinking. For those unfamiliar with the term, a ‘Hoodie’ isn’t merely an item of clothing with a hood on it, but rather a slightly derogatory term associated with troublemakers: mostly young males who hang around street corners and are a general menace to society. While the term may not be as common in this country, the same cannot be said of the UK, where it has passed into common usage, and where the people to whom it applies have proven to be such a nuisance that there was a time when certain shopping malls banned people wearing the offending hoods from entering their premises!
While taking a moment to mourn the reputation of the hoodie, a much maligned garment, it does bring us to the crux of the issue, which is, ultimately, about stereotypes, about seeing someone with their hood up and automatically making a judgement about what type of person they are. Now, I’m sure we’ve all heard the same story about how stereotypes are bad – and I’m not here to preach – but nevertheless we all do it. As far as human nature is concerned, and living in the world that we do, we all have to make assumptions, and sometimes they’re based on nothing but appearances. The differences comes when you then have to decide whether you allow that initial judgement to influence your decision as to what you think of the person, or if you keep an open mind and allow yourself to be (hopefully pleasantly) surprised.
On the same night in question, in my quest for the warmth and comfort of home, as I got off the metro I noticed a couple about to get on. From their appearance one could conclude they were big fans of the punk movement/lifestyle. From the boots, to the multi-coloured Mohawk hair, it was all there. ‘Punks’ Not Dead’ it seemed. Then I realised that one of them was carrying a box labelled: ‘UPC Digitale TV’. At which point I made a mental U-turn: first, that anyone was buying UPC products in the first place (personal experience says is there a worse service provider?), and second, that they were buying a digital TV at all! I mean, you wouldn’t necessarily associate punk, a style of music and culture that’s anti-establishment, with digital TV, which is very much establishment and has been accused of ‘dumbing down’ society.
It was at this moment I realised that I was making horrendous assumptions about these people, starting with how they were dressed, and ending with what I thought they believed in based on how they were dressed . when in reality, I had no clue! Maybe they got the TV as a gift? Maybe they were simply using a box they had found to carry something in. Maybe it was in fact digital TV; after all, who says punks don’t want more than 50 channels, too? Who knows? I certainly don’t. But what I do know is this: if you see me with my hood up, it just means I’m trying to avoid the cold.
Lucia Wamiti, from Kenya, is a BSc student studying Aerospace Engineering.
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