Interviewing anyone?

So, just had a thought, and I sort of need help in developing if any of you could help out. I would really like to interview a couple of people from each generation alive today, maybe in 30-year increments to hear what they have to say about different people groups, and whether they play into a lot of the stereotypes about the different groups. A sample question posed would be:

If you were walking down the street and you saw a Kikuyu man, a Luo man, a Maasai, and a Taita, around which one would you hold your purse/satchel tightest?
This of course is a question I would pose to someone who has grown up in Kenya. The general view of the Kikuyu tribe is that they are the most likely to be thieves.

This is a half-developed idea, and would require a lot of fore-planning, so I'd like to hear opinions on how realistic it would be for me to participate in such a thing. There is a retirement home nearby at which I was planning on volunteering some of my time this semester and I would be able to ask the people there their views on different races. I tutor at a school on 4th street and could ask the teachers to allow me to ask the children questions as well. Then, I could go around south bethlehem ( i know a couple of people who have lived here a while) and ask people their opinion.

So, what do you think?

The Nature of Hate (Sternberg, Sternberg)

I just stumbled upon a book that looks to be a very interesting read, that could open my eyes to the origins of hate. It's called The Nature of Hate and it is written by Robert J. Sternberg, Karin Sternberg. I will delve into its pages probably some time tomorrow and will begin updating you all on how it's reading. My plan in conducting this investigations is in three parts:

• Part I - I will read into different theories on the basis of hate and how it affects people's treatment on others, just to get a grip on why people actually hate.
• Part II -I will look into tribalism and how it has influenced wars in different parts of Africa. I believe I will begin with my own beloved country (yes Veronica, my country), Kenya. I will explore the different wars, both small and country-wide ones over the past 100 years or so. This time of study will just be me analyzing different groups' conflicts and relating it back to Part I. (In Kenya, I might also look into colonization as well)
  
• Part III - I will then try to see how the manner in which people express tribalism and racism has changed over the twentieth century. I will use the examples from Part II to do this. I will also attempt to see what could have caused these changes. Globalization, contempt by the greater part of society of racism and tribalism, and such.

And so, I begin. If you'd like to talk about any of this with me, I am totally open to that and would actually enjoy it a lot. So, be not afraid of asking.

'Til next time,
Your companion in the eternal quest for knowledge (which is meaningless by the way, according to King Solomon),
Libby Gathei Kabachia

Hatred: Tribalism, Racism, etc

Ok, really? Why would you* hate me because of something I have NO control over? Why would you look down on me because of where I come from? Why would you write me off a thief just because of the color of my skin? Really? And if I was not me, but you, would I have the same kind of thoughts and make the same judgements? But why do we do such things? Here, I investigate hatred. The kind of hatred that really should NOT exist. The kind of hatred that I see, hear, and feel day after day. That kind of hatred, a hatred that has killed and continues to kill so many, disgusts me, yet I really want to see why we as a society began this whole "I'm better than you because [insert some odd, ugly, probably baseless, lie here] " thing. I just want to make sense of it all. And if it is senseless, well, I guess I'll just revert to what I think of people who judge people on things they have no control over and over things that there is NO REASON to be ashamed of, fools.

* - the 'you' I speak of here is probably not you who is reading this blog, so calm down. I will define 'you' as a person who judges people based on color of skin, heritage, ability to speak and take care of themselves, tribe, and treats them differently because of it.