Writers 
Not Everyone Is the Same
I actually hate when people categorize things.
Like, seriously, why do we do this? 😂
You hear things like, “Benue girls are prostitutes,” “Yoruba boys are red flags,” “Idoma boys are playboys,” or “Yorubas are this and that.” And I’m always sitting there wondering, what exactly is going on? 😭
I understand that you might have had a bad experience with someone from a particular group. Maybe a Benue girl broke your heart, a Yoruba boy disappointed you, or an Idoma boy played with your feelings. I’m not saying your experience didn’t happen or that you shouldn’t learn from it.
But please, does that mean the entire group should now carry the same label?
One person did something to you and suddenly everybody from that tribe, state, gender, or group has been convicted without even being given a chance to defend themselves.
How is that fair?
Imagine meeting one person who happens to be Yoruba and thinking, “Hmm, Yoruba boys are red flags.”
Then you meet another person from Benue and immediately think, “Ah, these girls are like this.”
Before the person has even introduced themselves properly, you have already written their character, personality, and entire biography in your head. 😂😭
And honestly, this categorizing thing doesn’t only happen with tribes or states. It happens everywhere.
Even at home!
Something gets broken and immediately you hear:
“You people have broken something again, right?”
And I’m just there thinking, “You people? How? Was it everybody?!” 😂😭
Maybe only one person broke it, but somehow the entire group has been summoned to court.
It’s actually funny when you think about it because we do this consciously and unconsciously all the time. We see one situation, experience something once, or hear a story from someone, and suddenly our brains create a category.
“This type of person is like this.”
“People from there behave like that.”
“Girls like this are always this way.”
“Boys like that can never be trusted.”
And just like that, we have placed millions of completely different people inside one box.
But people are not boxes.
Two people can come from the same family and have completely different personalities. Two people can come from the same state, speak the same language, attend the same school, or even grow up in the same house and still behave completely differently.
So why do we assume everyone must be the same simply because they share one thing in common?
I think we need to be more careful with the labels we give people. An experience can teach you something without becoming a rule for everybody else.
If someone hurts you, hold that person accountable.
If someone disappoints you, learn from that experience.
But please, don’t punish an entire group for the actions of one person. 😂
At the end of the day, people are people. Some are kind, some are annoying, some are trustworthy, some are not, and some will surprise you completely.
So before we say, “You people are all like this,” maybe we should pause and ask ourselves:
“You people… as in who exactly?” 😂
Because honestly, everybody cannot possibly be the same.