MISGUIDED STEREOTYPES

First, let us reminisce. Picture a slay-queen amidst the struggles at Jimbaz class 301A. As goblets of sweats cascade down her perfectly powdered foundation, ruining smooth shades of yellow curved on her not-so-pointed-nose, a slight outburst as more efforts to maintain her look with a plastic hand fan prove futile. And then-THE JAM-a stretched hand surviving the struggle cleans off the makeup on one eye brow unveiling a ‘hideous’ being, and the rest is history. With all the rudiments and battles in this den of a medical school, we just have to admit: this is us now!



“THEY THINK IT ALL, OVER-SABI”. These words from nearby strangers made me perch by them to grasp the essence of that statement, until I realized the whole conversation was centered on what selfish, ungrateful, proud beings first year medical students are. Well, yes. Profoundly. All first year medical students are victims of one huge collateral damage – a huge terrible occurrence that extends to involve a group of people who are less inclined to the actual cause – progenies of unfaithful happenings. Could it be frustration from hearing “medical students” being regarded as the most fit in all matters academic by lecturers? Or reacting to rejection from that same department? However misconstrued our fine humility must have been (not saying we are not up for criticism), people should at least judge us outside stereotypes. As sentiments arise from stereotypes, it is usually and socially acknowledged that on an average, successful people tend to look down on their challenged counterparts. However, the case may not always be so in any given society and this same case has been likened to us.
Don’t get me wrong, no one is saying medical students end up most successful. Hell! That is another stereotype and is definitely not true. Maybe in the United States where surgeons have one of the highest paid jobs, but of course, after they must have spent thousands of ‘years’ and money on tuition. In Nigeria, we make just enough to ‘be comfortable’ and live a significant life. Let us not even consider the fact that the top ten richest men have their assets augmented by their IT-related enterprises.
Point is, the universe is such that we all have different roles to play in exercising influence; we all have different course works to be fully devoted to and as such must equally consecrate ourselves to filling in these “roles” now and in the nearby future as we’ve been called to do. And I dare say we can’t get there by giving in or being affected or led by misguided stereotypes. However this journey plays out, we’ll just have to admit – THIS IS US NOW!
Written by Okoye Bonaventure Echezona a first Year Medical Student at University of Nigeria, Nsukka.