people are people, so why should it be..

i have been noticing something in class recently that is both troubling and puzzling to me.

in said class we are discussing yet again the so called ‘poverty trap’ most countries in africa seem to be associated with. and the problems with lumping african nations into one entity. neocolonialism. neoliberalism. politics. corruption. humanitarian aid. globalization.
yes. basically we read, listen and discuss for hours on end about all the wrong ways of approaching poverty and slowly but surely come to the conclusion that there is nothing we can do about it. so lets just get out there and contribute to the problem already!

and just when you thought that was troubling and puzzling..

i am noticing a recurring trend in class, where the europeans/americans/australians, mostly men (just a friendly observation), sit in a group and make fun of other people.

this is grad school, ladies and gentlemen.

in seminar the other day, we were discussing (yet again) the issues with using the term ‘Africa’ to describe all african nations and what that means, and we decided that it was quite eurocentric and it carries certain stereotypes based on western bias, blah blah blah. one of the africans in our class goes to make a point, which drags on for a bit and kind of turns into a story, and its getting near the end of class, and i hear white boy corner giggling and making comments.
wut.
today in the same seminar, lovely chinese man is making points referring to china and its success within the global market in the recent past, blah blah blah. hes going on for a while, expanding on his point. focusing on something that he feels is important, but may be lost in cultural translation. apparently going way beyond white-boy-corner’s comfort level. and there it is again. i cant believe it. more laughter and comments. quiet enough not to be heard. loud enough to be noticed by bored, observant, stealthy anthropologists.

it is very strange to me that these people can be so sincere in theory, (and they are all very smart, i assure you. we attend one of the top 20 universities in the world. yeah, thats right) but are completely unaware of how eurocentrism affects their own minds! in this seminar circle of about 20 people form all over the world, they are the standard to which everyone else must form, even though they are in the minority. sound familiar?

how can someone even think about working in development/relief aid/etc and not be able to respect the cultural/ethnic diversity within their own classroom?

im not sure if i want to know the answer to that. unconsciously or not, this group, its worldview and customs, are still perpetuated as the standard to which the world is upheld.

help!