This evening as I was walking back home from work I made a very interesting observation.
There was this young boy with a profoma in his hands. He strategically stood beside the road at a place where he could see people as they trooped into the estate back from work. It seemed to me he was using the profoma to raise funds for a course that I didn’t get to learn because fortunately or unfortunately he never approached me.
Because I noticed him from a distance I got to make some very interesting observations. Actually, about fifteen people or so - some of whom he approached - went ahead of me. One key observation I made was that the boy only approached men dressed in suits, men who tied a tie and women who seemed young and well dressed.
Unfortunately, of about six people he approached before I passed him, none gave him anything. All they gave him was a brief glance and hearing that lasted not more than a few seconds before I could see them - one after the other - shake their heads and moving on with their journey.
Meanwhile, the averagely dressed – as i wish to put it – individuals kept on passing by without striking his attention. I wonder whether they were also keen to observe what I observed but one thing is sure, simply by stereotyping the boy may have missed out on many people who would have been ready to offer assistance/money.
I may not know whether the boy learnt some lessons from this after I had passed and changed his approach but I hope he did because if he didn’t am afraid he may have gone home with an empty profoma.
Hope you learn some lesson from this.
Avoid stereotyping at all cost. You may never know where your salvation comes from.
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