Is Europe So Perfect as They Describe It for the Third World Countries - Coursework Example

Representing the other in Development and Aid Introduction It is a common occurrence across the world for the media and development agencies to depict European culture and identity as far much superior to non-European cultures. More often, the media presents the unbalanced picture of the European superiority which largely connotes the fact that non-European cultures are far much inferior. In addition, the presence of a large number of European development agencies working in non-European countries adds to this damning representation. For most people in Europe, there is a feeling that European identity supersedes all other world cultures. It should be realized that much of the view held by most Europeans regarding other world cultures has been shaped by the media. Television images present African countries as places bedeviled by famine and incessant conflicts. When such places are brought into the picture, the aspect of Western relief comes to mind. Nevertheless, it is important to note that much of these representations are not always true and are geared towards promoting Eurocentrism. While poverty and famine might be realities in many parts of the developing world, Western media focuses largely on stereotypes and fails to recognize the great milestones realized in parts of the developing world. Representing the developing world Whenever one thinks of Africa, images of poverty and children with distended bellies come to mind. People have been made to believe that Africa is a land debased by conflict, poverty and disease. African leaders are represented in the media as comical totalitarians focused on stealing wealth and suppressing dissent. More importantly, the large number of European relief organizations adds to this distorted representation. It should e realized that most of these relief organizations mostly source their funds from European citizens. In this regard, they always present dire situations in order to get funding to undertake their activities. Regarding developing countries in the East, people quickly think of the oppression, wars and fear in parts of the Middle East. Middle East is represented as a place where democracy is non-existent while religious and racial tensions take root. In some, way, through media representation, most Europeans have a twofold view of the developing world. In the United Kingdom, a mention of the world “developing” is largely associated with Africa. Africa is seen as a place where poor leadership and natural disasters account for much of the poverty. Most Europeans are always willing and ready to offer assistance people in these countries. The second view of developing is associated with countries such China, Russia and Afghanistan. This category is perceived to be a threat to British security and dominance and is therefore watched with much suspicion (Hall 1997:232). It is felt that most challenges realized in these countries are mostly self made arising from the economic and political routes taken by their leaders. Thus, few Europeans would support the idea that their countries should help countries such as China and Russia in times of need. In a poll taken in the UK, respondents were asked to state what they felt were the three main causes of poverty in the Third world. From the poll, 69% of the respondents said war and conflicts, while 66% said poor governance. Another 44% related poverty to corruption in these countries. From the poll, it was seen that most UK citizens have very strong views on what they think contributes to poverty in the third world (Griffiths 2006:66). While many people feel that wars and conflicts contribute to the poverty, it is important to note that conflicts and wars often do not affect all Third world countries. In Africa, conflicts are mostly seen in Northern and Western parts of the continent. Many countries in Africa have not had any incidents of conflicts in their history. It is further imperative to note that only 20% of the respondents felt that poverty is largely contributed by exploitation from the West. The nature of these responses largely connotes the kind of representation made by the media and development agencies regarding non-European countries (Ramamurthy 2003:195)). The work of development agencies is therefore seen to focus on the future growth and prosperity of these regions. However, this prosperity is often associated with westernization. To most people for instance, taking development to Africa means that Africa is made “Westernize” and adopts the European way of doing things. Eurocentrism has therefore pervaded people’s mindsets to the extent that most Africans have also been made to believe that development only comes through adopting Western cultures (Griffiths 2006:90-5). Earlier studies by European anthropologists depicted non-European cultures as primitive. Africans were seen as savages, barbarians, tribes etc. In Britain, most people view the relationship between their country and an African country say Uganda as giver versus receiver. Therefore, to the average British citizen, the future of Uganda is largely defined by its ability to embrace Western culture, systems, political models and democracy. Regarding leadership, the media creates the illusion that democracy is totally non-existent in the developing world. While some people might be aware of the realities inherent in the developing world, it is practically difficult to shatter stereotypes that have become entrenched over the years. Development agencies work on the premise that they seek to help the Third world out of dire situations. The media supports that notion by focusing attention on wars, poverty and conflicts while showing nothing about the great developments seen in some parts of the developing word. Apart from development, European culture is often associated with civilization. The common assumption for most Europeans is therefore the fact that non-European cultures are inferior and undeveloped (Said1979: 87). In the developing world, the presence of large numbers of European development agencies working on the ground creates the image that Europe is far much superior in all aspects. Therefore, for most Africans who have not visited Europe, the continent is imagined as very civilized, sophisticated, clean, perfect and affluent. However, the sad realties always emerge when some Africans visit Europe and encounter the gloomy situations on the ground. To such Africans, Europe is associated with racism, rudeness, lack of respect and highly unsocial people (Baaz 2005: 78-9). The core of the matter is that the media has made it almost impossible for people in Europe to form their own opinions regarding the developing world. The media is so heavily laden with negative information regarding other cultures. This natural bias towards other cultures has fueled Eurocentrism over the years. The power of television image is very influential and this is used to clearly depict poverty, war and hunger. On the other hand, charities working in the developing world often emphasize on the “victim” situation. This is used as a strategy for raising funds by making the Third world to appear as totally dependent on the developed world (Lacey 2002: 59). Considering that most media outlets in Europe are independent and profit motivated, it raises the interesting question on why they only focus on presenting the gloomy images of the developing world while denying their viewers the opportunity to view all situations on the ground and make their own self-opinions. The answer lies in the competition for audience ratings. For most editors, most programs about the developing world do not pull much audience and are therefore largely avoided from program schedules. Most Europeans fancy programs that grant them a sense of culture and environment and are therefore less willing to watch other programs. In this regard, news remains as the only source of information and education about the developing world. Given that news is largely conceded only if it is bad news, many Europeans’ are only exposed to the negative aspects of developing world. In a sense, the developing world has been betrayed by Western media which has totally failed to make their viewers and readers to understand the great progress made in the regions. The need for Balanced Information However, in the recent years, there is an increasing demand for balanced news among sections of the European consumer groups. In the UK for instance, many consumer groups have become fed up with the stereotypic representation of the Third world and are increasingly demanding for the portrayal of good as well as the negative news. In addition, the media is encouraged to bring a sense of continuity while portraying news. This enables people to see the progress or failures made over time. In addition, these consumer groups are demanding that the media should also delve into the underlying issues which contribute to the poverty and conflicts in these regions. The idea is to ensure that the UK media consumer is presented with balanced view of the situation on the ground so that they can easily make their own judgments regarding developing countries (Ramamurthy 2003:67). It is interesting to note how civilization and progress in Europe is quickly associated with cultural superiority. One would therefore wonder whether the poverty seen in Africa is a result of the seemingly “inferior” culture. It is difficult to draw the line between good governance and proper working systems on the one hand and cultural identity on the other hand. Eurocentrism While Eurocentrism has existed over the years, the role of the media and development agencies in facilitating its growth cannot be overemphasized. In the basic sense, Eurocentrism connotes to viewing the world through European spectacles. By looking at the world through a Western-centered perspective, everything associated with the continent is therefore seen as exceptional on relative basis. Initially, Eurocentrism was mostly sustained through literature. However, with the growth of visual media, the notion has mostly been propagated through media. The concept evokes the usage of dualistic forms of comparison such as advanced versus backward and civilized versus barbaric (Mclennan 2003: 37). Through the media, other cultures are often portrayed in reference to their inferiority to the European culture. In the contemporary realm, less offending terms like developing world are often used to create a sense of non-existent recognition. Whether in the past or present, what remains on the ground is the fact that European culture is used as a point of reference when making comparisons. Eurocentrism is therefore about labeling a dualistic property on other non-European regions, people and cultures. Many people subsequently believe that Native Americans were “barbaric people” before Christopher Columbus set foot on the Americas (Hall 1997:75). In a world where media has taken root as an important element of society, Eurocentrism has found a new paradigm of recognition. The work of development agencies in the developing world also adds to this illusion. From the balanced perspective, it is simple to realize that these charitable organizations use such strategies in order to convince people to fund their activities. In a way, the adoption of European ideas in non-European countries is often perceived as getting civilized and linked to economic development. However, it is sad to note that Eurocentrism often ignores the existing social and historical experiences of regions and countries. In this way, researchers have found that efforts to develop less developed countries through Western methods often hinder rather than aid development. When the media depicts European cultures and political systems as far much superior, most developing countries ignore potentially beneficial concepts, ideas and knowledge from indigenous sources and focus on perpetuating western concepts which are often too impractical on the ground. This has largely been seen through the activities of development agencies. By relying on the media as the source for information, most developing countries are tempted to replicate what has worked in Europe without taking into account the differences in environment, cultures, climate etc (Hall 1997: 64). The idea of Eurocentrism has become so entrenched to the extent that new information regarding realities in developing countries is often ignored. There is a constant drip of negative imagery from the media and this serves to tighten people’s understanding on the inferiority of non-European culture and people. In sub-Saharan Africa which is often depicted as a haven for poverty and conflict, research found that only three-tenths of the people are affected by famine. Despite such information, most people in Britain are still much ill-informed about Africa (Ramamurthy 2003:54). In a way, the media and development agencies depict Africa as one large suffering country ravaged by trouble and torment. The diversity, resources and successes of the continent are rarely seen or known to the people. Apart from the mere distortion of facts, this perception on the developing world has contributed to the distortion of political priorities while also disrupting efforts to provide meaningful help to Africa. Instead of merely distributing food and other material assistance, development agencies could focus on providing lasting solutions and productive help. Many development agencies operate in poorer African states with a focus on addressing some of the challenges realized in the regions. However, it often raises the question on why these agencies do not provide lasting solutions to the challenges they address. The focus on Eurocentric ideology as propagated by these agencies has made many developing countries to be dependent on external aid as opposed to finding indigenous solutions to their challenges. The indigenous populations do not participate in the formulation of policy (Cox & Healey1998: 115). Dangers f Stereotyping While stereotyping might be viewed as a harmless depiction of one society in a particular way, it causes danger by negatively dehumanizing, devaluing and distancing other people. The average European is therefore made to believe that an African is helpless and less human. The idea of self-reliance gets out of the question. By ignoring the great achievements and hard work of people in developing world, the media helps in fueling the notion of the “victim” where developing countries are seen as dependent and often affected by poor governance and natural disasters. Development agencies like Oxfam which operate in Africa mostly employ Africans with very few expatriates. It is therefore mostly Africans who strive to help Africans while the impression created in Europe is that expatriates work for Africa. Stereotyping fuels the psychological relationship between the developed and the developing world by creating the sense of superiority versus inferiority. What the European media fails to inform its audience is the fact that European systems, models, development and politics might not always be superior and may not therefore be desired across the world. The reality is that Europe has made tremendous efforts in culture and development but it cannot always remain the model to be copied. The media should help to propel the realization that other world cultures can also offer something to learn. So grave is the psychological infatuation that the average British does not seek to gain any further information regarding the developing world. There is no greater desire for more knowledge and understanding. Instead, the media is inundated with ready and sufficient information about negativities in the developing world to the extent that the audience feels emotionally satisfied with such information (Lacey 2002:32). Benefits of Global Exposure For most Europeans who have had an opportunity to work or live in the developing world, many agree that the experience is worthwhile. They fully agree that much of what the media depict are mostly stereotypes and do not reflect much of the realities on the ground. Such experiences do not merely serve to dispel the stereotypes that hitherto exist. They also help in sealing the bonds of humanity. This occurs when people visit Africa and see the vibrancy and diversity with which life occurs. The reality that children in Africa also share the same aspirations, dreams and ambitions as their Western counterparts helps to reinforce the bond of commonality. The exposure to other cultures therefore has a great impact on priorities, personal values and development. More importantly, the experience and diversity not only dispels the held stereotypes but helps one to question their own sense of identity, value system and cultural norms. By witnessing the manner in which African students strive to attend school amid hard conditions, expatriates are made to appreciate their privileges and awareness. By learning from other cultures, people are able to embrace new ways of living, priorities and attitudes while also gaining the potential to initiate change to make a difference (Lacey 2002: 80). Having a balanced view of the world helps one to identify the flaws in the local systems and review their perception on the relationship between Europe and the developing countries. For most people who have worked in Africa, their feelings of false superiority are always shattered thereby building a much equal relationship between themselves and the developing world In a world where globalization has become a norm, embracing all cultures becomes very necessary as a way of gaining a global outlook. There should be a mutual and working relationship between the developing and developed world. This can only be realized by eliminating the existing stereotypes and exposing the realities inherent across the world. People should be given the information and freedom to give their views on other cultures (Hall 1997: 88). The media should not be the decision maker but should instead focus on providing a balanced reflection of the occurrences on the ground. Such relationships would be beneficial to all parties. At the personal level, people should be encouraged to change their own perception, behaviors and lifestyle. This will ultimately reflect on the societal level as the broader political and social attitudes will change. However, it should be noted that the need for financial and material aid still arises despite such relationships. This should be translated into a two-way relationship based on mutual understanding as opposed to feelings and false information as is presently the case. Conclusion In the face of terrorism, there is a need to build a more united global community. In reality, some of the stereotypes are not completely false. They are only part of the bigger picture. They serve to reinforce the giver-receiver relationship which subsequently debases the relationships between the developed and the developing world. It is therefore seen that the media and development agencies have played a big role in promoting the idea of Eurocentrism. This nevertheless, breeds much challenges as it brings negative consequences on the ground. Media consumers should therefore be presented with the full picture so as to develop and assimilate an equitable view. The charities working in the developing world should also focus on providing lasting solutions in order to avoid perpetrating the giver-receiver relationships which greatly affects the relationship. References Baaz, M. E. (2005). The paternalism of partnership: a postcolonial reading of identity in development aid. New York: Zed Books. Cox, A., & Healey, J. (1998). Promises to the poor: the record of European development agencies. London: Overseas Development Institute. Griffiths, R. (2006). City/culture discourses: Evidence from the competition to select the European capital of culture 2008. European Planning Studies, 14(4), 415-430. Hall, S. (1997). The spectacle of the other. Representation: cultural representations and signifying practices (p. 226). London: Sage in association with the Open University. Lacey, N. (2002). Media institutions and audiences: key concepts in media studies. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave. Mclennan, G. (2003). Sociology, Eurocentrism and Postcolonial Theory. European Journal of Social Theory, 6(1), 69-86. Ramamurthy, A. (2003). Imperial persuaders: images of Africa and Asia in British advertising. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press ;. Said, E. W. (1979). Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books. Read More