Students from University College London celebrate with friends and family following a graduation ceremony. ReutersREUTERS/Toby Melville
Students from University College London celebrate with friends and family following a graduation ceremony. ReutersREUTERS/Toby Melville

If we truly want the best person for the job, stereotypes are the last thing we should rely on



The furore over a UAE-based nursery group advertising for a teacher with white skin is a classic example of how not to build a meritocracy. Recruitment based on a superficial attribute, entirely unrelated to the skills and qualities required to do the job, is as foolish as it is socially damaging. This story speaks to me of our lazy reliance on stereotypes and our vulnerability to exploitation by those who would prey on our tendency to over-generalise and under-think.

During my first term at Liverpool University, I assumed that my fellow students – the ones who spoke in cut-glass accents and had an aristocratic air – were all super-smart, much smarter than me at least. They tended to be privileged white youngsters from the southeast of England, while I had brown skin and was from the northwest. I decided to keep my mouth shut during tutorials, embarrassed by the imagined incomprehensibility of my Liverpool accent, and sure that my classmates could provide far superior input than me. In my self-imposed silence, I began to question what I was doing at university and whether I really belonged there. I considered dropping out.

At the end of the first term, I was called into the office by the departmental chair. A kindly American lady, she sat me down and proceeded to congratulate me. My assignments and exam papers, it transpired, were all outstanding. I was the highest-performing student in the year group.

I retell this anecdote not to be boastful, but to highlight how wrong and potentially damaging stereotypes can be. I’m ashamed to say that I had judged my classmates by their accents and complexions, and assumed that they were all my intellectual superiors. My stereotyping had almost cost me my academic career, and had, for a whole term, deprived my classmates of my contributions.

Stereotyping is a very human tendency. When we have little information to go on, we often revert to judging people by their most superficial qualities. Indeed, when quick decisions are necessary, stereotypes can be useful. That is why they are part of our common cognitive inheritance – in extreme situations, they can help us to survive. However, over-reliance on them is lazy and problematic. Operating on stereotypes might save us time and effort, but such surface judgments can lead to discrimination and rob us of beneficial life experiences.

A further danger of stereotyping is that it can become habitual. Even when a wealth of nuanced information is easily obtained, people often still prefer the effort-free option of resorting to established preconceptions. Do that frequently enough and stereotypes become ingrained and highly resistant to change.

After I graduated from university, I immediately went to work at the same institution. One of my research projects involved developing a psychological test named Anamorphic Micro. This innovative way of helping people with anorexia nervosa come to terms with their body image problems attracted lots of media attention. I remember a news reporter and camera crew arriving at my office. The reporter immediately, and mistakenly, shook hands with my white colleague, Elroy. “A pleasure to meet you, Justin,” she said. “We’re really excited to see the software and do the story.” Elroy and I exchanged knowing smiles and gently corrected the reporter’s stereotype-driven error.

I have found stereotyping in the UAE to be mostly the same as it is in the UK, the only differences being slight variations on the stereotypes associated with different ethnic and national groups. The UAE is home to more than 200 different nationalities, which makes it reasonably fertile ground for the expression of stereotyping by nationality and ethnicity.

One of my former colleagues at Zayed University − a distinguished professor, who happened to be from southeast Asia − often fell victim to stereotyping while in the UAE. On one occasion, we were at a conference together, when another attendee loudly ordered my colleague to “bring more water”. Much to everyone else’s embarrassment, he had wrongly assumed that my fellow professor was part of the catering team.

Stereotyping can rely on us using only the most basic aspects of external appearance to evaluate the holistic worth of a person. This can work with objects, but never with humans. If we see the Mercedes Benz badge on a car, we might rightly expect a certain level of luxury. But nationality, social class, and ethnicity are not brands. Our purple, black or blue passport will never be an indicator of intellect, morality, sociability or industriousness. The same is true of our white, black or brown skin.

The nursery group that ran the advert went beyond silent stereotyping and crossed the line into explicit discrimination. I suspect that the organisation wanted a white-skinned employee to take advantage of the preconceived ideas that some of its potential customers have about white-skinned people.

However, if we want to build world-class, meritocratic institutions, we need reach far beyond our lazy dependence upon, and exploitation of, stereotypes. As Jalaluddin Rumi, one of the wisest people I have ever read, famously wrote: “Don’t look at my form, but take what is in my hand.”

Dr Justin Thomas is professor of psychology at Zayed University

Family reunited

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.

She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.

She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.

The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.

She was held in her native country a year later.

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Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

10. Reduce inequality  within and among countries

11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

MATCH INFO

Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')

Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')

Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20LEAGUE%202
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

The Book of Collateral Damage

Sinan Antoon

(Yale University Press)

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Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed

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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

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Results

4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)

5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi

6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard

What is an FTO Designation?

FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes. 

It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.

Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.

Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.

Source: US Department of State

The%20end%20of%20Summer
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